Grid-Forming Charging Hardware: How Kwetta Helps CPOs Overcome Grid Barriers

In Episode 33 of The Charge Point Podcast, FLEXECHARGE’s Christophe Lephilibert sits down with Mike Lazelle, co-founder of Kwetta, to explore how the company’s grid-forming charging hardware is transforming how charge point operators (CPOs) connect, scale, and monetize heavy-duty charging infrastructure.

Originally from New Zealand and now headquartered in Amsterdam, Mike explains how Kwetta Prime, the company’s flagship system, combines high-power vehicle charging with advanced grid-support capabilities, turning each charger into a stabilizing force for the power grid.

Key Takeaways

1. From Charger to Grid Asset: The New Role of Hardware

Traditional fast chargers simply pull energy from the grid. Kwetta’s approach is different: its grid-forming hardware doesn’t just consume power—it also supports the grid.

By combining CCS2 and MCS standards (ranging from 400 kW up to 1.5 MW) with functions like voltage regulation, harmonic mitigation, and sub-second response, Kwetta Prime turns a typical charging box into a micro energy system.

This ensures heavy-duty charging sites can operate without destabilizing the grid, even under high demand, and can be connected in months rather than years.

2. Turning Grid ‘No’s Into ‘Yes’s for CPOs

CPOs across Europe are facing skyrocketing grid upgrade costs and multi-year delays to connect new sites. Many critical truck charging hubs are stuck in queue because local distribution system operators (DSOs) can’t expand infrastructure fast enough.

Kwetta tackles this challenge head-on by solving the technical bottlenecks DSOs face, like voltage fluctuations and contingency constraints, so CPOs can get faster approvals.

In one New Zealand project, Kwetta helped a CPO avoid a €1 million grid upgrade and reduce a two-year delay to just five months.

“The DSOs are between a rock and a hard place,” says Mike.
“They face all the operational risk but can’t expand fast enough. We help them say yes to CPOs.”

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3. Built for HARMON-E: Smart Integration with FLEXECHARGE

Kwetta Prime supports all major communication protocols, making it fully compatible with FLEXECHARGE’s HARMON-e platform.
 

This integration lets CPOs manage site capacity dynamically, balance loads intelligently, and participate in flexibility markets, turning their charging infrastructure into a source of new revenue.

Together, Kwetta and FLEXECHARGE form a complete ecosystem:

• Kwetta provides the hardware intelligence to connect quickly and safely.

• Harmon-e delivers the software orchestration to optimize usage and grid participation.

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4. Reliability That Heavy Fleets Can Count On

With more than 40,000 charging sessions completed and 16 operating sites across Australia, Kwetta’s technology has proven its reliability in real-world logistics environments.

Their rolling 30-day uptime exceeds 99.7%, ensuring that fleets never lose operational hours waiting for a charger.

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5. The Future: 2025 and the Megawatt Mobility Era

Mike believes 2025 will mark a turning point similar to 2016’s EV revolution, but this time for heavy vehicles.

CPOs that prepare early—with grid-smart hardware, flexible operations, and intelligent energy management—will be best positioned to lead Europe’s heavy fleet transition.

Why This Matters for CPOs and Fleet Operators

As Europe’s grid grows more congested, connection speed and cost are becoming the main barriers to CPO scalability.

Kwetta’s grid-forming hardware directly addresses this challenge—giving CPOs the power to:

• Accelerate deployments without costly grid reinforcements

• Increase uptime and reliability for heavy fleets

• Unlock new value streams via flexibility and balancing markets

By combining FLEXECHARGE Harmon-e with Kwetta Prime, operators can move beyond just charging to become active energy players in the digital grid economy.

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🎧 Listen & Learn More

Discover how Kwetta, FLEXECHARGE, and industry experts are redefining the interface between EV charging and the power grid, transforming high-power hardware into grid-stabilizing, revenue-generating infrastructure for CPOs and fleet operators:

👉 Listen to Episode 33 of The Charge Point Podcast

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