Automotive Business Magazine – Q3 2026 – Digital edition - Flipbook - Page 70
Interview
TUAL
Dylan Robertson speaks with Philip Clarke, CEO and founder of TUAL,
about solving the EV fleet charging problem
M
oving to diesel was
simple: pick the black
pump instead of green,
enjoy the extra range
and ignore the tractor
noises. Self-charging
hybrids were simple too.
But the EV transition
has been anything but
smooth for fleets, often requiring a
complete rethink of operations.
Many fleet managers who thought their
operations would be a perfect fit have
had plans scuppered when they realised
that their depots were unable to access
enough power. That has historically left
one option: a grid upgrade. However,
these can prove costly and often come
with multi-year wait times.
But there is another way. TUAL
produces the PowerUp, a high-power
charging system. It slowly charges its
own battery over time, before rapidly
deploying it to charge an EV.
Automotive Business Magazine spoke
with Philip Clarke, founder and CEO,
about the problems this system solves,
not only for fleets, but for dealers, too.
New problems, new solutions
Minimising downtime is a key goal for
any fleet manager. With EVs, this extends
beyond maintenance. Charging a large
van through a three-pin plug can take far
longer than changing the oil on a diesel.
Fast charging requires infrastructure.
Fleets that operate in remote areas, or
are grid constrained, are left to charge
their shiny new vans with the equivalent
of an old BlackBerry charger.
Clarke explains: “Most of these sites
don't have an energy problem. They
have a power problem. If you want more
power on demand, a normal charger
just can't deliver it. You can't magic up
enough electrons. So, by charging from
the integrated battery, we can deliver
that high power charging. We're oriented,
in particular, to mission-critical fleets.
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Q1 2026
Q3
“It's a 60-minute install. There's no
digging. It plugs into a socket, from
whatever supply you've already got. You
don't need any kind of grid or landlord
approvals. High-speed deployment
matters, and then very high levels of
resilience. Because we control our power
source, the grid could blackout, and they
can still charge from us.”
Electric vans introduce extra
challenges, as uptime is more of a
priority, and drivers often take them
home, meaning overnight charging at the
depot is often simply not an option.
Clarke continues: “Lots of the biggest,
most important fleets operate from
remote, edge-of-grid sites, where they
can’t possibly have high-power charging.
Lots of other fleets, in particular
transport and hauliers, need to go from
their site to a customer location. Then
there’s no available charging at the
customer location.”
The PowerUp is designed to be both
easy to fit and to move, allowing fleets to
install them at customer locations, where
a vehicle can be charged quickly while it
is being loaded or unloaded. Then, if the
contract is lost, the fleet can simply move
it to another site.
Gridlock
The problem with a grid upgrade is
twofold: availability and cost.
Clarke says: “Plenty of fleets are
looking at well over £1m. Critically, they’re
looking at three to five years. If you want
to take control of your destiny, you don’t
want to wait years.”
Technology like this does not come
cheap. But, when compared with a grid
upgrade instead of a regular charger, it
starts to make sense.
Clarke says: “We tend not to compete
with people selling normal chargers. We
compete with grid upgrades. With people
negotiating with their landlords. We do
have some people who book in a grid
upgrade, deploy this, and when the grid
