How the EV evolution creates opportunities for start-ups, like Chark

Employee parking and charging can quickly turn into chaos—colleagues blocking chargers all day, the morning rush for first-come-first-served spots, and reserved spaces sitting empty due to illness or absence. Keeping track of it all? A nightmare. That’s where Chark comes in. Their simple reservation software lets employees book a spot in seconds. Employees know exactly where to park, when to switch charging stations, and with whom. No more wasted (charging) spots, no more frustration. Chark helps you put parking and charging policies into practice—without the headache of manual coordination.

Company Size

Startup

Industry

Information Technology & Services

Company

Chark

Validating the value proposition and go-to-market for Chark

Chark helps companies save time & money by better utilizing their company parking and EV-charging infrastructure.

Business challenge

Are you an EV-driver? Or part of the management team of a company that supports the EV-trend and sustainability objectives it helps realize? Then you’re familiar with the charging-stress EV-drivers experience. Running empty, needing to re-charge and you can’t find a suitable charging solution, or free parking space, … resulting in driving around, wasting time, missing meetings … And, more often than not, increasing parking costs as the EV-driver has no choice but to park in more expensive public parking spaces with available charging stations.

How we made the difference

Chark, a Belgian IT start-up, came to us with a few assumptions about this known problem. They already had a few customers and were analyzing how best to approach the market and how to position their innovative solution.

With a zero-measurement study we helped validate the business case on 4 levels: is there a problem worth solving? (market) Does the value proposition Chark has in mind deliver on these problems? (solution / market share) Is the proposed business model and pricing clear, relatable and acceptable? What are the triggers to take action and/or barriers for adoption? (G2M, conversion)

“When we started Chark, we had plenty of assumptions. With BUFFL’s help, we were able to validate them and get clear answers on how to move forward. This allowed us to fine-tune our positioning based on how companies and EV drivers actually see these challenges. Thanks to these insights, we’re now helping businesses save money, time, and a lot of headaches with a smarter approach to parking and charging." - Ruud Reunis, Chark

How we added value

With a research approach that supports actionable decisions and data that speaks for itself.

65% experience charging stations remaining occupied unnecessarily.
80% of EV drivers responded that they expect the employer to manage rotation of charging locations.

Insights: Leverage the expectations of EV-drivers to increase the access to charging spots as arguments to decision-makers. Implementing more spots is not always possible, but rotation is seen as a viable alternative by EV-drivers.