We put the questions to James Hylton and Paul Tomlinson, Co-founders of Cord EV, to learn more about why the pair’s previous experience in the automotive sector will ensure the company is well positioned to service the needs of electrical installers and their customers.
Q. What are your respective backgrounds and where did the idea to launch Cord EV come from?
The idea came about in 2022 when we were both frustrated with the process of getting an EV charger quoted and installed – it seemed unnecessarily complicated and not very customer friendly.
As we both have lengthy backgrounds in trade and consumer products, services and sales in the automotive industry, we decided we would set up Cord to attempt to simplify the process of selection and installation for the mass market.
Paul has extensive experience at Halfords, latterly a key part of the senior leadership team and responsible for the brand’s e-mobility strategy. His expertise is centred around customer experience and consumer retail, which puts Cord in a perfect position to bring some much needed customer focus to the process of buying and owner an EV charger.
James led GS Yuasa as MD, from a small player in the industrial battery market to the market leader for automotive, fire/security, standby power, energy storage and motorcycle batteries. The two main channels Yuasa supplied were automotive retail and workshops and electricians via electrical wholesalers, making his experience particularly pertinent to EV charging.
Q. What is Cord EV set up to do and what products, services and solutions do you offer?
There are three or four areas of our business – home, workplace, workshop and accessories – and we offer product and optional installation services for each of these sectors.
Our flagship product is the new Cord Zero EV charger, which we’ve made as simple to install as possible, as well as offering ultimate customer connectivity with automatically interchangeable Wi-Fi and 4G.
We’re also really excited about the launch of our upcoming Cord Pro Workshop charger – aimed at vehicle workshops that need a high quality, durable portable product to diagnose and charge EVs.
Q. Are there specific features and applications that set the Cord EV range aside from others?
We aim to offer high quality products at a price that’s accessible for the mass market. All of our products come with a minimum three-year guarantee and our cables and accessories have all been tested for durability in extremes of temperature and weather.
We’ve thought extensively about how customers might use the products – for example offering ‘coiled’ charging cables to make them easier to carry, removing the issue of dirt and grime that comes from dragging on the ground when using a standard cable.
We’re particularly proud of our new interchangeable Wi-Fi and 4G technology – this means that connectivity of the EV charger is maintained, reducing the likelihood of waking up to an uncharged car, or inaccurate expense claims.
Q. Do you offer technical support for end user customers and installers?
We offer a suite of technical support documents, guides and videos, as well as telephone, email and WhatsApp technical support. Additionally we offer virtual and face-to-face training sessions to get the most out of our products.
That said, we’ve aimed to make everything as simple as possible, so any installer who has experience with EV should be able to get up to speed quickly.
Q. Is the product available through wholesalers and have you had any significant supply agreements since the brand was launched?
We’ve launched with a couple of well- established wholesalers and are in discussions with numerous key players, so we’re open and looking for partnerships.
We have good stock availability from our UK warehouse and can arrange delivery within 24 hours. We also have an exclusive multi-year agreement with Halfords for home charging and accessories.
Q. What advice would you have for electrical installers who might be considering getting into EV chargepoint installations, but are unsure whether to take the step?
Do it! Whilst it’s fair to say it’s a competitive market, the size of the sector is going to grow rapidly over the coming years. Just 2.5% of cars on the road are electric and the vast majority of the 3.2m+ business premises in the UK don’t have any charging facilities yet.
It’s also a great first step to offering the full suite of energy saving devices such as battery storage and solar.
Find out more about Cord EV and its products and services here
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