Hitaltech has supported Fast Amps in the development of an EV charger which delivers on its promises: Simple. Reliable. Robust.
It’s a novel approach for an EV charger. Let us tell you all about it!
The problem with most EV chargers
Edd Rayner, Director of Operations at Fast Amps, spotted an issue with many of the EV charging units available on the market:
An EV charger is just a plug socket for your car. But so many have bells and whistles (app-controlled switch on/off, lots of data dashboards etc) that appeal to some but are almost never used by most. Most people don’t want or need a plug socket that does all these things.
And actually, for many people it’s important that they don’t do these things, because the more complicated an EV charger is, the longer it takes to install, the more expensive it gets and the more unreliable it tends to be. Plus, you end up with a huge carbuncle on your wall.
Edd saw the opportunity in developing a simple, reliable, robust EV charger that was sensibly priced, and Fast Amps was born.
The birth of Fast Amps
Edd is no stranger to R&D. Twenty years ago, he started working in electronics, for a company that designed variable speed drives which change the speed of motors used in industry. As R&D Projects Manager, Edd chose Hitaltech to supply the company’s connectors.
The company’s success led to an acquisition and Edd saw an opportunity for change. He decided to start a business with one of the owners of the company.
We spent the best part of a year looking at what we wanted to do or could do. When we realised that the typical EV charger has far too many screws, components, and wires for its own good, we saw that our experience in variable speed drives – which was all about making things simple, reliable, easy to use and easy to build – was something that desperately needed to be applied to EV chargers.
From there, Fast Amps launched in 2022 from its Shrewsbury base, with a commitment to designing and manufacturing everything in the UK. Its flagship charger, the Alpha 7, is suitable for domestic and commercial charging. Today, it delivers on Fast Amps’ promise of a compact, robust, reliable and simple EV charger.
Design and development with Hitaltech
Designing simplicity is often surprisingly complex. So when it came to choosing the right connectors for the Alpha 7, Edd returned to Hitaltech and contacted our Sales Manager: Matt Hughes.
To Edd, having the right people as development partners was crucial for Fast Amps’ success.
Business is all about people. Whatever the product, it’s the people that make it in the first place. What I like about Matt and Hitaltech is that they absolutely do what they say they’ll do. There’s no messing, and if they think something’s not right, they’ll tell you, which is fabulous because that’s what leads to better products.
We didn’t need much in the way of customisation, but we did ask for a change of screw, from flat head to posi, which is useful to our installers and which Hitaltech just sorted.
On our end, we were excited to contribute to the development of a new EV charger and happy to work again with Edd.
“That’s why I like Hitaltech”
Hitaltech looks at the long term potential of what you’re doing.
They’re willing to go the extra mile, perhaps with a smaller initial order, because they commit to your project. It feels like a real partnership. You could get connectors from anywhere, but I’d always recommend Hitaltech. A lot has been said in the past about distributors and how much value they actually add.
These days, with lean manufacturing, a lot of what used to be distribution has been lost. But there’s still space for distributors like Hitaltech who genuinely add value in terms of knowledge, expertise and compliance.
They’re able to give sensible recommendations in the interests of customers and designers, and they’re able to offer connector solutions that you just wouldn’t be able to get anywhere else. They also support us by holding buffer stock they know we’ll use. In a world where everyone wants lean and slick – and doesn’t want to hold large stocks of anything – that’s another important value-added service.
That’s why I like Hitaltech.
And that’s why we like Fast Amps! The result of our collaboration gave birth to the most popular EV charger on the UK market.
Alpha 7: the installers’ favourite
Despite being a young company, Fast Amps already has close to 150 installers across the UK as well as a number of distributors. Thanks to its simplicity, the Alpha 7 benefits from a very good reputation among installers.
Very often, installers struggle with fitting and commissioning some chargers. We were at an exhibition recently and the fastest installer of the Alpha 7 managed it in 52 seconds.
I’m not suggesting installers are likely to do that in the real world, but we regularly hear that installation and commissioning takes less than half the time compared with almost all of the competition.
We can’t wait to see where Fast Amps will be in the next 5 years and we’re excited to keep helping them grow and develop amazing products.
If you have a project, or wish to know more about our connectors, don’t hesitate to get in touch! We’ll get back to you shortly and would be happy to discuss your needs.
