The EV charging industry has been hit with disheartening news in recent days. Following the unexpected layoffs at Tesla’s Supercharger team, another blow has landed with the demise of EV charging company FreeWire.
Who is FreeWire?
FreeWire, a smaller player in the industry, specializes in developing, manufacturing, and distributing DC fast-charging equipment. Their focus was on enabling companies to install EV chargers, particularly in rural areas where access to charging infrastructure is limited.
However, this week brought the announcement of the termination of all 113 employees at FreeWire’s headquarters in Newark, California. Additionally, the closure of the aforementioned headquarters the company moved into in 2022, has been confirmed.
This development is unfortunate for the EV charging landscape, particularly in rural America where FreeWire’s solutions were sometimes the only DC fast-charging option available.
What Happens to Existing FreeWire Chargers?
Well, the answer to that question now hangs in the balance. It remains uncertain whether these stations will be replaced with equipment from other providers or if they will gradually fall into disrepair, the latter scenario posing significant challenges for EV charging accessibility in affected areas.
