ChargePoint appoints John Saffrett as Managing Director for Europe. John Saffrett joins ChargePoint's European operations, bringing executive experience from Ayvens, Ford, and more. ChargePoint has appointed John Saffrett as Executive Vice President and Managing Director for Europe, bringing a highly-experienced executive to the EV charging company's global executive team. His appointment comes after spending several months on ChargePoint's Advisory Council. New leadership at the top of ChargePoint's European operations. John brings to ChargePoint decades of leadership experience across automotive, fleet management, and financial services firms, including executive roles at ALD Automotive, Ford, and Ayvens. In the new role, John will take on responsibility for managing ChargePoint's operations across Europe, and it comes at a key time for electrification within the region. EV sales in many European countries have reached record highs, and with that comes ever-increasing demand on EV charging - which ChargePoint notes has been further boosted by a 'rapidly evolving regulatory landscape'. It also follows the announcement of two new OEM partnerships for ChargePoint, with Mercedes-Benz and Ford Pro. John's most recent role was as global deputy chief executive officer of Ayvens, where he played an instrumental role in merging ALD Automotive and LeasePlan to create one of the largest fleet management companies. Before that, John had a five-year stint as Chairman of the Board for Ford Fleet Management, as well as also spending over eight years at ALD Automotive (now part of Ayvens) in senior positions including Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Chief Executive officer. John Saffrett commented on his appointment: "I am excited to take on this role at such a pivotal time for both ChargePoint and the European EV market. Having worked closely with the ChargePoint team as an advisor, I have seen firsthand the strength of the company's people, technology, and platform. Europe's transition to electric mobility is committed and accelerating, and ChargePoint is uniquely positioned to lead that transition as a market leader in hardware, software, platforms and experience as the longest serving and one of the largest players in the world in this space. I am looking forward to working with the team to help define what intelligent electrification means for our customers - Europe's fleets, businesses, and drivers - and being a responsible leader in driving the electric transition in Europe."

ChargePoint has appointed John Saffrett as Executive Vice President and Managing Director for Europe. Saffrett will oversee sales, customer relationships, partnerships, and market expansion across the continent, reporting directly to CEO Rick Wilmer. Saffrett brings over 25 years of leadership experience in automotive, fleet management, and financial services. He previously served as Global Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Ayvens, where he helped integrate two major fleet management companies operating across more than 40 countries. He has been a member of ChargePoint's Advisory Council since March 2026. The appointment reflects ChargePoint's commitment to expanding its European presence. The company recently launched its Express Solo DC charger and announced partnerships with Mercedes-Benz and Ford Pro. ChargePoint operates over 1.4 million charging ports worldwide and has facilitated more than 21 billion electric miles.

ChargePoint and Cariqa partner on QR code payments. Berlin-based startup Cariqa, which offers a direct payment solution for charging electric vehicles, is partnering with U.S. charging infrastructure provider ChargePoint. As a result, charging station operators can now process QR code-based ad hoc payments via the Cariqa platform. By Cora Werwitzke 26.08.2026 - 16:30 When Cariqa first went public about two years ago, it aimed to become a sort of Booking.com for electric mobility, connecting charging point operators (CPOs) and electric car drivers directly - without intermediary e-mobility providers (EMPs) or roaming fees. At the time, the focus was on its own app - though Cariqa did not act as the customer's contractual partner but merely facilitated the relationship between the CPO and the end customer, enabling dynamic pricing, and assisting with payment processing, billing, and support. This service has been used by major German CPOs such as EWE Go and Pfalzwerke since early 2025 - with other CPOs such as Mer and TEAG Mobil joining later. The new partnership with ChargePoint, however, involves a different Cariqa solution that was added to the portfolio later and is called Cariqa Go. This is a product for ad hoc payments - that is, direct payment at a charging station without the need for a charging provider's app, a user account, or a charging card. QR code leads to mobile payment page. Cariqa Go is a QR code-based process consisting of three steps: First, the electric vehicle driver scans the QR code at the charging station with its smartphone - no app download or account creation required. A mobile website then opens on the smartphone, featuring the charging provider's custom design and displaying prices and payment options such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, credit card, or PayPal. Users then pay using the method of their choice, and the charging station is activated for the charging process. Cariqa Go operates independently of each charging station operator's backend system. In the case of ChargePoint's charging stations, Cariqa Go is integrated into the U.S. company's be.Energised platform. "As the European charging market matures, operators are increasingly focused on getting more value out of their equipment. By offering Cariqa through be.ENERGISED, we are giving them another way to reach drivers and monetize their network. It is about offering more options and more opportunities, without charging businesses having to build payment infrastructure themselves. An open platform should make growth easier, and that is exactly what this does," says ChargePoint CEO Rick Wilmer. In addition to ad-hoc payments via QR code, the partnership with Cariqa also includes a new direct sales channel for ChargePoint customers. This provides access to Cariqa's growing network of "Demand Partners," such as A Better Routeplanner, Chargeprice, Here Technologies, TariffEV, and other charging apps that reach millions of EV drivers. Demonstration at the ICNC in Berlin. The partnership between the two companies will initially be launched in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Ireland. The supported payment methods may vary by market at the time of launch. Next week, the Cariqa integration will be demonstrated live at the ChargePoint stand (No. C3) at the ICNC in Berlin from September 1-3, 2026. 0 comments. about "ChargePoint and Cariqa partner on QR code payments"