EV Charging Minds

Felix Schmidt is the Head of Charging Experience at BMW Group, where he oversees digital onboard and offboard charging solutions, including features for the myBMW App. His professional path spans key technical and product roles across international markets, including more than five years at BMW of North America managing vehicle testing, product lines, and strategic product development for automated driving systems. Building on his deep technical expertise in automotive systems, product management, and user-focused charging infrastructure, his work centers on scaling reliable, seamless, and user-focused emobility services for drivers worldwide. 

Key Insight: BMW's approach to charging experience is rooted in the belief that charging should be invisible: a seamless part of getting from A to B, not a destination in itself. By building features like Live cost transparency across multiple charging contracts, multi-contract plug&charge, and direct pay (your car as a credit card), BMW is tackling the real-world problems EV drivers face every day. His pragmatic stance on ISO 15118-20, securing basic reliability before layering on smart and bidirectional charging, highlights a core philosophy: establish a flawless foundation at scale to truly enable future innovations.

Afonso Ramos is the Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer at Powerdot. A technologist and "builder" at heart, Afonso brings over a decade of experience in scaling products that solve complex operational problems in mobility and logistics. Beforefounding Powerdot, he led the software house Outdare, and has shared his expertise as a guest lecturer at leading institutions like Nova SBE and NOVA IMS. At the intersection of engineering, growth, and product strategy, he now leads the processes required to operate one of Europe’s largest ultra-fast charging networks. 

Key Insight: Powerdot’s pure-play approach allows for a singular focus on CPO excellence, rooted in the statement that deep partnerships with EV charging stakeholders are essential for industry success. By testing all hardware end-to-end in real-world conditions before deployment and utilizing in-house operations teams, Powerdot is building the driver’s trust necessary for EV mass adoption.

Wulf Schlacter has been shaping digital infrastructure since 1996, starting as an IT consultant in Germany's early web and telecom scene. After founding DXBe Management in Hamburg & Dubai and serving as Startup-CTO of IONITY, he now advises major charging networks including ChargeNow, Atlante, and Electromin. His global perspective spans work with OEMs, CPOs, utilities, and emerging sectors across six continents. 

Key Insight: Wulf Schlacter reveals why the EV charging industry's biggest challenge isn't technology, but it's about learning some of the hard lessons from telecommunications about standardization, reliability metrics, and what true mass adoption actually requires. From reliability challenges to the consolidation wave reshaping the market, discover why collaboration beats competition and how lessons from telecom can guide EV charging's future. This episode was recorded LIVE at icnc25 in Berlin.

Andrew Bennett is the CEO of Driivz and brings over 26 years of experience in the energy industry. Before joining Driivz, he served as CEO at mPrest Energy, a leader in Distributed Energy Resource Management Software. He also led worldwide sales for IBM’s AI Applications Business Unit and was GM of Schneider Electric’s Energy Business Unit, combining deep operational expertise with strategic leadership across energy and technology.

Key Insight: Running one of the world’s largest charging management platforms, Andrew highlights that while reliability has improved, the industry’s next frontier lies in addressing grid constraints and enhancing the charging experience. Operators are increasingly deploying battery installations to overcome energy limitations, shifting the focus from basic uptime to advanced energy management and genuine customer satisfaction.

Orlin Radev is the Co-Founder and CEO of AMPECO, a global leader in EV charging management software. Under his leadership, AMPECO has enabled large-scale charging providers across six continents to manage over 150,000 charging points. With a deep background in software entrepreneurship, Orlin focuses on providing the flexible, hardware-agnostic solutions necessary for CPOs to scale in a complex global market.

Key Insight: The EV charging industry is hitting its stride by moving beyond basic connectivity toward a focus on genuine global scalability and sophisticated user experiences. Success in this next phase of the transition comes from the powerful combination of hardware-agnostic technology and deep collaboration between industry stakeholders. As reliability improves, the focus is shifting toward creating a seamless, unified ecosystem that can support the rapid growth of EV adoption worldwide.