Easelink receives €11.5 million in EU funding
According to the European Innovation Council (EIC), it supports “game changing innovations throughout the lifecycle from early stage research, to proof of concept, technology transfer, and the financing and scale up of start-ups and SMEs” The EIC sees Easelink’s conductive EV charging solution as such a concept, awarding 11.5 million euros to the Austrian company for the standardisation of the Matrix Charging technology.
Easelink states that it “succeeded in the most competitive EIC funding round to date,” adding that “the 2nd phase of the EIC Accelerator closed in October 2024 with 1211 submitted applications, of which 431 (36%) were invited to the jury interviews in Brussels. In the end, only 71 companies […] were funded.”
Easelink’s so-called Matrix Charging was the convincing factor. With this system, the vehicle is fitted with a retrofitted charging plate on the underbody and parked on top of a charging pad mounted on the floor – as with inductive charging. However, the current is not transmitted wirelessly (with certain losses), but the connector mounted on the car is lowered onto the floor plate and thus establishes a conductive connection with significantly lower losses.
“We are delighted about the EIC support. It underlines that our standardisation efforts are in line with the EU’s electrification strategy. When it comes to automated charging interoperability is key,” said Hermann Stockinger, founder and CEO of Easelink. “At Easelink, we are not only tech innovators in the field of charging. We also see ourselves as a reliable entity that ensures and protects the global cross-brand interoperability of Matrix Charging.”
To make further progress in interoperability, Easelink says it is building global partnerships in the automotive and energy sectors, “with great progress currently being made in Europe, China and Japan.” Together with selected OEMs and other important players, the company is working on the next necessary standardisation steps in addition to the ongoing development of the Matrix Charging series.
To commercialise the system, Easelink intends to seek further technology financing in the form of venture capital. In October, the company announced a 1.5 million euro investment from the Austrian energy group Verbund, which will be used primarily to internationalise the business.
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