Go Eve, a joint spin-out from University College Dublin and Imperial College London, has secured £750,000 (approximately €895,000) in funding from Innovate UK and private investors. The 18-month project will support the next version of DockChain, the company's patented technology that allows a single DC fast charger to serve multiple parking bays. The work focuses on improving charging reliability, increasing operational flexibility, and evaluating vehicle-to-grid potential for fleet operators.
Funding and Project Structure
The project is supported through Innovate UK's Growth Catalyst, Investor Partnerships program and combines public funding with private investment. Development and testing will be led by Go Eve's engineering team in Wolverhampton, with a new production-ready version of DockChain expected to reach manufacturing partners in 2027. Existing DockChain units will be upgradable, enabling current customers to incorporate the improved technology without replacing their infrastructure.
How DockChain Extends Fast Charging
DockChain allows a compatible DC fast charger to serve multiple parking bays sequentially, removing the need to install a separate fast charger at every bay. Vehicles remain plugged in while charging is delivered one at a time according to operational priorities. For fleet sites, this approach can reduce the number of chargers and electrical infrastructure required, cut installation costs, and speed up deployment.
Improving Automated Charging Reliability
Experience from fleet installations has shown that electric vehicles can behave differently during charging sessions. Some vehicles do not start charging on the first attempt, and others may not restart reliably after a session is paused. Go Eve will develop custom hardware, firmware, and software to automatically start, stop, and restart charging sessions without physically disconnecting vehicles, making sequential charging more dependable.
Exploring Bidirectional and V2G Capabilities
The project will investigate how DockChain could support bidirectional charging and vehicle-to-grid services in the future. These capabilities may allow fleet operators to generate revenue when their vehicles are not in use. By enabling fleets to participate in grid services, the technology could improve the financial case for electrification while supporting wider energy system stability.
Market Context and Strategic Value
John Goodbody, co-founder and Marketing Director of Go Eve, said that making better use of existing chargers, parking bays, and available grid capacity will become increasingly important as UK commercial fleets transition to electric vehicles. He noted that EV penetration across UK commercial fleets is projected to reach 30% to 50% by 2030. According to Goodbody, DockChain already provides immediate cost and rollout benefits by allowing fleets to serve more bays without multiplying fast chargers.
Trial Opportunities and Current Deployments
Go Eve is inviting fleet operators to discuss trial sites where vehicles share limited charging capacity, have different departure times and priorities, or provide dwell times suited to vehicle-to-grid revenue. Trials would be planned around each site's operations, with the new capability introduced and assessed as it becomes ready. DockChain is currently deployed in Europe and North America with customers including Stellantis, Openreach, SAP, and Detroit airport.
With this funding, Go Eve aims to enhance DockChain's reliability, flexibility, and readiness for fleet electrification. The project's focus on real world charging behavior, bidirectional capability, and grid optimization addresses key barriers to scaling electric vehicle infrastructure. If successful, the updated technology could help fleet operators electrify faster while lowering costs and making better use of available energy capacity.