Summary
- Enel X Way North America is closing down its electric vehicle business in the US and Canada, including the EV charger brand JuiceBox
- All connectivity services for commercial and home hardware will be shut off, with customer support lines already closed
- JuiceBox chargers will soon lose connectivity with the app, but will still charge EVs without the features
- The Enel X Way app, used for checking charging status and history, setting charging schedules, and more, will be removed from the App Store
- Enel Group cites strategic reasons for the closure, focusing on building EV infrastructure in countries where it already operates an electricity retail business, and says a third-party firm is handling the company’s affairs as it steps away.
Article
Enel X Way North America, the owner of EV charger brand JuiceBox, has announced the closure of its electric vehicle business in the US and Canada. The company will be shutting down on October 11th and will be discontinuing all connectivity services for commercial and home hardware. This includes turning off all customer support lines effective immediately. JuiceBox charger owners will lose connectivity with the app, but the charger will still function without the features provided by the app. The Enel X Way app, which is used to monitor charging status, set schedules, and view energy usage, is being removed from the App Store.
The decision to close down the electric vehicle business is being described as “strategic” by the Enel Group. They plan to refocus on building EV infrastructure in countries where they already have an electricity retail business. The dynamics of the EV market in the US have changed significantly in the past year, leading to challenges for Enel X Way North America. High interest rates have increased the cost of scaling the charging infrastructure business, and the growth expectations for EV sales have not been met. As a result, the company has decided to step away from the US and Canada markets.
JuiceBox, which was originally owned by eMotorWerks before being acquired by Enel in 2017, was a popular choice among EV early adopters. The chargers were sold through multiple automakers, providing connected home charging solutions. However, with the closure of the Enel X Way North America business, these chargers will no longer have access to features such as tracking energy usage and charging sessions. The company’s commercial charging stations, which also rely on the Enel X Way app, will no longer work as well.
Enel Group has stated that a third-party firm will be handling the company’s affairs as it exits the US and Canada markets. Products and services outside of these regions will not be affected by the closure of the electric vehicle business. The decision to refocus on markets where the company already has a presence in the electricity retail business reflects the challenges faced in the US and Canada markets. The impact of high interest rates and changing dynamics in the EV market have led to the closure of Enel X Way North America.
Overall, the closure of the Enel X Way North America electric vehicle business, including the JuiceBox brand, marks the end of a chapter for EV charging solutions in the US and Canada. Customers who have purchased JuiceBox chargers will soon lose connectivity with the app, but the chargers will still function for charging their electric vehicles. The decision to refocus on other markets where the company already has a presence highlights the challenges faced in the US and Canada markets, including high interest rates and unmet growth expectations in EV sales.
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