Enphase Finalises EV Charging Solutions Acquisition

Microinverter and battery storage manufacturer Enphase Energy announced on Wednesday it had completed acquisition of EV charging solutions company ClipperCreek.

California-based ClipperCreek has been around for a long time – since 2006, and since then has sold more than 110,000 Level 2 AC charging stations to residential and commercial customers.

So, what’s a Level 2 charging station? Just a quick explainer on the 3 types of EV chargers:

• Level 1 – charging directly from an existing AC power point at 2.3kW
• Level 2 – a dedicated home EV charger (AC) capable of charging at up to 7kW on single phase. Some can charge at 21kW on three-phase.
• Level 3 – a dedicated EV charger (DC fast charging) – 25kW to 350kW (40 – 500 Amp, three phase). Primarily used in commercial charging stations.

SolarQuotes founder Finn explains more about Level 1 and Level 2 EV charging options here; and in even more detail about all three levels in his 101 guide to EV charging.

Anyhow, Enphase Energy – the world’s largest manufacturer of microinverters – announced last month it was to acquire ClipperCreek and certainly didn’t waste any time in pushing things along. The company says the acquisition has multiple benefits for Enphase.

First, it will provide its distributor and installer clients with a nice little add-on they can sell with alongside Enphase-based solar and battery systems. Second, it gives Enphase a solid foothold in the fast-growing EV sector. Third, it dovetails in with and will accelerate Enphase plans relating to bi-directional charging capability for vehicle-to-home (V2H) and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) applications.

Last but not least, it provides Enphase with domestic manufacturing capabilities. While Enphase is also California-based, its manufacturing was previously occurring in China before shifting production to Guadalajara, Mexico in 2019 in response to Section 301 tariffs on inverters made in China.

“EV adoption is quickly gaining momentum with sales expected to grow more than 40% annually in the U.S. over the next five years,” said Enphase president and CEO Badri Kothandaraman. “We look forward to working with the talented team from ClipperCreek to develop smart EV charging solutions and integrating them into our home energy systems.”

ClipperCreek In Australia

ClipperCreek EV charging products were launched in Australia in 2017 and available from a Victorian company that doesn’t appear to stock the brand any more – and there didn’t appear to be any AU-compatible products on ClipperCreek’s website when I checked.

But perhaps with Enphase now in the picture and given the popularity of home and commercial solar power here that will be followed by accelerating uptake of batteries and electric cars, we’ll see ClipperCreek products arriving back on Australian shores in the not-too-distant future.

In other recent Enphase news, we mentioned the company’s long-awaited IQ8 microinverters have started shipping to North American customers. The standout feature of the IQ8 is the ability to have backup power without a battery. Hopefully shipments to Australia won’t be too far behind – I still haven’t heard back from Enphase on an ETA.

Related: The Homeowner’s Guide To Solar And Electric Cars