Podcast highlights

Fast charging won't be enough. Here's what will set successful CPOs apart in the next five years

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September 28, 2026 charge point podcast, e-mobility, ev charging, ev charging scalability

Is the service station of the future a charging hub? Marvin Bechtel from ORLEN shares how a fuel retailer is scaling EV charging.

In this highlight from Episode#55 of the Charge Point podcast, Marvin Bechtel of ORLEN shares his insights on what happens when a charging business begins to grow. Running a handful of charge points is one thing. Ramping up to hundreds of them across many locations is something else entirely, and the challenges don't just grow, they change.

In the full episode, you'll hear:
- How ORLEN is transforming from a fuel retailer into an integrated energy and mobility provider
- Why prime locations are still essential for utilisation and profitability
- How EV adoption and grid readiness differ between Germany and Eastern Europe
- What changes when a CPO moves from individual projects to a large charging network
- Why the easiest grid connection isn't always the best site
- Why standardisation can speed up rollout and reduce operational complexity
- How FLEXBOX and the HARMON-E platform support a repeatable operational approach
- Why charging speed alone will soon stop being a competitive edge
- What will separate successful CPOs from the rest over the next 3–5 years

So what's the key to building a charging network that can keep up with its own growth? And what do operators need to get right early, before scale turns small issues into big ones?

🎧 Listen to the full episode to hear the answer and learn what it takes to scale an EV charging network the right way.

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So as for the German market, we are operating 600 petrol stations. And our goal is definitely to transform the organization from a traditional fuel retailer to more like an integrated energy and mobility provider. So like providing all kinds of energies to the customer needs. And e-mobility is definitely one of our central pillar in the long-term transformation. The idea is not only to build one of the leading charging networks across all markets, but also to create seamless customer experience around it. So we are really focusing also on convenience and additional services for our customer.