Circle K opts for load management from FLEXeCHARGE
Fuel and charging infrastructure operator Circle K will now cooperate with software provider FLEXeCHARGE. As part of a new partnership, cloud-based load management will be implemented for 1,000 charging points across several European markets.
Circle K charging park in Denmark
Image: FLEXeCHARGE
For Danish company FLEXeCHARGE, the mandate from Circle K represents one of its largest contracts to date in the charge point operator (CPO) sector. At the same time, this marks the first large-scale deployment of its HARMON-E software solution in a “headless” architecture. This headless version of HARMON-E is for large CPOs that already have mature internal platforms and want to integrate specialised energy-management functionality directly into their own technology stack.
Circle K already has an established energy management system for its charging network. The collaboration therefore represents a supplier change for a clearly defined subset of the existing energy management functionality with load management.
Instead of introducing an additional operational platform, Circle K is using FLEXeCHARGE in a headless setup. The HARMON-E software handles load management functionality in the background, while the relevant data and features are integrated directly into Circle K’s proprietary systems and dashboards via interfaces (APIs).
FLEXeCHARGE integrates with Circle K’s systems
This approach allows Circle K to maintain its existing workflows and familiar user interface. Hallgeir Horne, Senior Manager Charging Infrastructure at Circle K, explained: “We already have our own systems and established workflows for managing our charging network. We therefore needed a load-management supplier that could fit into that environment rather than introduce another interface. The headless setup allows us to work with FLEXECHARGE at scale while keeping the operational experience within our own systems _._“
Circle K is part of the Canadian retail and fuel station group Alimentation Couche-Tard, which operates nearly 17,300 locations across 27 countries and regions. In Europe, the brand is present in Scandinavia, the Baltics, Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Poland — and in 2023, it acquired TotalEnergies’ fuel station network in Germany and the Netherlands, with charging stations added later. In Germany, Circle K has now reached the milestone of 100 fast-charging sites in June. In Sweden, the company states it is the preferred charging provider with over 1,000 charging points. Across Europe, its charging network most recently comprised more than 4,400 charging points.