ChargePoint Will Now Have An Easier Time Selling To Feds

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While the federal government can’t make people buy EVs (the votes just aren’t there), one thing the Biden Administration has almost total control over is what vehicles the executive branch buys. So, the federal government is going to continue buying EVs when they’re a good fit for the need.

But, as some government agencies have learned the hard way, you can’t just buy an EV and call it a day. Without an actual plan for charging the vehicles, you can quickly end up in a situation where a fleet vehicle can’t be charged or it’s causing big problems for private EV owners by clogging EV charging stations. So, the federal government is going to need to install a lot of charging stations just for the federal fleet to use.

Unlike us private individuals and private fleets, security is a big concern. A hacker or criminal probably wouldn’t benefit from crippling my home EV charger, but there are many government vehicles that ne’er-do-wells would love to disable. Police vehicles are a big one, but there are many other motivations and perpetrators who might be involved.

So, EV charging (especially when connected to the internet) ends up being part of FedRAMP (Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program), a U.S. government initiative that (among other things) evaluates computing and cloud products for secureness. Fortunately, ChargePoint recently achieved certification for the program for its cloud computing products.

Because of this, the company’s cloud products will appear in the FedRAMP marketplace in the coming weeks.

“ChargePoint has been a trusted partner to many levels of the U.S. government for years, providing EV charging infrastructure and software to help federal agencies lead the transition to electric mobility,” said Teza Mukkavilli, Chief Information Security Officer of ChargePoint. “ChargePoint’s comprehensive cloud solution gives customers real-time visibility into data such as power use, energy costs, station usage, session fees and more. This authorization demonstrates our commitment and proven ability to providing the highest standards of security for our customers, while unlocking potential millions of dollars in U.S. federal government opportunities.”

In 2011, FedRAMP was established to offer a cost-effective, risk-based approach for federal government adoption of cloud services. It enables agencies to leverage modern cloud technologies while prioritizing security and protection of federal information. ChargePoint has obtained approval from the General Services Administration (GSA) for the FedRAMP Authority to Operate process.

ChargePoint has obtained the AICPA SOC 2 certification, affirming its commitment to securely managing company, customer, and driver information. To get it, the company had to prove it can provide top-notch data security, dedicated cloud hosting for federal customers, and stringent standards for authorization, access, and continuous monitoring. ChargePoint’s cloud software provides customers with real-time visibility into data, including power usage, energy costs, station usage, session fees, and more.

It’s important to note that ChargePoint is not just a DCFC operator. The company is well-known for its Level 2 charging products, which will prove very useful for even small fleets that sit overnight on a lot. Easy management of who gets access to charge, how much a car is charging, and many other data points makes managing fleets a lot easier than just plugging into a cheap and dumb EVSE.

Featured image provided by ChargePoint.