Awards Insider: XCharge North America & Bypassing the EV Grid Bottleneck

 Join hosts Alex and Jordan for the latest installment of our Awards Insider series, where we go deep on the 2026 E+E Leader Judges' Choice winners. Today, we are spotlighting XCharge North America and their groundbreaking GridLink system, which took home the award for Business + Infrastructure.The biggest obstacle to expanding EV fast charging isn't the technology—it's the grid. Traditional DC fast chargers require high-voltage utility connections that trigger costly upgrades, complex permitting, and multi-year delays. This leaves rural, site-constrained, and underserved communities behind.In this episode, we explore how GridLink solves this bottleneck by integrating a 215 kWh battery directly into the charging unit. We unpack how the system stores cheaper energy during off-peak hours to deliver up to 300 kW of fast charging, reducing the required grid capacity by 50 to 80%. Plus, we discuss its bidirectional capabilities, meaning it doesn't just draw power—it can push energy back to stabilize the grid as an active distributed energy resource (DER).Tune in to hear why the judges praised GridLink's real-world scale, with over 50 deployment sites delivering 1.1 GWh of energy and avoiding 2.91 million pounds of CO₂ emissions in 2024 alone.If you have questions about being a part of future segments or other partnership opportunities, reach out to a member of our team today. Links are located in the body of this session's description.Support the showThanks for listening!For access to all of E+E Leader's news and programs, visit our website at www.environmentenergyleader.com. Follow us on our Social Channels:LinkedIn l Twitter l Facebook l Instagram l YouTube l BlueSkySupport the show