We are delighted to present a Q&A session with Om Shankar, Vice President & General Manager of Konect at Gilbarco Veeder-Root, where he leads efforts to revolutionise EV charging for fuel retailers and commercial fleets. Om Shankar is also the CEO and Co-Founder of JUXTA, an AI technology startup under Vontier, GVR's parent company. With extensive experience in the oil and gas sector, including roles at Shell and TechnipFMC, Om Shankar has been instrumental in driving global strategy and innovation since joining GVR in 2020.

In this session, Om Shankar discusses how Konect is supporting fuel retailers in transitioning to electric mobility, the innovative technologies enhancing EV charging reliability, and strategies for unlocking new revenue streams. His insights offer a compelling look at the future of global electric mobility and Konect’s role in shaping it.

#LEVS: With Gilbarco Veeder-Root’s deep roots in the fuel retail sector, how is Konect prioritising the needs of its long-standing customers while transitioning them towards electric mobility?

#Om Shankar: Over 159 years, Gilbarco-Veeder Root (GVR) has established a strong legacy of service in the fuelling sector. We’ve become a trusted partner for the world’s largest fuel retailers and fleets globally – with a robust support and maintenance network behind us. Now, we are looking to the future and continuing our innovative streak.

What’s incredibly exciting is that there are multiple forms of energy set to shape the future of mobility; we believe in a multi-fuel future. That’s echoed through all of the companies parented by Vontier: GVR will further evolve its traditional and alternative fuel offerings. However, the fuel retailers and fleets GVR serves have highlighted electrification as their next significant investment.

We have the scale and experience to support them in making a success of this new venture, and unique in the industry; no other business has as robust vertical integration and horizontal breadth. Konect reflects that ethos. It offers a fully integrated system of software and hardware – forming what is, in our view, the most powerful turnkey EV charging ecosystem for the convenience store (C-store) industry.

The business model behind Konect is one that can be deployed by fuel retailers now and into the longer-term future, while simultaneously helping fleets achieve their decarbonisation targets. 

#LEVS: Konect's offerings include both hardware and software solutions. Can you elaborate on how Konect's innovative technologies, such as its charge management software, are enhancing the reliability and user experience of EV charging?

#Om Shankar: We designed Konect with a simple goal in mind: to do charging better – for fuel retailers, fleets, and end-users alike. That’s driven each of our decisions in building the ecosystem.

The journey starts with the EV charger – a powerful, state-of-the-art unit that we’ve engineered for enhanced reliability. This was a top priority for us to help set fuel retailers and fleets up for maximum uptime and user satisfaction, so it makes for a really compelling charging solution. But for operators and end-users, the key to an improved charging experience is seamless integration.

Our CPO-as-a-Service managed software solution is a great example of the integration we’ve built into Konect. The cloud-based system is brilliantly intuitive, and designed to manage everything a CPO needs to provide to EV customers. It not only plays a huge role in streamlining charger management and monitoring, but also offers third-party integrations – so it’s purpose-built to make launching, scaling, and optimising an EV charging offering easy.

This seamless integration also extends to the broader innovations Vontier, our parent-company, offers. As part of the Vontier portfolio, Konect has some of the industry’s most sophisticated and trusted technology. On top of the charger, payment, media, human-machine interface, loyalty, and backend solutions like charger management software are all seamlessly wrapped into the ecosystem. That not only makes it easy for the end-user to engage with, but also makes it simple and efficient for the operator to manage.

The charging experience that we’re all used to is getting better – but there’s a lot of potential for improvement. We need to get to a level where charging is as easy as going to a fuel station and filling up with petrol or diesel. Konect is crafting that experience for the future.

#LEVS: Beyond selling electrons through a charger, how does Konect help fuel retailers unlock new revenue streams, such as through value-added services and in-store promotions, during the EV charging process?

#Om Shankar: Konect is fundamentally an end-to-end, holistic EV charging ecosystem – and that philosophy has guided our approach to what retailers can sell. It’s what we call our ‘watts-to-wheels’ strategy. In the case of EV charging, we provide the full back-end service – from energy source through to the vehicle. Our comprehensive ecosystem enables the C-store operator to focus on their core activities.

Along that journey, there’s an opportunity for retailers to store the energy in auxiliary batteries. It can be supplied to the entire site, including EV chargers when needed – but when it’s not, retailers can sell that energy back to the grid. That process can be fully optimised with Konect’s energy management software, which can also reduce the cost of energy by peak shaving.

Making it easy and desirable for end-users to consistently come back is also an important revenue-driver. Integrating loyalty technology with the retailer’s C-store systems encourages customers to not only use the EV chargers, but also to engage with a retailer’s in-store offering. It’s that closer customer connection, ease of access, and efficient solutions that allows retailers to maximise return on investment.

#LEVS: As the market for EV charging infrastructure grows, what unique strategies is Konect employing to help fuel retailers and fleets make a smooth and profitable transition?

#Om Shankar: For both fuel retailers and fleets alike, operational efficiency and uptime are critical to profitability. With retailers, for example, we see a double-digit utilisation rate needed on EV chargers for retailers to break even; however, importantly, this is assuming that chargers are operating 24/7 in order to capitalise on busy periods. 

We help from the very start of the EV transition with site assessment and equipment specification to drive down our customers’ upfront costs. But a huge part of where we need to support in maximising their profitability is with swift issue identification and resolution, reinforced with planned preventative maintenance.

This is critical for CPOs to achieve near-100% uptime. It’s realised through the power of the industry-leading data and analytics group we possess – which means that we often know about any customers’ issues before they do. When errors can’t be remotely resolved, we can utilise our vast global service network of 350 direct field-service technicians and multiple authorised service contractors to remedy issues within stringent SLAs. 

A fully integrated software stack also makes it easier for retailers to understand site profitability better. We’re able to analyse grid availability, generate utilisation forecasts, and sales inside the store site by site – so retailers can be sure they’re deploying their resources and investments optimally through their transition.

#LEVS: Given the rapid advancements in EV technology and infrastructure, how is Konect positioning itself to be a leader in the next phase of global electric mobility, particularly in creating smart mobility hubs?

#Om Shankar: We see the next phase of global electric mobility coming down to convenience. That’s why, for us, developing an EV charging offering specifically for C-stores makes so much sense. The future of EV charging is at these sites; they offer the right combination of convenient location and attractive facilities to maximise charger utilisation and capitalise on user dwell-time.

Both end-users and CPOs are looking for an EV charging experience as convenient as refuelling. GVR’s expertise and global footprint has been firmly in the fuelling sector, which means that we can integrate the Konect charger, and payment and loyalty facilities, to existing retail backend systems much faster. For CPOs, this improves time to value, while the seamless integration translates into a smooth charging and retail experience for end-users.

It’s that highly effective combination of optimal location, efficient infrastructure  implementation, and ease of use that will make C-store charging sites the ideal smart mobility hubs for CPO and end-user. Our business model reflects this holistic view – and it’s an end-to-end, fully integrated and highly efficient solution that enables retailers to maximise the profitability of the EV charging experience. When you consider McKinsey’s findings that EV drivers are willing to pay 10% more to charge close to the highway if it means avoiding a detour, the case becomes increasingly clear.

#LEVS: How can industry events like the London EV Show contribute to Konect's growth and innovation in the electric mobility sector, and what value do they provide in terms of networking, collaboration, and showcasing new technologies?

#Om Shankar: Events like the London EV Show give us a hugely valuable opportunity to engage with stakeholders in the industry. We can listen to their perspectives in their own words – the challenges and opportunities of transitioning to an electrified business model, and exactly the sort of EV charging experience that they’re looking for.

The insights we gain give us a very clear vision of where the industry needs to go, and the solutions that we need to provide to help it get there. Both CPOs and end-users need to see a robust case for EV charging, which is exactly what Konect is designed to deliver.