ONEPOLE PRO Base Mount: A foundation like no other

The ONEPOLE charging pole has been developed and further refined for optimal functionality and sustainability, and is increasingly preferred by resellers, end consumers, and installers both domestically and internationally. But in terms of emissions, the foundations beneath the charging poles also hold great importance.

Q-Light’s ingenious problem solver is the ONEPOLE PRO Base Mount.

ONEPOLE PRO Base Mount is a newly developed foundation for the installation of charging poles. It is foldable, weighs only 8 kilos, is of high quality, and can be installed faster and with less energy consumption than the alternatives on the market. As a result, the CO2 emissions from ONEPOLE PRO Base Mount's total lifecycle have been reduced to incomparable values.

The design is The Key

ONEPOLE with accessories is developed and produced by Q-Light AS. The company's motivation for all innovation and production is to offer competitive advantage through innovation. Q-Light AS aims to be an ingredient in helping others succeed. At the same time, the goal of reduced environmental impact, combined with increased quality, is the driving force behind all product development and production at Q-Light. The company achieves good results because its efforts toward sustainability don’t begin with the choice of material, but with the choice of design, in the design itself. Feel free to read the article “Make a Difference for the Planet, Choose a Sustainable Charging Pole from ONEPOLE”. It describes how sustainable car use is about much more than electricity as an energy source.

Challenges at every step

Traditionally, free-standing charging poles are installed on concrete foundations of various shapes and weights. These are mounted at frost-free depth, before the area around the concrete block is compressed. Heavy concrete foundations result in significant CO2 emissions from the extraction of raw materials, production of binder, the actual foundation production, transport, and installation. It is also challenging to achieve a vertical placement of the charging poles, as concrete foundations move in response to soil forces.

User experience from Ireland

– ONEPOLE PRO Base Mount simplifies the installation process and makes the job more efficient. The work is faster. Base Mount is a fantastic product. It meets all the needs so well and is also easy to transport.
This is what John Curley, project manager at Irish Solutions EV, says when asked to describe their experience with Q-Light’s latest product in the ONEPOLE series.

The family-owned company Solutions EV is both a supplier to other electrical installers and an installation company. The company has around 50-60 employees, of which 20-30 work in installation. They have long experience and install, among other things, charging systems for larger housing and apartment projects. John Curley works with Solutions’ and Project management.

Only using Base Mount now

Solutions EV started using ONEPOLE PRO’s Base Mount foundation about half a year ago. John Curley emphasizes that the installers did not need any training. The foundation is so easy to use that they could start immediately.
– Previously, we used other foundations. They were heavier to handle and not as ideal to use. Now, we have fully switched to Base Mount. During installation, it’s just a matter of unfolding them, placing the foundation, and filling in. Base Mount is also very easy to transport, and many more can fit on each pallet.
– So what is your conclusion?
– ONEPOLE PRO Base Mount is an outstanding product.

Improvements at every step

Back to the manufacturer.

– From experience, we know that when concrete foundations without adjustment possibilities are installed in the ground, the charging pole often ends up with an inclination. Such a skewed position doesn’t look good. Technically, it’s also a challenge, as many manufacturers of charging stations specify that the poles must stand vertically. The Norwegian way of thinking about installation, with four bolts for adjustment, is smart. We took this as our starting point when we began designing an optimized, lightweight foundation with a low CO2 footprint, explains Kristoffer Repstad, Head of eMobility at Q-Light.

The next need was to remove all unnecessary weight and to find the best possible design for sustainability during transport. While the entire ONEPOLE series is locally produced in Norway, with low climate impact for transport both domestically and in Europe, compared to transport from China, still – the more foundations on a pallet, the better.

2 pallets or 110

For Q-Light, the answer was obvious: flat-packing, inspired by Ikea’s founder, Ingvar Kamprad. When they, as he used to do, started playing with the design and challenging established traditional design conventions, the solution became obvious: A lightweight, foldable framework that is easy to assemble and fill with local material.

The newly developed foundations from Q-Light weigh 8 kilos each and can be transported in a regular van. When pallets are packed, the folded ONEPOLE PRO Base Mounts are placed at the bottom, with the charging poles on top. This reduces the cost and CO2 impact of transport so much that the result is almost indescribable.

One example: ONEPOLE mounted on the ONEPOLE PRO Base Mount foundation will be delivered to a project where 216 foundations are to be buried. Initially, only a few charging poles will be installed. All the foundations are delivered, transported on two pallets.
The concrete alternative would have required 110 pallets and the use of a crane truck for installation. In this project, the installer saves 80 percent of the cost right from the start.

Significantly increased competitiveness

When the design process began, Q-Light’s goal, as usual, was to offer more than just a cheaper product with significant CO2 reductions.
– We are committed to contributing to increased social benefit. Charging stations are usually established and operated by large charging operators, often subsidiaries of grid companies. Typically, they approach housing cooperatives and similar organizations, where there is initially a need for just a few charging stations, maybe two or three at first, but eventually up to 10 or 100. In this context, the foundations are of great importance. The groundworks are the most expensive part of establishing the poles. Excavating again and again drives up costs, as does the installation of 100 as yet unused concrete foundations. Therefore, we must offer a total product where the foundation, installation, and poles together are so affordable that our customers, with our sustainable product, win the jobs. At the same time, the quality must be high and the installation easy, emphasizes Kristoffer Repstad.

Stands firm

Using local material provides good emission cuts and eliminates the need for transportation and disposal of a fully usable resource. When ONEPOLE PRO Base Mount is placed at the right height and filled with gravelly soil, before the area around the foundations is packed, they stand almost as firmly as rock. The charging poles will be subjected to wind forces and other loads, which the foundations can withstand. While concrete foundations are affected by precipitation in the ground and soil pressure, the open ONEPOLE PRO Base Mount will remain unaffected. Of course, the conditions must be right. The material they stand in must be compact. Once this is done, they stand firm.

Well-chosen materials

ONEPOLE PRO Base Mount is a steel product made of aluzinc, covered with a nano-coating. This is not something new. The materials have been used for many years and have an appealing soft surface. However, the nano-coating is destroyed by laser cutting. Therefore, the elements cannot be cut but must be stamped. A fun fact: After forming, the nano material will creep out and seal the edges of the product. Therefore, ONEPOLE PRO Base Mount will not rust.

Appreciates ONEPOLE’s flexibility and mobility

Swedish Efuel is a niche distributor in charging infrastructure and full-range products for electric vehicle charging. The company exclusively targets installers and other professional customers as a niche wholesaler.

– We negotiated a distribution agreement with Q-Light for ONEPOLE products in Sweden and the rest of the Nordics, and we are very grateful for it. Q-Light has products that have so far been missing from the market, says sales manager Ariel von Rietberg at Efuel.

He continues: – Q-Light’s products for electric vehicle charging are certified, quality-assured, and approved. Today, many EV chargers are mounted on “play structures.” These products are sold without regard for the quality behind them. For us, this is completely wrong. For the EV chargers themselves, there are requirements for approval, quality, and durability. But when these are installed at customers’ sites, whether it's municipalities, housing cooperatives, or businesses, the requirements are never extended to the installation material. This shows that someone has misunderstood. Quality and durability are about the entire product. That’s why it’s very important for us to distribute ONEPOLE. With this, we offer certified solutions from start to finish for the entire product, explains the experienced distributor in Sweden.

Distributor of quality

Ariel von Rietberg finds that many people today choose products solely based on price. They go for the cheapest, without considering the consequences.
– At Efuel, we care about stability, construction, durability, and material choice for the products we sell. It’s as simple as that one of the most popular poles on the market today already rusts before it leaves the factory. This is something hardly anyone talks about, he says.
Efuel’s representative points out that people are happy to buy an electric car for nearly a million kronor, but when it comes to the charger and charging pole, they look for the cheapest option and end up with products without flexibility that don’t last.
– The relationship between price and quality is basic knowledge. It’s like buying boots. If you choose the cheapest, you’ll need to buy new boots every two years. If you buy quality, you have a solution that lasts, almost for life.

Universal gives freedom

– Are there more reasons why you chose the ONEPOLE series as Efuel's preferred system?
– Yes. Another important point is that ONEPOLE is simple and convenient to work with and has flexibility and mobility. That’s something we appreciate. With ONEPOLE charging pole, you can choose whichever EV charger you want. Because the pole is universal, it fits all chargers. You’re not tied to one charger because of the pole that was chosen. This is also one of the reasons why ONEPOLE is so popular.
– What about the Base Mount foundation?
– The new foundation is innovative in functionality and design, as opposed to a large concrete block that is heavy and difficult to move. We’ve just started sending test foundations to customers. Finally, we can offer a product that is significantly better in terms of price and logistics than the traditional concrete block, which has been dominant until now. At Efuel, we expect to reach large parts of the installer market in Sweden with Base Mount because the foundation is so easy to work with. In addition, this Q-Light product is also universal, with a standard top. Again, the advantage is freedom of choice. The foundation fits all charging poles on the market. Regardless of which pole you choose, ONEPOLE PRO Base Mount will work, answers Ariel von Rietberg, sales manager at Swedish Efuel.

Lightens the workday

BlueTec AS, headquartered in Tønsberg, is one of the country’s leading installers of solar panels, charging systems, and energy solutions. They place great emphasis on sustainable solutions and quality at all stages and are now installing charging poles on Base Mount.

– We are very pleased to use this product. The Base Mount foundations have literally made the workday lighter for our installers, explains Kristoffer Seljehammer, responsible for electric vehicles and products at BlueTec AS.

The workday is busy, and he is on his way to a new assignment. The next point on the agenda is handing over a charging system to Tønsberg municipality.
– There are 15 charging stations there, outside a school and sports hall. We have installed Base Mount, and we are very satisfied with the system. It’s fun to hand this over to the municipality, he describes.

The company has just under 50 employees and is part of a group with around 200 employees. Their niche is larger charging systems for industrial sites, housing cooperatives, and condominium associations.

– When we install Base Mount, we need to take some extra steps, related to unfolding them and filling them with material. But the overall solution makes this a preferred product for us. The differences in logistics are significant. The fact that they are produced in Norway, with a lower CO2 footprint, is also important. For us as a company, it is essential to document that the solutions we deliver are more sustainable. The requirements for this are becoming stricter, and sustainability is gaining more attention, which is good, emphasizes BlueTec’s responsible for electric vehicles and product manager.