CES marks a decade of growth with eye on booming EV charging market

CES achieved record-breaking turnover in 2025 following a rebrand and strategic shift to focus on renewable energy solutions for businesses looking to transition to cleaner energy.

And managing director Joe Collison says the strong growth thanks to the delivery of a number of large-scale commercial solar PV projects is set to continue this year.

"We're known across the region for our expertise under the roof, installing major solar and battery storage projects working with manufacturers, care providers, agricultural businesses and commercial transport operators," he said.

"But we also see a real growth area for us in 2026 in EV charging installation for the commercial heavy duty vehicle market.

"The Department for Transport has just announced an additional £18 million to the Plug-in Truck Grant which aims to speed the adoption of zero-emission HGVs."

CES, based near Shrewsbury but operating nationwide, has already secured a record-breaking solar PV project order book in 2026 and is looking to achieve the same success with the EV charging installations.

Mr Collison added: "Over the past decade, we've built real expertise in delivering complex solar and energy storage projects.

"The rebrand gave us the platform to really focus on where we see the most opportunity - supporting businesses through their transition to cleaner energy."

As part of that shift, CES identified the significant gap in the market around electric vehicle charging for commercial fleets, particularly heavy-duty vehicles used by haulage and logistics companies.

"There's genuine demand from commercial vehicle dealerships for specialist charging infrastructure," Mr Collison said.

"We're working with dealerships that have vehicles sitting on their premises because their customers can't take delivery without charging capability in place. It's a real bottleneck but one where we can offer genuine support and expertise."

Mr Collison said the issue was that most EV charging installers focused on domestic seven-kilowatt chargers for cars.

Heavy-duty vehicle charging requires a different level of expertise and infrastructure investment.

He added: "It's not just about the charger - it's about understanding their energy demands, their grid connections and how battery storage - and of course generating their own energy through solar PV - can help them manage costs."

CES recently completed a major solar installation at a commercial transport dealership in Leicester, working in partnership with Ample Power.

The project demonstrated the company's ability to manage complex installations on challenging sites and opened doors to further opportunities in the commercial vehicle sector.

"The commercial vehicle sector is moving towards electrification and there's a real opportunity for us to support that transition," Mr Collison concluded.

"Our order book for next year is packed and we're confident that EV charging will become a significant part of what we do. Ten years in, we're in exactly the right position to capitalise on this market shift.

"We've got the expertise, we've got the partnerships and we've got the demand. It's an exciting time for the business."