At the Clean Equity Monaco 2010 Epyon, a company that develops and markets smart charging solutions for the emerging electric vehicle markets, was awarded the first ever Stelios Award for Young Clean-Tech Entrepreneur of the Year. The award marks a key milestone for Epyon which is rapidly emerging as a leader in dynamically-controlled, ultra-fast charging within the electric vehicle (EV) industry.

Usage of electric vehicles is growing rapidly. However a major barrier within the EV industry is the high cost of the battery,  limited range and the fear of the driver to run out of electricity due to the long recharge times. This can be solved by ultra-fast charging stations which charge the battery in 10-15 minutes comparable to today's petrol stations. Epyon provides network connected ultrafast charging stations that dynamically controls the charging power to the battery, minimizes the battery charging time, and maximizes battery life whilst balancing the available power on the grid in the most optimal way.  

Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou who presented the award to Crijn Bouman, Epyon founder, said: "I was attracted to Crijn's straight-forward presentation of an excellent, simple, consumer-facing product: it was something I could relate to and I see great potential for the concept as the electric vehicle market develops. Above all, Crijn is an entrepreneur - his presentation reflected the kind of passion, perseverance and willingness to take risks that I look for in winners of my Awards."

Crijn Bouman elaborates on the Award: "To me it's more than a personal award: it is recognition of the dedication and hard work of the entire Epyon team. We are extremely well positioned to help both utility companies to actively manage their grids and early adopters, like fleet owners, to ensure their fleets are more energy efficient via ultra-fast charging stations. Ultimately, Epyon is seeking opportunities in the burgeoning consumer electric vehicle market by addressing some of the key drawbacks in currently owning an electric car including long charging times and the inability to charge and pay anywhere. "

Driving in electric vehicles is not only better for the environment; it is also up to 75 percent cheaper than running on gasoline. Epyon technology is based on smart charging algorithms optimized for all commercially available lithium-ion batteries and its patented power routing architecture allows for seamless integration into the smart grid. Epyon is currently participating in several European roll-out initiatives.