Arcus makes investment into eze.network, the fifth investment for its third fund
London, 20 June 2024 – Arcus Infrastructure Partners (“Arcus”) is pleased to announce its investment in eze.network GmbH (“EZE”), a Munich-based independent charge point operator providing full-service charging infrastructure for electric cars in both large metropolitan regions and smaller communities across Germany.
The investment is the fifth for Arcus European Infrastructure Fund 3 SCSp (“AEIF3”) and the first in the Transport sector for the Fund. The AEIF3 portfolio is now well diversified across Arcus’ four target sectors: energy, digital, logistics and industrials, and transport.
Established in 2019, EZE develops and operates charging infrastructure at publicly available “park and charge” locations and currently operates across several key metropolitan areas in Germany. EZE currently has charging infrastructure at c. 800 parking spaces, with a further substantial identified pipeline to be installed in the next 18 months. Additional expansion is planned for the future.
Arcus’ investment will enable EZE to deliver on its near-term network expansion plans and, working in partnership with EZE’s co-founders, realise its strategic vision to be a leading provider of EV charging infrastructure in the market. As part of the transaction, EZE’s existing shareholders will remain invested in the business, including DeepTech & Climate Fonds (“DTCF”), a German-based investment fund.
Michael Allen, Partner and Head of Transport at Arcus commented: “We have been exploring the EV charging sector for some time and identified EZE as a highly attractive player given its solid position in the fast-growing “park and charge” segment that is critical in supporting the decarbonisation of the transport industry.
EZE fits well into our portfolio thanks to its long-term contracts with local municipalities in several major metropolitan regions and strong track record. The business is already well established with a strong trajectory and we look forward to working with the EZE management team to continue its growth.”
Nancy Valentine-Urbschat, Co-Founder and MD of EZE, added: “The investment and long-term commitment from Arcus gives us the financial backing we need to expand across Germany and beyond, to become one of the leading players in public charging infrastructure.”
Michael Valentine-Urbschat, Co-Founder and MD of EZE, added: “We are glad to see that our commitment from day one to build a sustainable charging business is strongly recognised by Arcus. With the additional equity, we will focus on strengthening those unique business elements to differentiate us even further in the marketplace.”
Arcus was advised by Noerr (Legal), Strategy& (Commercial), PwC (Financial and Tax), DNV (Technical), A&M (Structuring) and Aon (Insurance).
EZE was advised by CBHH (M&A) and KXP (Legal).
About Arcus
Arcus Infrastructure Partners is an independent fund manager focused solely on long-term investments in European infrastructure. Arcus invests on behalf of institutional investors through discretionary funds and specialist co-investment vehicles and, through its subsidiaries, currently manages investments with an aggregate enterprise value of c. €23bn (as of 31 March 2024). Arcus targets mid-market, value-add infrastructure investments, with a particular focus on businesses in the digital, transport, logistics & industrials, and energy sectors. Further information on Arcus Infrastructure Partners can be found on www.arcusip.com.
About eze.network
eze.network GmbH (Munich) is a charging infrastructure investor and operator with a focus on public charging with 24/7 accessibility. The fast-growing company was founded in in 2019 and now has offices in Munich, Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Berlin and Cologne. Thanks to an innovative approach along the entire value chain, eze.network has already succeeded in establishing a sustainable business model. eze.network is now in a position to play a key role in shaping the expansion of the charging infrastructure in Germany. The company plans to expand its presence to all major metropolitan regions in Germany in order to make charging as easy and reliable as it should be for an ever-increasing number of e-car drivers i.e. “Charging made EZE”. The Founders Nancy & Michael Valentine-Urbschat want to make their contribution to the sustainable transformation of the mobility sector for future generations
