GOFAST Celebrates 10 Years of Fast Charging
On 21 April, Swiss fast-charging pioneer GOFAST marks its tenth anniversary. Starting with a single charging station in front of the Gotthard south portal, the company now operates more than 110 sites and is the country's leading public fast-charging network operator. To mark the occasion, GOFAST looks back on its beginnings – a classic start-up story involving idealistic EV enthusiasts and hands-on electrical engineers.
A visionary electric sports car with a range problem
The story of GOFAST begins with Ticino-based e-mobility pioneer Marco Piffaretti, who was already developing lightweight electric vehicles in the 1980s.
| He later set out to prove, through competitive electric sports cars, that electric mobility was both viable and ready for the mass market. In 2011, the construction of the Lampo 3 electric sports car – delivering 570 horsepower – marked a visionary milestone, demonstrating the appeal and potential of electric drive technology. However, the prototype's relatively limited range of around 200 kilometres called for a solution that would allow fast charging on the go. Only by solving the problem of long charging times could electric cars become truly practical for everyday use. |
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Solving the long charging time problem
Around the same time, a group of young electrical engineers in Kriens began developing DC fast chargers capable of dramatically reducing charging times through high power output. With their company EVTEC AG, they also aimed to address the problem of varying connector types across different vehicle manufacturers. The result was an all-in-one solution with maximum charging power for all car brands and connector types. With attractive electric vehicles and the right on-the-go charging technology in place, all that was missing was an operator to build and run this fast-charging infrastructure. To that end, Piffaretti and EVTEC registered a joint-stock company under the name Gottardo Fastcharge SA in the commercial register on 21 April 2016.
A famous Alpine pass as namesake
Since the founders of the new start-up were constantly travelling between Ticino and central Switzerland, the first public "fast charger for everyone" was inaugurated a few months later – not entirely without self-interest – at the Stalvedro service area, just in front of the Gotthard south portal heading north. The fast-charging station was the first of its kind on the Swiss national road network and also broke new ground with its then-impressive output of 150 kilowatts. From that point on, crossing the Alps in an electric car was no longer to be a challenge, as a regional newspaper reported at the opening. Once again, mobility history was being written on this central transport corridor. It was only natural that the mythical Alpine pass would lend its name to the young company. In 2018, the somewhat unwieldy Gottardo Fastcharge became the GOFAST we know today.
Success through partnerships
Since then, technology, charging infrastructure and electric vehicle sales have all advanced at a remarkable pace. Today, GOFAST operates Switzerland's densest public fast-charging network with more than 110 sites.
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From the very beginning, GOFAST has focused on long-term partnerships with landowners who, depending on the circumstances, can benefit from the network's success in various ways. Alongside long-term commitment, partnerships with players who already operate a network of attractive, synergy-rich sites through their core business are particularly valuable. A significant boost to network expansion came from winning an FEDRO lot covering 20 motorway service areas, as well as nationwide partnerships with McDonald's Switzerland and ALDI SUISSE. |
The future as part of Switzerland's leading e-mobility group
Since 2022, GOFAST has been wholly owned by Energie 360° AG and is therefore part – alongside swisscharge AG and MOVE Mobility AG – of the mobility group of the Zurich-based energy company. Together with the fast-charging specialist, the group brings together comprehensive e-mobility solutions for a sustainable energy future. For GOFAST, the company anniversary is therefore just a welcome milestone along the way. In addition to continuing to expand the charging network, the focus going forward will increasingly shift to delivering an improved and integrated customer experience – so that one day, charging an electric car will be just as unremarkable as filling up with fossil fuel.