Meet Peter

Peter Nanninga has been working at Alfen for nine years. He started as a service engineer, and three years ago he took on the role of field service specialist in our EV Charging business line. In this role, he applies his experience and technical expertise to support after sales services by repairing complex product malfunctions and providing training to customer.

How did you get started in energy technology and at Alfen? 
I was contacted about a job at Alfen to work on a hardware upgrade project for our chargers. The agency told me the job was just simply ‘pushing a button.’ I still laugh about that! During my training, I quickly realised it was more complex than that. I had to replace the old hardware with a new platform in Alfen’s chargers. These chargers have an advanced hardware system— the brain of the charging station that ensures a reliable and efficient charging process. The upgrade involved replacing two circuit boards with a more modern platform.

However, before the project started, I was first placed on the service team. That worked out so well, they kept me there.

What does your role involve?
If our service partners can’t resolve a complex problem with the chargers, I step in. I am the last line of support—if no one else can fix it, it’s up to me because I am allowed to take more time because the problem must be solved no matter what. It’s rewarding to transform a challenging situation into a positive experience for the customer.

Besides that, I teaching employees from our charge point operators how to install and service our chargers so they can better assist their colleagues in the field or end customers with a deeper understanding of our chargers. I provide both installation and service training. With installation training, participants learn how to correctly and efficiently install our chargers, and in service training, they learn how to troubleshoot and resolve issues to ensure the chargers operate at their best.

I have recently also been asked to help prepare our chargers for display at tradeshows, most notably Solar Solutions in the Netherlands. Preparations means letting booth visitors really experience how our EV chargers work, from showing them how to customise a logo on the display to how it feels to plug it in and more. It's been a great experience to support my colleagues and to be a part of events in this way. And it's a nice change of scenery.

What do you think makes Alfen chargers stand out compared to other solutions on the market?
We have the latest technology inside our chargers, and over the years we gained a lot of experience in this field. Some people forget that we were one of the first companies in the world to start developing EV charging stations back in 2008!

What do you enjoy most about working at Alfen?
Working outside always makes me happy. Solving complex issues on a charger is especially rewarding— finding a solution and providing the customer with a positive experience makes all the effort worthwhile.

What has been the most interesting project you've worked on while at Alfen?
I’ve traveled to the UK twice to repair chargers and train a colleague. Along the way, we covered 1,500 km, explored beautiful places, and most importantly, satisfied many customers by restoring their chargers to full operation.

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
I'm addicted to cycling and love going on long rides during the summer. In the off-season, you’ll mostly find me at the gym, either taking spinning classes or weightlifting. I also enjoy 3D printing and FPV drone racing. The drone is equipped with a camera that transmits real-time footage, and they fly at speeds of up to 150 km/h. I wear special goggles with screens inside that receive this footage, and it feels as though I'm inside the drone, giving the sensation that I'm flying myself.