Blink Charging Co. 10-K

ITEM 1. BUSINESS. Overview Blink Charging Co., through its consolidated subsidiaries, is a leading owner, operator, provider, and manufacturer of electric vehicle (“EV”) charging equipment and networked EV charging services in the rapidly growing U.S. and international markets for EVs. Blink offers EV charging equipment and services, enabling EV drivers to recharge at various locations. Blink’s principal line of products and services is its Blink EV charging networks (the “Blink Networks”) and Blink EV charging equipment, also known as electric vehicle supply equipment (“EVSE”), and other EV-related services. The Blink Networks are a proprietary, cloud-based system that operates, maintains, and manages Blink charging stations and handles the associated charging data, back-end operations, and payment processing. The Blink Networks provide fleets, property owners, managers, parking companies, and state and municipal entities (“Property Partners”), among other types of commercial customers, with cloud-based services that enable the remote monitoring and management of EV charging stations. The Blink Networks also provide EV drivers with vital station information, including station location, availability, and fees (as applicable). To capture more revenues derived from providing EV charging equipment to commercial customers and to help differentiate Blink in the EV infrastructure market, Blink offers Property Partners a comprehensive range of solutions for EV charging equipment and services that generally fall into one of the business models below, differentiated by who owns the equipment and who bears the costs of installation, equipment, maintenance, and the percentage of revenue shared. ● In our Blink-owned turnkey business model , we incur the charging equipment and installation costs. We own and operate the EV charging station and provide connectivity of the charging station to the Blink Networks. In this model, which favors recurring revenues, we incur most costs associated with the EV charging stations; thus, we retain substantially all EV charging revenues after deducting network connectivity and processing fees. Our agreement with the Property Partner typically lasts nine years, with extensions that can bring it to 27 years. ● In our Blink-owned hybrid business model , we incur the charging equipment costs while the Property Partner incurs the installation costs. We own and operate the EV charging station and provide connectivity to the Blink Networks. In this model, since the Property Partner incurs the installation costs; we share a more generous portion of the EV charging revenues with the Property Partner after deducting Blink network connectivity and processing fees. Our agreement with the Property Partner typically lasts seven years, with extensions that can bring it to 21 years. ● In our host-owned business model , the Property Partner purchases, owns, and operates the Blink EV charging station and incurs the installation costs. We work with the Property Partner by providing site recommendations, connectivity to the Blink Networks, payment processing, and optional maintenance services. In this model, the Property Partner retains and keeps all the EV charging revenues after deducting Blink network connectivity and processing fees. We also own and operate car-sharing and ride-sharing programs through our wholly owned subsidiary, Envoy Mobility (formerly Blink Mobility). These programs allow customers to share electric vehicles through subscription services and charge those cars through our charging stations. Blink’s wholly owned subsidiary, Envoy, filed a registration statement on Form S-1 dated February 11, 2025 to register shares in connection with its contemplated initial public offering as well as the issuance of shares to its former shareholders in connection with Blink’s acquisition of Envoy. In pursuit of our commitment to fostering the widespread adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) through the establishment and management of EV charging infrastructure on a global scale, we remain steadfast in our dedication to mitigating climate change. This dedication is evidenced by our efforts to diminish greenhouse gas emissions stemming from gasoline-powered vehicles. With the goal of being a leader in the build-out of EV charging infrastructure and maximizing our share of the EV charging market, we have established strategic commercial, municipal, and retail partnerships across industry verticals and encompassing numerous transit/destination locations, including airports, auto dealers, healthcare/medical, hotels, mixed-use facilities, municipal sites, multifamily residential and condos, parks and recreation areas, parking lots, restaurants, retailers, schools and universities, stadiums, supermarkets, transportation hubs, and workplace locations. In 2024, we entered into agreements with significant new customers, including the City of South Lake Tahoe, Alameda City, the City of Porterville, the Fresno Unified School District, Imperial Center, the City of Fresno, New Castle County, Maryland Department of General Services, Sonepar, and CED. Similarly, in 2023, we entered into agreements with significant new customers, including the United States Postal Service (USPS), Mack Trucks, McArthurGlen, BluePoint, Mike Albert Fleet Solutions, Royal Farms, John Henry General Store, Moberly Motor Company, Arcos Dorados (McDonald’s Puerto Rico), AAA, Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas), Village of Tuckahoe (NY), Miami Beach (FL), Metropolitan Government of Nashville-Davidson County, and Salt Lake City International Airport, that expand our potential for unit sales and deployments. 4 In 2022, we expanded our presence through the acquisitions of SemaConnect and Electric Blue, establishing new offices in Bowie, Maryland, and St. Albans, United Kingdom. Additionally, we opened manufacturing facilities in Bowie, Maryland, and Bangalore, India. These additions enhance our capacity in the U.S. and internationally, enabling us to develop and manufacture hardware and innovate new software capabilities to address the evolving EV charging landscape. They also serve as crucial hubs for operations in the United States, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East. This expansion aligns with our strategic goal of growing our global engineering teams and establishing operational hubs to support our international expansion into new regions. As of December 31, 2024, we contracted, sold or deployed 109,596 chargers, of which 87,500 were on Blink Networks (comprised of 61,625 Level 2 commercial chargers, 1,392 DCFC commercial chargers, 691 residential chargers, and 23,792 chargers pending to be commissioned). Included on Blink Networks are 6,867 chargers owned by us. The remaining 22,096 not on Blink networks were on other networks, international sales, or deployments (comprised of 5,155 Level 2 commercial chargers, 75 DC Fast Charging chargers, 12,298 residential Level 2 Blink EV chargers, 2,861 sold to other U.S. networks and, 1,707 sold internationally). Blink networked chargers include public and private chargers, as designated by stations owners, and are net of swap-outs, replacement units, and decommissioned units. Certain commercial chargers include chargers installed in residential settings for commercial purposes. All chargers, including at all international Blink locations, are categorized based on US Department of Energy guidelines. As an EV charging station leader, we understand our corporate social responsibility and remain steadfast in our commitment to fostering a cleaner, improved global environment. By prioritizing our environmental, social, and governance initiatives, we consistently enhance our standing within the EV industry as a responsible and value-enhancing service provider within the ecosystem. Upholding sustainable procurement, we intend to persist in aligning with partners who share our vision for societal advancement and uphold ethical business standards. As our technology advances, we are devoted to implementing recycling programs aimed at repurposing older products. Industry Overview Despite changes in the regulatory and incentive environments, the U.S. EV market continues to progress maintaining momentum in new car sales and adding vehicles to the overall installed base. According to Cox Automotive’s Kelley Blue Book, sales of electric vehicles in U.S., increased 15.2% in the fourth quarter of 2024 to 365,824 units, becoming the new quarterly record. Momentum in the new EV sales market is also supported by the significant investments by auto Original Equipment Manufacturers (“OEMs”). The Environmental Defense Fund reported on January 8, 2025, that by the end of 2024, auto manufacturers announced $197.6 billion in investment in US EV battery manufacturing facilities of the last decade. The announced funding is for 229 distinct manufacturing investments at 208 different facilities. Production has begun at 57 of those projects, which are supporting more than 50,000 jobs. More than 100 projects were under construction, which makes it a total of 69% of all projects are now showing of-the-ground results. Another contributing factor to charging demand for EVs are sales of used vehicles. According to the Bay State Banner, a Massachusetts publication, used EV car sales in November 2024 alone grew 61.3% nationally. This trend reflects positively on Blink as used EVs are increasingly purchased by individuals who reside in multi-family dwellings and reply on public charging and on-site commercial charging for their charging needs. In addition, we believe that advancements made in battery technologies are allowing EVs to achieve approximate cost parity with internal combustion engine vehicles and will extend driving range and consumer confidence moving the market away from range anxiety toward range confidence, creating further consumer demand. For example, Chevrolet started selling an electric Equinox SUV model for under $35,000, which makes it attractive for entry level buyers. 2025 is expected to be a year of increasing numbers of EV models available and improved infrastructure to support them. In 2024, many traditional and new auto manufacturers have introduced new EV models such as the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV9, Hyundai Ioniq 6, Honda Prologue, Polestar 2, and Hyundai Kona Electric, Cadillac Vistiq, and others. 5 Our EV Charging Solutions We offer a variety of EV charging products and services to Property Partners and EV drivers. EV Charging Solutions ■ Level 2 . We offer a wide range of Level 2 (AC) EV charging equipment, ideal for commercial and residential use, with the North American universal J1772 connector, the North American Charging Standard (NACS) connector, and the Type 2 connector compatible with electric vehicles in Europe and across Latin America. ■ Our commercial Level 2 chargers consist of the EQ, MQ, and the Series 6, 7, and 8 families, which are available in pedestal, wall mount, and pole mount configurations. The MQ along with the Series 6, 7, and 8 chargers offer an optional cable management system. Additionally, we offer three residential Level 2 chargers for the Americas: the wall-mounted HQ 200, and a smart charging cable, the PQ 150, designed for European markets. Our commercial and residential chargers can all connect to the Blink Networks for a wide range of software solutions. Level 2 charging stations typically provide a full charge in five to ten hours. Level 2 chargers are ideally suited for low-cost installations and frequently used parking locations, such as workplaces, multifamily residential, retail, hospitality, and mixed-use, parking garages, municipalities, colleges/schools, hospitals and airports. ■ International Products . We offer Level 2 AC and DC products for the rapidly expanding international markets targeted at the residential, workplace, retail, parking garages, leasing companies, hospitality, and other locations. These products are available with the Type 2, GBT, and CCS 2 connectors and include the PQ 150, Series 3 (an ideal product for the 2/3-wheeled vehicles), and the EQ 200. ■ Mobile Charger . We offer the HQ 200-M Level 2 charger for the mobile/emergency charging market which requires a portable charger to be used for roadside or other use cases where a connection to the electricity grid is not available. ■ DCFC. We offer a complete line of DC Fast Charging equipment (“DCFC”) that ranges from 30kW to 600kW, supports the ‘CHAdeMo’, CCS1, and NACS connectors, and typically provide an 80% charge in less than 30 minutes. Installation of DCFC stations and grid requirements are typically greater than Level 2 charging stations and are ideally suited for dense metropolitan areas and locations between long distance travel destinations. These include the Series 9 40kW DC Fast Charger that works ideally for the fleet, auto dealership, and retail segments and is available in wall and pedestal mount configurations, the Blink 60kW-360kW All-in-One DC Fast Chargers, and Distributed Cabinet and Dispenser DC Fast Chargers up to 600kW. ■ Blink Network . The Blink Network is a cloud-based platform that manages our network of EV chargers around the world for remote monitoring, management, payment processing, customer support, load management, roaming, and other features required for operating the Blink Networks of EV charging locations. ■ Blink Charging Mobile App . We offer Blink Charging Mobile Apps (iOS and Android) that provide EV drivers control by giving them improved search capabilities which allows them to search for nearby amenities, as well as chargers by zip-codes, city, business, category, or address, and expanded keyword search. The app also includes payment functionality, eliminating the need for a credit card. ■ Fleet Management . We offer Fleet Management applications, targeted at commercial, municipal, and federal fleets for planning, managing, and optimizing their departure schedules and energy costs. Our Fleet Management applications can be used as standalone tools or integrated into existing fleet management solutions, which allows Blink to be a flexible and value-added solution within existing software stacks. 6 Competitive Advantages/Operational Strengths Long-Term Contracts with Property Owners. We have strategic and often long-term agreements that include location exclusivity with Property Partners across numerous transit/destination locations, including airports, car dealers, healthcare/medical, hotels, mixed-use facilities, municipal locations, multifamily residential and condo, parks and recreation areas, parking lots, restaurants, retailers, schools and universities, stadiums, supermarkets, transportation hubs, and workplace locations. Property Partners include well-recognized companies, large municipalities and local businesses. Representative examples include the City of Miami Beach, City of Chula Vista, City of Phoenix, City of Portland, City of Knoxville, City of San Antonio, City of Leeds (UK), University of San Diego, City of San Diego, Ohlone College, ACE Parking, Q-Park, Icon Parking, SP+ Parking, iPark, LAZ Parking, Reef Parking, Federal Realty, Equity Residential, Related Group, Johnson & Johnson, Kaiser Permanente, Blessing Healthcare, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Starbucks, JBG Associates, Kroger Company, Fred Meyer Stores, Inc., Fry’s Food & Drug, Inc., Raising Cane’s, McDonald’s, Carl’s Jr., Burger King, Walgreens and Ralphs Grocery Company. We continue to generate new contracts with Property Partners that previously secured our services independently or had contracts with the EV service providers that we acquired in the past. Vertically Integrated Supply Chain, Engineering and Manufacturing. We are a fully vertically integrated charging equipment and software provider, among the few in the world. We believe this strategy provides multiple benefits among which are the bottom-up approach to design and engineering, compliance with “Buy American” hardware requirements, controlling the supply chain timing and costs, ensuring adequate levels of inventory in constrained markets, and ability to capture the manufacturing margin in a high-demand environment. Differentiated but Flexible Business Models. We own, operate and supply proprietary electric vehicle charging equipment and networked EV charging services. We believe that our ability to provide various business models, including a comprehensive turnkey solution, to Property Partners and leverage our technology to meet both Property Partners’ and EV drivers’ needs provides us a competitive advantage in addition to more compelling long-term growth opportunities than possible through equipment sales only. Ownership and Control of EV Charging Stations and Services. Ownership of EV charging stations and services allows us to control the settings and pricing for our EV charging services, service the equipment as necessary, and have more effective brand management and price uniformity. As for those stations that we do not own, we are using our best efforts to encourage their owners to keep the stations operating in good order and, in some cases, to replace faulty stations with our new charging station equipment. Our Growth Strategy Our objective is to continue becoming a leading provider of EV charging solutions by deploying mass-scale EV charging infrastructure. By doing so, we aim to enable the accelerated growth of EV adoption and the EV industry. Key elements of our growth strategy include: ● Relentless Focus on Customer Satisfaction. Our objective is to increase overall customer satisfaction among new and existing Property Partners and EV drivers. This entails prioritizing charger uptime and availability while expanding and enhancing the EV charging infrastructure within densely populated regions of high demand. Furthermore, we are committed to optimizing the productivity and utilization of existing EV charging stations, as well as enhancing the key features of our EV charging station hardware and Blink Networks. We are equally focused on analyzing our network uptime and reliability and dedicating resources to maintaining network uptime. ● Pursue Strategic Opportunities to Expand Blink-Owned Turnkey and Hybrid Models. We have structured our business to identify and pursue opportunities to develop Blink’s owner and operator business model with locations that have potential of high utilization, where grant or rebate funds are available, and where we can realize long-term benefit for the EV charging location to establish long-term recurring revenue in the US, European Union, and UK. ● Continue to Invest in Technology Innovations . We continue to enhance the product offerings available in our EV charging hardware, cloud-based software, and networking capability in the US and International. Our Networks can serve a wide variety of EV equipment, languages, currencies, and applications, allowing Blink to stay competitive in the fast-moving EV charging landscape. Concurrently, the mobile app creates a seamless driver charging experience across the globe. Our software implementation allows us to remain technology agnostic to enable the onboarding of OCPP compliant equipment from other manufacturers onto our newly designed network. 7 ● Strengthen and Support our Human Capital. Our experienced employees and management team are our most valuable resources. Attracting, training, and retaining key personnel has been and will remain critical to our success. To achieve our human capital goals, we intend to stay focused on providing our personnel with entrepreneurial opportunities to expand our business within their areas of expertise. We will also continue to provide our personnel with personal and professional growth opportunities, including additional training, performance-based incentives such as opportunities for stock ownership, and other competitive benefits. ● Expand Sales and Marketing Resources. We intend to invest in sales and marketing infrastructure to capitalize on market growth and expand our go-to-market strategy while maintaining a disciplined approach to expenses. Today, we use a direct sales force, as well as maintaining relationships with notable resellers and electrical equipment distributors. ● Seek Strategic Acquisition Opportunities. We seek domestic and international acquisition opportunities which are accretive towards our profitability targets, while allowing us to expeditiously expand our footprint of EV charging station locations, product offerings and enhance our Blink Network. ● Leverage Our Early Mover Advantage. We continue to leverage our extensive and defendable first-mover advantage and the digital customer experience we have created for both EV drivers and Property Partners. We believe that hundreds of thousands of Blink driver registrants appreciate the value of transacting charging sessions on established robust networks. Blink chargers are primarily deployed throughout the United States, Europe, Mexico, and Central America. Users commonly exhibit a preference for remaining with a single, cohesive network. ● Appropriately Capitalize Our Business. We continue to pursue new potential capital sources to deliver critical operational objectives and the necessary resources to execute our overall strategy. The EV charging industry, as a whole, is undercapitalized to deliver the full potential of the expected EV market growth in the near future. We expect to retain our leadership position with new growth capital as required. 8 Sales Our sales organization builds and maintains long-term business relationships with our customers by utilizing our three core business models. These business models provide a high degree of flexibility to match host location goals and objectives for EV charging with our industry-leading equipment and software solutions. Our team identifies locations that have the potential to create long-term, recurring value for the Property Partner and Blink. Sales personnel are able to pivot to traditional equipment sales when, and if, a location is not identified as a promising generator of future recurring revenues. The team strives to maintain a balance between equipment sales that grow revenue today, and site locations that have potential to generate strong revenues in the future under our owner-operator business models. We also engage with strategic electrical distributor and reseller partners across a range of vertical markets both within the U.S. and globally. These organizations typically have unique relationships or capabilities within their respective markets and provide Blink with additional sales opportunities. These partnerships amplify Blink’s sales reach and are authorized to sell our EV charging hardware, software services (connectivity to the Blink Networks), and extended warranty service plans. In 2024, we entered into agreements with new major customers, including the City of South Lake Tahoe, Alameda City, the City of Porterville, the Fresno Unified School District, Imperial Center, the City of Fresno, New Castle County, Maryland Department of General Services, Sonepar, CED, Similarly, in 2023, we entered into agreements with new major customers, including the United States Postal Service (“USPS”), Mack Trucks, McArthurGlen, BluePoint, Mike Albert Fleet Solutions, Royal Farms, John Henry General Store, Moberly Motor Company, Arcos Dorados (McDonald’s Puerto Rico), AAA, Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas), Village of Tuckahoe (NY), Miami Beach (FL), Metropolitan Government of Nashville-Davidson County, Salt Lake City International Airport, and others that expand our potential for unit sales and deployments. Along with these new business relationships, we forged critical strategic relationships with organizations that directly or indirectly influence EV charging station purchase decisions. Our in-house staff performs a variety of marketing activities. Our marketing team works to promote and sell our services to a variety of vertical markets, and directly to EV drivers. We also utilize marketing and communication channels, including press releases, email marketing, website (www.blinkcharging.com), pay-per-click advertising, social media marketing, webinars, sponsorships and partnerships, advertising and conferences. Our website’s information is not, and will not be deemed, a part of this Annual Report or incorporated into any other filings we make with the SEC. We continue to invest in improving our company-owned stations’ service and maintenance and those stations with service and maintenance plans and expanding our cloud-based network capabilities. We anticipate continuing to grow our revenues by (i) selling our next generation of EV charging equipment to current as well as to new Property Partners, which includes airports, auto dealers, healthcare/medical, hotels, mixed-use facilities, municipal locations, multifamily residential and condos, parks and recreation areas, parking lots, restaurants, retailers, schools and universities, supermarkets, transportation hubs, and workplace locations, (ii) expanding our sales channels to wholesale distributors, utilities, OEMs, solar integrators, and dealers, which will include implementing EV charging station occupancy fees (after charging is completed, fees for remaining connected to the charging station beyond an allotted grace period) and subscription plans for EV drivers on our company-owned public charging locations, (iii) adding additional charging stations in locations with increasing utilization metrics, (iv) offering the Blink Care maintenance program, and (v) offering extended warranties for our chargers and services. 9 Our Customers and Partners We have strategic partnerships across numerous transit/destination locations, including airports, auto dealers, healthcare/medical, hotels, mixed use facilities and municipal locations, multifamily residential and condos, parks and recreation areas, parking lots, restaurants, retailers, schools and universities, stadiums, supermarkets, transportation hubs, and workplace locations. We have hundreds of Property Partners that include well recognized companies, large municipalities, and local businesses. We strive to engage all Blink-owned turnkey and hybrid property partners with exclusive EV charging contracts. This strategy further supports our owner-operator model to generate recurring revenue for both the Property Partner and Blink. Representative examples are McDonald’s, Sony Pictures, Caltrans, Audi of America, Porsche Design Tower, City of Azusa, City of Chula Vista, City of Springfield, City of Tucson, City of Fayetteville, BJ’s Inc., Federal Realty, Fred Meyer Stores, Inc., Fry’s Food & Drug, Inc., Kana Hotel Group, Kroger Company, and Ralphs Grocery Company. We continue to establish new contracts with Property Partners that previously secured our services independently or had contracts with the EV services providers that we acquired. Our revenues are primarily derived from fees charged to EV drivers for EV charging in public locations, EV charging hardware sales, government grants and sales of equipment warranties. EV charging fees to drivers are based on an hourly rate, by energy dispensed per kilowatt-hour (“kWh”), or by session. Such fees are calculated based on various factors, including associated station costs and local electricity tariffs. EV charging hardware is sold to our customers engaged with our host-owned business model. Other income sources from EV charging services are network fees, extended warranty fees, membership fees, and payment processing fees paid by our Property Partners. Blink generates revenues from its EV car-sharing program through Envoy and BlueLA, which allow customers the ability to retain electric vehicles through a subscription service. We are focused on profitable international expansion and have made significant progress at expanding our business across the globe, focusing primarily on Europe, United Kingdom, and Latin America. Our Competition The EV charging equipment and service market is highly competitive, and we expect the market to become increasingly competitive as new entrants enter this growing market. Our products and services compete on product performance and features, the total cost of ownership, sales capabilities, financial stability, brand recognition, product reliability, and the installed base’s size. Our existing competition in the U.S. currently includes ChargePoint, which manufactures EV charging equipment and operates the ChargePoint Network, and EVgo, which offers home and public charging with pay-as-you-go and subscription models. Other entrants into the connected EV charging station equipment market include Flo, Volta, Clipper Creek, StarCharge, Wallbox, Autel, and EV Connect. We believe these additional competitors struggle with gaining the necessary network traction but could gain momentum in the future. While Tesla does offer EV charging services, the connector type currently restricts the chargers to Tesla vehicles only in North America, which we believe will change as a number of OEMs have announced transitioning to the North American Charging Standard (NACS) used by Tesla. Many other EV charging companies offer non-networked or “basic” chargers with limited customer leverage but could provide a low-cost solution for basic charger needs in commercial and home locations. Our competitive advantage in this market includes vertical integration and our exclusive, long-term contracts with our Property Partners and flexible business models. We offer our EV charging station equipment and provide access to a robust EV charging network. 10 Government Grants We have a full-time dedicated team to identify and process federal, state and international funding opportunities in the US, European Union and UK for EV charging infrastructure development. Grants for EV charging infrastructure drive sustainable mobility by accelerating deployment, ensuring access, and supporting the transition to a zero-emission future. We are committed to pursuing EV charging development grant opportunities in all 50 states. Funding sources in the U.S. include the Department of Energy, Department of Transportation, Department of Agriculture, the VW mitigation settlement trust fund, funding initiatives from utility service providers and various state and local jurisdictions. Blink has recently completed grant projects in Maryland, New Jersey, Florida and Delaware increasing our DCFC footprint throughout the East Coast; with additional projects slated for deployment in 2025. In Europe, we have a significant presence both in the European Union and the United Kingdom through our acquisitions of Blue Corner and Electric Blue. Our staff in Europe has significant experience in applying and taking advantage of various European jurisdictions incentives and rebate. Disclosure Related to Climate Change On March 21, 2022, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) proposed rules mandating climate-related disclosures in companies’ annual reports and registration statements. While the SEC subsequently issued an order staying the rules, the proposed rules contemplate, if ultimately adopted, phase-in periods based on SEC filer status, with extended phase-in periods for Scope 3 disclosures and third-party attestation requirements. On March 6, 2024, the SEC adopted rules mandating climate-related disclosures in companies’ annual reports and registration statements. However, these rules are currently on hold due to legal challenges. Under the direction and supervision of senior management and with board oversight, our Environmental, Social, and Governance (“ESG”) Committee has initiated a process to implement and maintain compliance with the SEC’s and European Union’s climate disclosure requirements, pending the resolution of these legal challenges. Privacy and Data Security Laws We are currently subject, and/or may in the future be subject, to numerous privacy and data security laws. For example, some U.S. states, members of the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, and many other jurisdictions in which we operate have adopted some form of privacy and data security laws and regulations which impose significant compliance obligations. The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), which is wide-ranging in scope, imposes several requirements relating to a variety of matters, including the control over personal data by individuals to whom the personal data relates, the information provided to the individuals, the documentation we must maintain, the security and confidentiality of the personal data, data breach notification, and the use of third-party processors in connection with the processing of personal data. The GDPR also imposes strict rules on the transfer of personal data outside of the European Union (“EU”), provides an enforcement authority, and authorizes the imposition of large penalties for noncompliance, including the potential for significant fines. The GDPR requirements apply not only to third-party transactions, but also to transfers of information between Blink Charging and its subsidiaries, including employee information. The GDPR has increased our responsibility and potential liability in relation to all types of personal data that we process and we may be required to put in place additional mechanisms to ensure compliance with the GDPR, which could divert management’s attention and increase its cost of doing business, and despite our ongoing efforts to bring its practices into compliance with the GDPR, it may not be successful. 11 Additionally, we are governed by a California state privacy law called the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (“CCPA”), which contains requirements similar to GDPR for the handling of personal information of California residents. The CCPA establishes a privacy framework for covered businesses, including an expansive definition of personal information and data privacy rights for California residents. The CCPA includes a framework with potentially severe statutory damages and private rights of action. The CCPA requires covered companies to provide new disclosures to California consumers (as that word is broadly defined in the CCPA), and new ways for such consumers to opt out of certain sales of personal information, and to allow for a new cause of action for data breaches. Further, California voters approved a new privacy law, the California Privacy Rights Act (“CPRA”) in November 2020. Effective starting on January 1, 2023, the CPRA significantly modifies the CCPA, including by expanding the consumers’ rights with respect to certain sensitive personal information. The CPRA also creates a new state agency, the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA), that is vested with authority to implement and enforce the CCPA and the CPRA. In addition to the CPRA, several other states have passed or are in the process of passing comprehensive data privacy laws, including the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (VCDPA), the Colorado Privacy Act (CPA), the Connecticut Data Privacy Act (CTDPA), and the Utah Consumer Privacy Act (UCPA). The Virginia law became effective on January 1, 2023; the Colorado law became effective on July 1, 2023; and the Connecticut law became effective on July 1, 2023. The Utah Privacy Act came into force on December 1, 2023 , and there are expected legislative changes in other states as well, shaping the evolving national data privacy landscape. The GDPR, CCPA, CPRA, VCDPA, CPA, CTDPA and UCPA exemplify the vulnerability of our business to the evolving regulatory environment related to personal data. Our compliance costs and potential liability may increase as a result of additional national and international regulatory requirements related to data privacy and data security. We are currently subject, and/or may in the future be subject, to numerous privacy and data security laws. For example, some U.S. states, members of the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, and many other jurisdictions in which we operate have adopted or are in the process of adopting privacy and data security laws and regulations which impose significant compliance obligations. Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG ) We are committed to sourcing only responsibly produced materials. We have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to child or forced labor and human trafficking by our suppliers. We believe that sound corporate governance is critical to helping us achieve our goals, including with respect to ESG. We are focused on further enhancing sustainability of operations and continue to evolve a governance framework that exercises appropriate oversight of responsibilities at all levels throughout the company. Our board-level ESG Committee, with active management participation, will oversee ESG initiatives and priorities. Government Regulation and Incentives State, regional and local regulations for installing EV charging stations vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction and may include permitting requirements, inspection requirements, licensing of contractors, and certifications. Compliance with such regulations may cause installation delays. We intend to continue to vigorously seek additional grants, loans, rebates, subsidies, and incentives as cost-effective means of reducing our capital investment in the promotion, purchase and installation of charging stations where applicable. We expect these incentives, rebates, and tax credits to be important for our future growth. Additionally, some incentives are currently offered to encourage electric vehicle adoption at the federal, state and local levels. The Federal Government provides a personal income tax credit for qualified buyers of plug-in electric vehicles, with a maximum of $7,500, depending on vehicle weight and battery capacity, income levels, and battery sourcing origin. States such as California, Colorado, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, and Rhode Island offer various rebates, grants, and tax credits to incentivize EV and EVSE purchases. CESQG As a Conditionally Exempt Small Quantity Generator (“CESQG”), we generate a limited quantity of hazardous waste, mainly solvent contaminated wipes, which are transported to local solid waste facilities. Scrapped electronic boards are transported to a local recycler. A CESQG of hazardous waste is defined as a generator that: ● produces no more than 100 kg (220 lbs.) of hazardous waste per calendar month; ● produces no more than 1 kg (2.2 lbs.) of acute hazardous waste per calendar month; ● never accumulates more than 1,000 kg (2,204 lbs.) of hazardous waste at any one time; and ● never accumulates more than 1 kg (2.2 lbs.) of acute hazardous waste at any one time. 12 The use of our machinery and equipment must comply with the following applicable laws and regulations, including safety and environmental regulations: ● General Safety for All Employees – Includes health hazard communication, emergency exit plans, electrical safety-related work practices, office safety, and hand-powered tools. ● Technicians and Engineers – Only authorized persons (technicians and engineers) perform product testing and repair in the facility’s production and engineering areas, including those engineers involved in field service work. Regulations include control of hazardous energy and personal protective equipment. ● Logisticians – Includes forklift operations performed only by certified shipping/receiving personnel and material handling and storage. We fully comply with the general industry category’s environmental regulations applicable to us as a CESQG. OSHA We are subject to the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, as amended (“OSHA”). OSHA establishes specific employer responsibilities, including maintaining a workplace free of recognized hazards likely to cause death or serious injury, compliance with standards promulgated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and various recordkeeping, disclosure and procedural requirements. Multiple standards, including standards for notices of hazards, safety in excavation and demolition work and the handling of asbestos, may apply to our operations. We are in full compliance with OSHA regulations. NEMA The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (“NEMA”) is the association of electrical equipment and medical imaging manufacturers. NEMA provides a forum for developing technical standards in the industry and users’ best interests, advocating industry policies on legislative and regulatory matters, and collecting, analyzing, and disseminating industry data. All products distributed within the U.S. adhere to the applicable NEMA standards governing such merchandise. Waste Handling and Disposal We are subject to laws and regulations regarding the handling and disposal of hazardous substances and solid wastes, including electronic wastes and batteries. These laws generally regulate the generation, storage, treatment, transportation, and disposal of solid and hazardous waste, and may impose strict, joint, and several liability for the investigation and remediation of areas where hazardous substances may have been released or disposed. For instance, Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (“CERCLA”), also known as the Superfund law, in the United States and comparable state laws impose liability, without regard to fault or the legality of the original conduct, on certain classes of persons that contributed to the release of a hazardous substance into the environment. These persons include current and prior owners or operators of the site where the release occurred as well as companies that disposed of or arranged for the disposal of hazardous substances found at the site. Under CERCLA, these persons may be subject to joint and several strict liability for the costs of cleaning up the hazardous substances that have been released into the environment, for damages to natural resources and for the costs of certain health studies. CERCLA also authorizes the EPA and, in some instances, third parties to act in response to threats to the public health or the environment and to seek to recover from the responsible classes of persons the costs they incur. We may handle hazardous substances within the meaning of CERCLA, or similar state statutes, in the course of ordinary operations and, as a result, may be jointly and severally liable under CERCLA for all or part of the costs required to clean up sites at which these hazardous substances have been released into the environment. We also generate solid wastes, which may include hazardous wastes that are subject to the requirements of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (“RCRA”) and comparable state statutes. While RCRA regulates both solid and hazardous wastes, it imposes strict requirements on the generation, storage, treatment, transportation, and disposal of hazardous wastes. Certain components of our products are excluded from RCRA’s hazardous waste regulations, provided certain requirements are met. However, if these components do not meet all the established requirements for the exclusion, or if the requirements for the exclusion change, we may be required to treat such products as hazardous waste, which are subject to more rigorous and costly disposal requirements. Any such changes in the laws and regulations, or our ability to qualify the materials it uses for exclusions under such laws and regulations, could adversely affect our operating expenses. Similar laws exist in other jurisdictions where we operate. Additionally, in the EU, we are subject to the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (“WEEE Directive”). The WEEE Directive provides for the creation of a collection scheme where consumers return waste electrical and electronic equipment to merchants, such as Blink Charging. If we fail to properly manage such waste electrical and electronic equipment, it may be subject to fines, sanctions, or other actions that may have an adverse effect on our financial operations . 13 Intellectual Property We rely on a combination of patent, trademark, copyright, unfair competition and trade secret laws, as well as confidentiality procedures and contractual restrictions, to establish, maintain and protect our proprietary rights. Our success depends partly on our ability to obtain and maintain proprietary protection for our products, technology and know-how, to operate without infringing the proprietary rights of others, and to prevent others from infringing our proprietary rights. Our patents relate to various EV charging station designs. We intend to regularly assess opportunities for seeking patent protection for those aspects of our technology, designs, and methodologies that we believe provide a meaningful competitive advantage. If we cannot do so, our ability to protect our intellectual property or prevent others from infringing our proprietary rights may be impaired. Human Capital Resources Our experienced employees and management team are some of our most valuable resources, and we are committed to attracting, motivating, and retaining top talent. As of December 31, 2024, we had 594 employees, including 542 full-time employees. None of our employees are represented by a union or covered by a collective bargaining agreement. We have not experienced any work stoppages, and we consider our relationship with our employees to be good. Our success is directly related to the satisfaction, growth, and development of our employees. We strive to offer a work environment where employee opinions are valued and allow our employees to use and augment their professional skills. To achieve our human capital goals, we intend to remain focused on providing our personnel with entrepreneurial opportunities to expand our business within their areas of expertise and continue to provide our personnel with personal and professional growth. We emphasize several measures and objectives in managing our human capital assets, including, among others, employee safety and wellness, talent acquisition and retention, employee engagement, development and training, diversity and inclusion, and compensation and pay equity. Diversity and Inclusion and Ethical Business Practices. We believe that a company culture focused on diversity and inclusion is a crucial driver of creativity and innovation. We also believe that diverse and inclusive teams make better business decisions, ultimately driving better business outcomes. We are committed to recruiting, retaining, and developing high-performing, innovative, and engaged employees with diverse backgrounds and experiences. This commitment includes providing equal access to, and participation in, equal employment opportunities, programs, and services without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, stereotypes, or assumptions based thereon. We welcome and celebrate our teams’ differences, experiences, and beliefs, and we are investing in a more engaged, diverse, and inclusive workforce. We also foster a strong corporate culture that promotes high standards of ethics and compliance for our business, including policies that set forth principles to guide employee, officer, director, and vendor conduct, such as our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics. We also maintain a whistleblower policy and anonymous hotline for the confidential reporting of any suspected policy violations or unethical business conduct on the part of our businesses, employees, officers, directors, or vendors. Available Information We maintain a corporate website at www.blinkcharging.com. Our website’s information is not, and will not be deemed, a part of this Annual Report or incorporated into any other filings we make with the SEC. Our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act are made available, free of charge, on our website as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the SEC. Our corporate governance documents, including our code of conduct and ethics, are also available on our website. In this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we incorporate by reference as identified herein certain information from parts of our proxy statement for our 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which we will file with the SEC and will be available, free of charge, on our website. Reports of our executive officers, directors, and any other persons required to file securities ownership reports under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act are also available on our website. 14