Celebrating 35 years in business, Rolec has evolved alongside demand for sustainable outdoor electrical equipment 

As the UK’s leading provider of outdoor electrical equipment, Rolec manufactures electric vehicle (EV) charging points, marina service pedestals, and caravan hook-up units. With 35 years of experience, Rolec has worked across some of the world’s most iconic marina locations and now manufactures and supplies the UK’s largest range of smart AC fast and DC rapid chargers for the ever-growing EV market. 

Frankie Mellon, Managing Director, and Holly Brown, Commercial Director, sit down with us to explain how the business has grown from its innovative and sustainable roots. “Rolec was established in 1990, when EVs weren’t prevalent on the roads at that time, and as such, our origins weren’t rooted in the EV industry,” they begin. “We carved our niche in the leisure sector, establishing ourselves as pioneers in manufacturing outdoor electrical equipment, water, and sanitation utilities for caravan and holiday parks.

“After launching the UK’s first purpose designed utility pedestal for the leisure industry, we ventured into the marina industry, where we first experienced demand for smart services. It didn’t take our team long to engineer connected hardware solutions that gained traction across the globe. We introduced BerthMaster, the world’s first combined electricity and water computer management system for marinas, in 1995, for instance. Today, we maintain our position as a market leader in marina services and utility products, with longstanding partnerships with some of the world’s most prestigious destinations, including Port Adriano, Porto Heli Marina, Limassol Marina, Palm Jumeirah, and Yas Marina. 

“We introduced our EV charging division in 2007, launching the WallPod when there were just two other companies in the UK dedicated to electric vehicle charging. Since then, our trajectory has been marked by a solid track record of delivering innovative EV charging solutions for domestic, commercial, and public settings. The Quantum pedestal launched in 2016, which has since become a crowd favorite.” 

As a multi-divisional supplier across these three specialist markets, Rolec has become a trusted name in the wholesale distribution network, standing out as one of the few manufacturers remaining committed to this model. “We direct all customer enquiries through our partner network of over 3500 distributors, which we’ve built over the last 17 years,” Frankie says. “Our products are not only advanced, but they are also incredibly easy to install, operate, and maintain. Wherever the location, our units are designed for quick, hassle-free installation, making them the perfect option for any environment.” 

However, Rolec’s commitment extends beyond hardware and installation. “We provide dedicated on-site support and installer assistance through our UK-based technical support team and nationally located engineers,” he adds. “Our friendly and reliable staff are always on hand to ensure a seamless experience from initial enquiry through to installation, project handover and aftercare.” 

For many manufacturers, every journey begins with extensive research and development (R&D), and Rolec is no exception. “Each product we create is a result of extensive activity at our center in Nottingham, England,” Frankie confirms. “Every product undergoes rigorous CAD to ensure it’s not only efficient but also exceptionally durable, and this dedication is what sets us apart. An example of this commitment to innovation proved fruitful in 2022, as we had been looking for a dedicated R&D site before the UK Government later announced the ‘Smart Charge Point’ regulations, which brought a host of challenges to the industry. The work we’d been carrying out behind the scenes gave us a head start, and our in-house R&D team quickly designed an EV controller and smart communications module.” 

In 2023, Rolec partnered with Monta to deliver 20,000 connected EV chargepoints across the UK. By integrating Monta’s software with Rolec’s hardware, the system offers seamless, scalable, and reliable charging experiences to businesses, fleets, and EV drivers. With advanced features such as data management, chargepoint reservation, seamless payment integration, and smart queuing. “The collaboration marked a significant milestone in advancing EV charging, enhancing both Rolec’s hardware and Monta’s software to contribute to the development of EV infrastructure across the UK and beyond,” Frankie states. Since the partnership began, Rolec has facilitated the consumption of over 30 million kWh of energy across its charging network through Monta, equating to more than 15,000 tonnes of CO₂ savings. The network has also surpassed two million charges.” 

On the marina and leisure side of the business, another of Rolec’s key partnerships is with Metpow, offering smarter utility management. “Our new wireless utility management system, developed with our technology partner, Metpow, brings advanced site-wide control to leisure and marina locations of all sizes,” Holly explains. “Real-time data enables smarter operations, more responsible resource consumption, and a simplified guest experience, while giving operators full management over energy usage, pricing, and peak demand. With this year’s summer season shaping up to be one of the busiest yet, parks and marinas must effectively manage electricity and plan for accurate utility metering and transparent pricing.” 

2025 marks a milestone for Rolec, as the business celebrates 35 years of UK manufacturing in the outdoor electrical equipment industry. “With over 569 years of combined experience across our team, we’ve developed an extensive product range, backed by decades of research and development,” the pair reflect. “Our vision remains simple: to lead through innovation, uplift every partner we work with, and electrify the future, one outdoor space at a time. 

“This year, we launched RolecConnect, the all-in-one installer software service. The platform is free to use and supports electrical contractors with EV chargepoint, caravan hook-up, and marina service installations. 2025 is also the year of our next-generation home charger. Building on the popular features of our domestic chargers, EVO has more advanced features and greater efficiency, setting new standards for home charging. 

“Looking ahead, we remain committed to our business model, R&D journey, and carefully mapped product roadmap,” they add. “The months ahead will see the launch of a new and improved EV charger range, providing solutions for a broad spectrum of commercial and public sector applications. Alongside this, we are enhancing our DC solutions for electric boat charging, with systems capable of delivering up to 480kWh.” 

Meanwhile, Rolec’s new smart utility management system is gaining further traction, with large-scale projects underway. These developments are setting new standards for intelligent operations and resource efficiency across marinas, leisure parks, and resorts, both in the UK and internationally. 

“We are also making strides into solar integration and smart management for site-wide energy solutions,” Frankie and Holly conclude. “While new services in electrical testing, inspection, and annual maintenance packages offers additional layers of assurance and long-term value to our customers.”  

www.rolecserv.com