Formula Space has been recognised as a Leading Innovator in EV Charging Infrastructure 2026 at the SME News UK Transport Awards. The recognition reflects something we have believed since the company was founded: that the EV charging sector needs partners who are willing to build what the industry is missing, not just supply what already exists.
Building what the industry needs
Innovation in EV infrastructure is rarely a single breakthrough moment. More often, it is the result of working closely with operators over a sustained period, identifying the problems that keep recurring across sites and networks, and engineering credible, practical responses to them.
That is the position Formula Space occupies. As a specialist EV infrastructure partner, we deliver complete above-ground charging environments for charge point operators across the UK, Europe and internationally. Our work spans site design, product engineering, manufacturing, installation and ongoing optimisation, bringing together bay marking, foundation systems, canopies, signage and wayfinding, crash protection, lighting, CCTV, connectivity and user experience advisory into a single, coordinated delivery model.
This is not about being a generalist. Every service and product we offer has been developed specifically around the operational realities of EV charging networks. Our teams understand the commercial pressures operators face, the constraints that shape site delivery programmes, and the details that determine whether a charging environment performs reliably in the real world or creates ongoing operational headaches.
What the sector actually requires
The EV charging rollout is accelerating. Operators are scaling networks across diverse sites, postcodes and regulatory environments, often at pace and under significant commercial pressure. The infrastructure challenges that come with that scale are considerable, and many of them are underserved by the existing supply market.
Most suppliers in the sector operate as specialists in a single trade or product area. A bay marking contractor. A signage supplier. A civils team. A security provider. Charge point operators are frequently left to coordinate these separate relationships themselves, manage the interfaces between trades and absorb the programme risk that comes when responsibility is fragmented.
Formula Space was built around a different model. We supply and manage all above-ground elements as a single, integrated package, aligned seamlessly with ICP and electrical delivery programmes. This free-issue delivery methodology significantly reduces programme risk, avoids clashes between trades, and removes the delays and cost overruns that arise when accountability is unclear. For operators, it means a single point of contact responsible for everything above ground, from first design through to go-live, with consistent standards maintained across entire networks.
Having delivered across hundreds of sites, we bring direct insight into what slows rollouts down, what causes problems post go-live, and where small design decisions carry outsized consequences for uptime, safety and user experience. That accumulated knowledge informs every project we take on.
CableGuard®: a solution built from the ground up
The same approach that defines how we deliver sites also defines how we develop products. When a persistent, unresolved problem emerges across the networks we work with, we treat it as something to be solved properly rather than worked around.
CableGuard® was developed in direct response to the rapid rise in EV charging cable theft across the UK and internationally. Cable theft had become one of the most operationally damaging issues facing charge point operators. A single cable can cost upwards of £1,500 to replace, with the associated charger downtime extending to weeks. At the most severely affected sites, as many as 20 cables have been stolen in a single incident. Multiplied across a network, the financial and reputational impact is substantial.
Existing solutions in the market either addressed the problem partially or introduced new challenges around usability, weight or compatibility with existing infrastructure. CableGuard® was engineered to address the issue comprehensively, based on direct operator feedback and real-world site data.
The product combines physical cut resistance with a forensic tracing system in a single, purpose-built sleeve. The sleeve is designed to dramatically increase the time and effort required to sever a cable, acting as a material deterrent to theft attempts. The integrated forensic liquid activates only when the sleeve is tampered with, marking offenders, tools and vehicles with a uniquely identifiable code invisible to the naked eye. This creates a direct evidential link between the theft attempt, the site and the individual involved, providing actionable intelligence for law enforcement.
Formula Space works closely with police and forensic technology partners to ensure CableGuard® supports real-world enforcement and prosecution outcomes. The system has already contributed to arrests and seizures, with the forensic evidence it generates providing investigators with material they can act on.
Critically, CableGuard® was designed for seamless integration into live charging environments. It installs without removing or replacing the existing cable, is compatible with major charger manufacturers and cable management systems, and adds negligible weight or change to the end-user experience. Operators can retrofit protection across entire networks without introducing downtime, warranty concerns or friction for drivers.
A modular, future-ready system
As CableGuard® has been deployed across different regions and threat profiles, operator feedback and real-world performance data have directly informed its evolution. The product is now available in multiple configurations, allowing operators to specify protection levels appropriate to local conditions.
In areas where deterrence and forensic traceability are the priority, the standard system remains central. In higher-risk environments, the product can be specified with enhanced physical cut resistance or additional integrated anti-theft technologies, creating a modular protection system configurable to the specific risks and operational preferences of each market.
This upgrade-led approach ensures CableGuard® remains effective as threat profiles evolve, and gives operators confidence that their investment is future-ready rather than fixed to a single solution at a single point in time.
Since launch, CableGuard® has moved rapidly from pilot deployments to large-scale rollout. It is now installed across thousands of cables and deployed internationally, with OEM approvals and partnerships enabling confident adoption at scale across multiple markets where cable theft has reached critical levels.
The wider picture
CableGuard® is a clear example of the approach Formula Space takes across the business, but it represents one part of a broader commitment to raising standards across the entire charging environment.
The same thinking is now being applied to other persistent infrastructure challenges, including next-generation foundation systems designed to reduce ground disruption, simplify future upgrades and accelerate deployment programmes. As the sector continues to scale, the problems that sit below the surface of a successful network become increasingly material. Programme delays, inconsistent site standards, difficult-to-maintain infrastructure and poor user environments all carry a cost, even when they are not immediately visible.
Formula Space is focused on solving those problems systematically, across every element of the above-ground charging environment.
Looking ahead
Recognition for innovation in EV charging infrastructure, at a moment when the UK is pushing hard on charging rollout, is welcome. It reflects where the industry’s attention is, and confirms that the problems Formula Space is working to solve are recognised as real and material.
The award is a marker. The work behind it, and ahead of it, is what matters.
