EDGAR 10-K Filing

Company CIK: 1429764
Filing Year: 2023
Filename: 1429764_10-K_2023_0001493152-23-007639.json

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ITEM 1. BUSINESS
ITEM 1. BUSINESS.
Overview
Blink Charging Co., through its consolidated owned subsidiaries, is a leading manufacturer, owner, operator, and provider of electric vehicle (“EV”) charging equipment and networked EV charging services in the rapidly growing U.S. and international markets for EVs. Blink offers residential and commercial EV charging equipment and services, enabling EV drivers to recharge at various location types. Blink’s principal line of products and services is its nationwide 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 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).
In order 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 bears the costs of installation, equipment, maintenance, and the percentage of revenue shared.
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In our Blink-owned turnkey business model, we incur the costs of the charging equipment and installation. 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. Typically, our agreement with the Property Partner lasts seven years with extensions that can bring it to a total of up to 21 years.
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In our Blink-owned hybrid business model, we incur the costs of the charging equipment while the Property Partner incurs the costs of installation. We own and operate the EV charging station and provide connectivity to the Blink Networks. In this model, the Property Partner incurs the installation costs associated with the EV station; thus, we share a more generous portion of the EV charging revenues with the Property Partner generated from the EV charging station after deducting network connectivity and processing fees. Typically, our agreement with the Property Partner lasts five years with extensions that can bring it up to 15 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 network connectivity and processing fees.
● In our Blink-as-a-Service model, we own and operate the EV charging station, while the Property Partner incurs the installation costs. The Property Partner pays us a fixed monthly fee for the service and keeps all the EV charging revenues after deducting network connectivity and processing fees. Typically, our agreement with the Property owner lasts five years.
We also own and operate a ride-sharing program through our wholly owned subsidiary, BlueLA Rideshare, LLC (“BlueLA”), with the City of Los Angeles. The program allows customers the ability to rent electric vehicles through a subscription service and charge those cars through our charging stations.
As part of our mission to facilitate the adoption of EVs through the deployment and operation of EV charging infrastructure globally, we are dedicated to slowing climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions caused by road vehicles. With the goal of being a leader in the build out of EV charging infrastructure and of 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, municipal sites, multifamily residential and condos, parks and recreation areas, parking lots, religious institutions, restaurants, retailers, schools and universities, stadiums, supermarkets, transportation hubs, and workplace locations.
During 2022, we were awarded several new prominent customers including Mitsubishi, Cushman & Wakefield, Triple J, Q-Park, Best Buy, UBS, Bosch Mexico, Porsche Puerto Rico and Guatemala, Veris Residential, Greystar, Cambium, and cities of Atlanta, Rockford, Newton, Winslow, Leeds (UK) and others that expand our potential for unit sales and deployments. Through acquisitions of SemaConnect and Electric Blue (“Electric Blue”) in 2022, we acquired a number of prominent customers such as Walgreens, Olive Garden, Dunkin Donuts, Kaiser Permanente, Hilton, Ritz-Carlton, and many others. During 2021, we were awarded several prominent customers including General Motors, Ford, Jaguar-Land Rover, Hyundai, Kia, Subaru, AutoNation, Berkshire-Hathaway Automotive, Bridgestone, the City of San Antonio, the Related Group. Commensurate with these new business relationships, we also forged critical strategic relationships with organizations that directly or indirectly influence EV charging stations purchase decisions. Examples include the Florida Sheriff’s Association Cooperative, Illinois Region 1 Planning Council, AES El Salvador, and Vizient, which is the largest member-driven healthcare performance improvement company in the United States, representing more than $130 billion in annual purchasing volume.
In 2022, through the acquisitions of SemaConnect and Electric Blue, we added new offices in Bowie, Maryland and St. Albans, United Kingdom and manufacturing facilities in Bowie, Maryland and Bangalore, India. These new office and manufacturing facilities add to our expanding U.S. and international capacity to develop and manufacture hardware and innovate new software capabilities to better meet the needs of an evolving EV charging landscape, while also serving as a key hub for operations serving the Europe, Asia Pacific and Middle East regions. This expansion in footprint is within our strategic goal to grow our global engineering teams and develop operational hubs to facilitate international expansion into new international regions.
As of December 31, 2022, we sold or deployed 66,478 chargers, of which 50,167 were in the Blink Networks (31,320 Level 2 publicly accessible commercial chargers, 17,613 Level 2 private commercial chargers, 199 DC Fast Charging EV publicly accessible chargers, 116 DC Fast Charging EV private chargers, and 919 residential Level 2 Blink EV chargers, inclusive of 4,802 chargers pending to be commissioned). Included in the Blink Networks are 4,851 chargers owned by us. The remaining 16,478 were non-networked, on other networks or international sales or deployments (937 Level 2 commercial chargers, 151 DC Fast Charging chargers, 11,611 residential Level 2 Blink EV chargers, 2,311 sold to other U.S. networks, 1,221 sold internationally and 80 deployed internationally). The charger units noted above are net of swap-out or replacement units.
Being among the largest owner and operators of EV charging stations, we understand our corporate social responsibility and are committed to making the world a cleaner, better place. By focusing on the environmental, social, and governance risks and opportunities for our business, we continue to strengthen our position in the EV industry as a value-adding and responsible service provider within the ecosystem. In maintaining sustainable procurement, we intend to persist in aligning ourselves with partners who also believe in the betterment of society and use ethical business practices. As our technology develops, we are devoted to creating recycling programs to ensure that older products are repurposed.
Industry Overview
The market for plug-in electric vehicles experienced significant growth in recent years with EV adoption hitting an all-time high with 6% in 2022 in U.S. and growing 11% year over year. We anticipate this to continue to grow in 2023, driven by new EVs being introduced to the market as major automakers ramp up their production of EVs, and sales are expected to increase as the technology continues to improve and prices come down.
The adoption of EVs was also propelled by the “Stay-at-Home Orders” in 2020 and the resulting reductions in global carbon dioxide emissions that showcased the potential of cleaner, lower-emission air quality worldwide.
In addition, the advancements made in battery technology have allowed EVs to achieve approximate cost parity with internal combustion engine vehicles and have extended driving range and consumer confidence moving the market away from range anxiety toward range confidence, creating further consumer demand.
We also are seeing the U.S. Administration and private companies’ focus on climate initiatives and its large-scale commitment and investment in developing and expanding the EV charging infrastructure making it easier for drivers to own and use EVs.
Electric vehicle demand has also been spurred by government incentive and regulations at federal, state and local levels. Government agencies around the world are expected to continue providing incentives for the purchase of EVs, and regulations may be introduced to reduce emissions and encourage the use of clean energy vehicles. At the U.S. federal level, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is to provide $7.5 billion for EV charging network across United States for both DCFC and Level 2 chargers. At state level, California, Oregon, New York, Maryland, Massachusetts among other states, have created mandates for EVs to achieve more than 6.8 million EVs on the road by 2030 and many states provide additional EV incentives to consumers. Further, a shift towards EV car-sharing has boosted the transition to EV fleets, leading to increased EV charging station demand.
saw a revolution made towards EVs and 2023 does not look to slow down as original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) continue to actively invest in research and development to speed up the production and deployment of EVs. As governments around the world are providing incentives and subsidies to promote the adoption of EVs, it is further fueling the growth of the industry.
The result is a rapidly expanding market for electric vehicles, with increasing numbers of models available and improved infrastructure to support them. In 2022, many auto manufacturers such as Mercedes, Ford and General Motors brought dozens of new electric vehicle models to market and much of this production kicks into gear starting in 2023 and 2024. Some estimates are that by 2025, there could be 74 different electric vehicle models offered in North America as the number of EVs on U.S. roads is now projected to reach 26.4 million in 2030.
As a pioneer in the EV charging industry, we continue to lead as market demands for a robust charging infrastructure increase. We are the only EV charging company to offer complete vertical integration from research and development and manufacturing to EV charger ownership and operations. This vertical integration creates unparalleled opportunities to control our supply chain and accelerate our go-to-market speed while reducing operating costs. We believe this opportunistically positions us to meet this demand both domestically and globally.
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 standard J1772 connector, and Level 2 chargers with 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 IQ 200 families and the Series 4, 6, 7, and 8 families, which are available in pedestal wall mount and pole mount configurations, and the all-new Vision. The MQ and IQ 200 and the Series 6, 7, and 8 chargers offer an optional cable management system. We also offer three residential Level 2 chargers for the Americas, the wall-mounted HQ 150, HQ 200, Series 4, and one smart charging cable, the newly announced PQ 150, for European markets. Our commercial and residential chargers (except the non-networked HQ 150) can connect to the Blink Networks or a local network. Level 2 charging stations typically provide a full charge in two to eight hours. Level 2 chargers are ideally suited for low-cost installations and frequently used parking locations, such as workplaces, multifamily residential, retail and mixed-use, parking garages, municipalities, colleges/schools, hospitals and airports.
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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 and CCS 2 connectors and included the recently announced PQ 150, Series 3 (an ideal product for the 2/3-wheeled vehicles), and the EQ 200.
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Mobile Charger. We offer the IQ 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.
■ Advertising Solution. In January 2023, we announced an enhanced advertising and charging solution in one product. This product, Vision, consists of a striking 55” LCD screen capable of static and dynamic advertising and Level 2 charger with two charging ports, targeted at the retail, hospitality and high traffic locations.
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DCFC. We offer a complete line of DC Fast Charging equipment (“DCFC”) that range from 30kW to 360kW, support the ‘CHAdeMo’ and the CCS1 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 transportation hubs and locations between travel destinations. These include the Series 9 30kW DC Fast Charger that works ideally for the fleet and auto dealership segments and is available in wall and pedestal mount configurations, the Blink 30kW DC Fast Charger that boasts a small footprint providing up to 100 amps of output, and the Blink 60kW - 360kW DC Fast Charger that provides from 140 to 500 amps of power.
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Blink Networks. The all new, rebuilt from the ground-up Blink Networks are a cloud-based product that manages our network of EV chargers around the world for remote monitoring, management, payment processing, customer support and other features required for operating the Blink Networks of EV charging locations.
■ Blink Charging Mobile App. We offer our all-new Blink Charging Mobile App (iOS and Android) that provides 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.
■ Fleet Management. We offer Fleet Management applications, targeted at commercial, municipal, and federal fleets that are interested in electrifying their fleets, for planning, managing, and optimizing their fleets for departure and energy costs. As a Sourcewell supplier, we are able to help municipalities streamline the procurement process.
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, municipal locations, multifamily residential and condo, parks and recreation areas, parking lots, religious institutions, 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, 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, Olive Garden, Walgreens 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 service providers that we acquired in the past.
Vertically Integrated Supply Chain, Engineering and Manufacturing. With the acquisition of SemaConnect, we have become the only vertically integrated charging company in the United States and 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 flexibly 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 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. We own a considerable percentage of our charging stations, which is a significant differentiation between us and some of our primary competitors. This ownership model 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 stations equipment.
Experience with Products and Services of Other EV Charging Service Providers. From our early days and through our acquisitions, we have had the experience of owning and operating EV charging equipment manufactured by other EV charging service providers, including General Electric, ChargePoint, Tellus, and Tritium. This experience has provided us with the working knowledge of other equipment manufacturers’ benefits and drawbacks and their applicable EV charging networks.
Our Growth Strategy
Our objective is to continue becoming a vertically integrated 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:
● 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 with potential high utilization, where grant funds are available, and where we can realize long-term benefit for the EV charging location and establish long-term recurring revenue relationships.
● Relentless Focus on Customer Satisfaction. We aim to increase overall customer satisfaction with new and existing Property Partners and EV drivers by upgrading and expanding the EV charging footprint throughout high-demand, high-density geographic areas. Another objective is to improve productivity and utilization of existing EV charging stations and enhance the valuable features of our EV charging station hardware and the Blink Networks.
● Continue to Invest in Technology Innovations. We will continue to enhance the product offerings available in our EV charging hardware, cloud-based software, and networking capability. In October 2022, we unveiled our all-new Blink Networks and Blink Charging Mobile App, redesigned from the ground-up, with industry-leading architecture, improving reliability, user experience, and flexibility capable of iterating as the industry matures. The new Network is capable of serving a wide variety of EV equipment, languages, currencies, and applications, allowing Blink to stay competitive in the fast-moving EV charging landscape. Concurrently, the new mobile app creates a seamless driver charging experience across the globe. Our key service solutions allow us to remain technology agnostic so that we can onboard OCPP compliant equipment from other manufacturers onto our newly designed network.
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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.
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Expand Sales and Marketing Resources. We intend to invest in sales and marketing infrastructure to capitalize on the growth in the market and expand our go-to-market strategy. Today, we use a direct sales force, as well as resellers, and will continue expanding through the use of independent sales agents, utilities, solar distributors, contractors, automotive manufacturers and dealers.
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Seek Strategic Acquisition Opportunities. We seek domestic and international acquisition opportunities which will allow us to expeditiously expand our footprint of EV charging station locations, product offerings, and enhance our Blink Networks.
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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 deployed mainly across the United States, Europe and South America, and the tendency, among users, is to stay within one consistent network.
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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.
● International Expansion with Three Recent Acquisitions. On June 15, 2022, we completed the acquisition of SemaConnect, Inc., a leading provider of EV charging infrastructure solutions in North America with manufacturing facilities in both the United States and India. Upon the closing of the acquisition, SemaConnect became a wholly owned subsidiary of our company, allowing Blink to comply with “Buy America” mandates and adding nearly 13,000 active chargers and over 150,000 registered users to the Blink Networks. On April 22, 2022, pursuant to a Sale and Purchase Agreement dated April 22, 2022, we acquired, through our wholly owned subsidiary in the Netherlands, Blink Holdings B.V., all the outstanding capital stock of Electric Blue Limited, a private company limited by shares and registered in England and Wales (“EB”), from its shareholders. Headquartered in St. Albans, United Kingdom, EB is a leading provider of electric vehicle charging and sustainable energy solutions and technologies.
● On May 10, 2021, we, through our wholly owned subsidiary in the Netherlands, Blink Holdings, B.V., closed on the acquisition of the outstanding capital stock of a Belgian company, Blue Corner NV (“Blue Corner”), from its shareholders. Headquartered in Belgium, with sales representative offices in several other European cities, Blue Corner owns and operates an EV charging network across Europe. The acquisition of Blue Corner was made to enter the European market and provide an opportunity to expand our footprint in this region.
Sales
Our sales organization builds and maintains long-term business relationships with our customers by utilizing our four 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 acquisition 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 or charging-as-a-service models 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 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, to strategic customers in specific locations.
We are making further inroads into the residential charging station market where we sell Level 2 chargers through various internet channels, such as Amazon, Walmart.com, Lowes.com, and other online retailers, to reach the single-family residential charging market in the United States.
During 2022, we were awarded several new prominent customers including Mitsubishi, Cushman & Wakefield, Triple J, Q-Park, Best Buy, UBS, Bosch Mexico, Porsche Puerto Rico and Guatemala, Veris Residential, Greystar, Cambium, and cities of Atlanta, Rockford, Newton, Winslow, Leeds (UK) and others that expand Blink’s potential for unit sales and deployments. Through acquisitions of SemaConnect and Electric Blue in 2022, Blink acquired a number of prominent customers such as Walgreens, Olive Garden, Dunkin Donuts, Kaiser Permanente, Hilton, Ritz-Carlton, and many others. During 2021, we were awarded several prominent customers including General Motors, Ford, Jaguar-Land Rover, Hyundai, Kia, Subaru, AutoNation, Berkshire-Hathaway Automotive, Bridgestone, the City of San Antonio, the Related Group, and others. Commensurate with these new business relationships, we also forged critical strategic relationships with organizations that directly or indirectly influence EV charging station purchase decisions. Examples include Sustainable Westchester in New York, and Clean Cities Organizations in Virginia, Vermont and Ohio, Florida Sheriff’s Association Cooperative, Illinois Region 1 Planning Council, AES El Salvador, and Vizient.
In addition to adding sales personnel within key markets, we solidified our organizational structure through hiring talented business development professionals and establishing a new account management team to onboard customers and maintain long-term relationships.
Our in-house staff performs a variety of marketing activities. Our marketing team works to promote and sell our services to property owners and managers, parking companies, and 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 websites’ 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, municipal locations, multifamily residential and condos, parks and recreation areas, parking lots, religious institutions, restaurants, retailers, schools and universities, stadiums, supermarkets, transportation hubs, and workplace locations, and (ii) expanding our sales channels to wholesale distributors, utilities, auto original equipment manufacturers (“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.
Our Customers and Partners
We have strategic partnerships across numerous transit/destination locations, including airports, auto dealers, healthcare/medical, hotels, mixed use and municipal locations, multifamily residential and condos, parks and recreation areas, parking lots, religious institutions, 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, including Ecotality, the former owner of the Blink-related assets.
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 Property Partners such as InterEnergy, Green Commuter, Nashville Music Center, Wendy’s, and other Property Partners 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 ride-sharing program through BlueLA and the City of Los Angeles which allows customers the ability to rent electric vehicles through a subscription service.
We teamed up with Google Maps to make locating EV charging stations straightforward and accessible. Our charging stations are displayed in Google Maps, along with other relevant information.
We are focused on international expansion and have made significant progress at expanding our business across the globe, focusing primarily on Europe, United Kingdom, Israel, and Latin America.
On June 15, 2022, we completed the acquisition of SemaConnect, Inc., a leading provider of EV charging infrastructure solutions in North America with manufacturing facilities in both the United States and India. Upon the closing of the acquisition, SemaConnect became a wholly owned subsidiary of our company, allowing us to comply with “Buy America” mandates and adding nearly 13,000 active chargers and over 150,000 registered users to the Blink Networks. On April 22, 2022, pursuant to a Sale and Purchase Agreement dated April 22, 2022, we acquired, through our wholly owned subsidiary in the Netherlands, Blink Holdings B.V., all the outstanding capital stock of Electric Blue Limited, a private company limited by shares and registered in England and Wales (“EB”), from its shareholders. Headquartered in St. Albans, United Kingdom, EB is a leading provider of electric vehicle charging and sustainable energy solutions and technologies. On May 10, 2021, we, through our wholly owned subsidiary in the Netherlands, Blink Holdings, B.V., closed on the acquisition of the outstanding capital stock of a Belgian company, Blue Corner NV (“Blue Corner”), from its shareholders. Headquartered in Belgium, with sales representative offices in several other European cities, Blue Corner owns and operates an EV charging network across Europe. The acquisition of Blue Corner was made to enter the European market and provide an opportunity to expand our footprint in this region. Additionally, we operate through Blink Charging Ltd. for our expansion in Israel and Blink Hellas SA for our expansion in Greece. We are in the process of establishing numerous subsidiaries in Latin America as we further concentrate our international efforts. Finally, we established a new software development team in India, managed by our Indian subsidiary, Blink Charging Software Solutions Ltd.
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 Volta, Clipper Creek, Wallbox, Freewire, 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. 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.
Government Grants
We have a full-time dedicated team to identify and process federal and state funding opportunities for EV charging infrastructure development. 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. 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 programs.
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. The proposed rules contemplate phase-in periods based on SEC filer status, with extended phase-in periods for Scope 3 disclosures and third-party attestation requirements. 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 climate disclosure requirements as they are enacted.
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.
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 will significantly modify the CCPA, including by expanding the consumers’ rights with respect to certain sensitive personal information. The CPRA also creates a new state agency that will be vested with authority to implement and enforce the CCPA and the CPRA. New legislation proposed or enacted in various other states will continue to shape the data privacy environment nationally. For example, the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act became effective on January 1, 2023, the Colorado Privacy Act becomes effective on July 1, 2023, the Connecticut Act Concerning Personal Data Privacy and Online Monitoring becomes effective on July 1, 2023, and the Utah Privacy Act becomes effective on December 1, 2023.
The GDPR, CCPA, CPRA, CPA, and CDPA 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 some form of 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 our 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.
Currently, we apply charging fees by the kWh for our services in most states that permit this policy, while there are a handful of other states that only allow charging fees on hourly and by session for our services (Georgia, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, Tennessee and Wisconsin).
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 critical to 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 plug-in electric vehicles, with a maximum of $7,500, depending on vehicle weight and battery capacity, income levels, and battery sourcing origin. We expect Federal Government to continue to provide additional details about the vehicles and customers that qualify for Federal Government incentives. States such as California, Colorado, Delaware, Louisiana, 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:
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produces no more than 100 kg (220 lbs.) of hazardous waste per calendar month;
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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.
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.
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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 of our US products comply with the NEMA standards that apply to such products.
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, 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 environmental 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 of 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 adversely affect on our financial operations.
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.
As of December 31, 2022, we had four active patents issued in the United States (in the name of our subsidiary Ecotality, Inc.). These 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, 2022, we had 620 employees, including 564 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.
COVID-19 and Employee Safety and Wellness. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we implemented significant changes that we determined were in the best interest of our employees as well as the communities in which we operate. These measures include allowing most employees to work from home and implementing additional safety measures for employees continuing critical on-site work. We believe in supporting our employees’ health and well-being. Our goal is to help employees make informed decisions about their health by providing the tools and resources necessary to achieve a healthier lifestyle. We offer our employees a wide array of benefits such as life and health (medical, dental, and vision) insurance, paid time off and retirement benefits, as well as emotional well-being services through our health insurance program.
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 2023 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.

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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS.
In addition to other information in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and in other filings we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), the following risk factors should be carefully considered in evaluating our business as they may have a significant impact on our business, operating results and financial condition. If any of the following risks occurs, our business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects could be materially and adversely affected. Because of the following factors, as well as other variables affecting our operating results, past financial performance should not be considered as a reliable indicator of future performance and stockholders and investors should not use historical trends to anticipate results or trends in future periods.
Relating to Our Business
We have a history of substantial net losses and expect losses to continue in the future; if we do not achieve and sustain profitability, our financial condition could suffer.
We have experienced substantial net losses, and we expect to continue to incur substantial losses for the foreseeable future. We incurred net losses of $91.6 million, $55.1 million and $17.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020, respectively. As of December 31, 2022, we had net working capital of approximately $49 million and an accumulated deficit of approximately $334 million. We have not yet achieved profitability.
If our revenue grows slower than we anticipate, or if our operating expenses are higher than we expect, we may not be able to achieve profitability and our financial condition could suffer. We can give no assurance that we will ever achieve profitable operations. Even if we achieve profitability in the future, we may not be able to sustain profitability in subsequent periods. Whether we can achieve cash flow levels sufficient to support our operations cannot be accurately predicted. While we recently completed an underwritten public offering raising $100 million in gross proceeds, we may need to borrow additional funds or sell our debt or equity securities, or some combination of both, to provide funding for our operations in the future. Such additional funding may not be available on commercially reasonable terms, or at all.
Our revenue growth ultimately depends on consumers’ willingness to adopt electric vehicles in a market which is still in its early stages.
Our growth is highly dependent upon the adoption by consumers of EVs, and we are subject to a risk of any reduced demand for EVs. If the market for EVs does not gain broader market acceptance or develops slower than we expect, our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results will be harmed. The market for alternative fuel vehicles is relatively new, rapidly evolving, characterized by rapidly changing technologies, price competition, additional competitors, evolving government regulation and industry standards, frequent new vehicle announcements, long development cycles for EV original equipment manufacturers, and changing consumer demands and behaviors. Factors that may influence the purchase and use of alternative fuel vehicles, specifically EVs, include:
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perceptions about EV quality, safety (in particular with respect to lithium-ion battery packs), design, performance and cost, especially if adverse events or accidents occur that are linked to the quality or safety of EVs;
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the limited range over which EVs may be driven on a single battery charge and concerns about running out of power while in use;
● concerns regarding the stability of the electrical grid;
● improvements in the fuel economy of the internal combustion engine;
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consumers’ desire and ability to purchase a luxury automobile or one that is perceived as exclusive;
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the environmental consciousness of consumers;
● volatility in the cost of oil and gasoline;
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consumers’ perceptions of the dependency of the United States on oil from unstable or hostile countries and the impact of international conflicts;
● government regulations and economic incentives promoting fuel efficiency and alternate forms of energy;
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access to charging stations, standardization of EV charging systems and consumers’ perceptions about convenience and cost to charge an EV; and
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the availability of tax and other governmental incentives to purchase and operate EVs or future regulation requiring increased use of nonpolluting vehicles.
The influence of any of the factors described above may negatively impact the widespread consumer adoption of EVs, which would materially and adversely affect our business, operating results, financial condition and prospects.
Changes to corporate average fuel economy standards may negatively impact the EV market and demand for our products.
As regulatory initiatives have required an increase in the consumption of renewable transportation fuels, such as ethanol and biodiesel, consumer acceptance of electric and other alternative vehicles is increasing. To meet higher fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas emission standards for passenger vehicles, automobile manufacturers are increasingly using technologies, such as turbocharging, direct injection and higher compression ratios, which require high octane gasoline. If fuel efficiency of vehicles continues to rise, and affordability of vehicles using renewable transportation fuels increases, the demand for electric and high energy vehicles could diminish. If consumers no longer purchase EVs, it would materially and adversely affect our business, operating results, financial condition and prospects.
We are unable to predict the ultimate impact of continuing equipment order delays, chip shortages and presence of COVID-19 on our business and future results of operations, financial position and cash flows.
The Covid-19 pandemic has impacted global stock markets, economies and businesses. We continue to receive orders for our products, although some shipments of equipment have been temporarily delayed. The global chip shortage and supply chain disruption has caused some delays in equipment orders from our contract manufacturer. As federal, state, local and foreign economies are beginning to return to pre-pandemic levels, we expect demand for charging station usage to increase; however, we are unable to predict the extent of such recovery due to the uncertainty of the possible recurrence or spread of Covid-19 and its variants. As a result, we are unable to predict the ultimate impact that continuing equipment order delays, chip shortages and presence of Covid-19 will have on our business and our future results of operations, financial position and cash flows.
War, terrorism, other acts of violence or natural or man-made disasters may affect the markets in which we operate, our customers, our delivery of products and customer service, and could have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations, or financial condition.
Our business may be adversely affected by instability, disruption or destruction in a geographic region in which we operate, regardless of cause, including war, terrorism, riot, civil insurrection or social unrest, and natural or man-made disasters, including famine, flood, fire, earthquake, storm or pandemic events and spread of disease. Such events may cause customers to suspend their decisions on using our services, make it impossible for us to render our services, cause restrictions, and give rise to sudden significant changes in regional and global economic conditions and cycles. These events also pose significant risks to our personnel and to physical facilities and operations, which could materially adversely affect our financial results.
Further, the current Russia-Ukraine conflict has created extreme volatility in the global financial markets and is expected to have further global economic consequences, including disruptions of the global supply chain and energy markets and heightened volatility of commodity and raw material prices. In addition, recently there has been increasing geopolitical tension between China and Taiwan that may affect future shipments from Taiwan based electronics suppliers for certain of our EV chargers. Any such volatility or disruptions may have adverse consequences on us or the third parties on whom we rely. If the equity and credit markets deteriorate, including as a result of political unrest or war, it may make any necessary debt or equity financing more difficult to obtain in a timely manner or on favorable terms, more costly or more dilutive. Our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected by any negative impact on the global economy, capital markets or commodity and raw material prices resulting from the conflict in Ukraine, the recent geopolitical tensions between China and Taiwan or any other geopolitical tensions.
We rely on a limited number of vendors for our EV charging equipment and related support services. A loss of any of these partners would negatively affect our business.
We rely on a limited number of vendors for design, testing and manufacturing of EV charging equipment which generally singularly sourced with respect to components as well as aftermarket maintenance and warranty services. The reliance on a limited number of vendors increases our risks, since we do not currently have proven reliable alternative or replacement vendors beyond these key parties. In the event of production interruptions or supply chain disruptions including but not limited to availability of certain key components such as semiconductors, we may not be able to take advantage of increased production from other sources or develop alternate or secondary vendors without incurring material additional costs and substantial delays. Therefore, our business would be adversely affected if one or more of our vendors is impacted by any interruption at a particular location.
As the demand for public charging increases, the EV charging equipment vendors may not be able to dedicate sufficient supply chain, production or sales channel capacity to keep up with the required pace of charging infrastructure expansion. In addition, as the EV market grows, the industry may be exposed to deteriorating design requirements, undetected faults or the erosion of testing standards by charging equipment and component suppliers, which may adversely impact the performance, reliability and lifecycle cost of the chargers. If we or our suppliers experience a significant increase in demand, or if we need to replace an existing supplier, we may not be able to supplement service or replace them on acceptable terms, which may impact our ability to install chargers in a timely manner. Thus, a loss of any significant vendor would have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results.
We may be adversely affected by inflationary or market fluctuations, including impact of tariffs, in the cost of products consumed in providing our services or our cost of labor.
The prices we pay for the principal items we consume in performing our services are dependent primarily on current market prices. We have consolidated certain supply purchases with national vendors through agreements containing negotiated prospective pricing. In the event such vendors are not able to comply with their obligations under the agreements and we are required to seek alternative suppliers, we may incur increased costs of supplies.
EV chargers are impacted by commodity pricing factors, including the impact of tariffs, which in many cases are unpredictable and outside of our control. We seek to pass on to customers such increased costs but sometimes we are unable to do so. Even when we are able to pass on such costs to our customers, from time to time, sporadic unanticipated increases in the costs of certain supply items due to market or economic conditions may result in a timing delay in passing on such increases to our customers. This type of spike and unanticipated increase in EV charger costs could adversely affect our operating performance, and the adverse effect could be greater if we are delayed in passing on such additional costs to our customers (e.g., where we may not be able to pass such increase on to our customers until the time of our next scheduled service billing review). We seek to mitigate the impact of an unanticipated increase in such supplies’ costs through consolidation of vendors, which increases our ability to obtain more favorable pricing.
Our cost of labor may be influenced by factors in certain market areas. Our hourly employees could be affected by wage rate increases in the federal or state minimum wage rates, wage inflation or local job market adjustments. We do not have a contractual right to automatically pass through all wage rate increases resulting from wage rate inflation or local job market adjustments, and we may be delayed in doing so. Our delay in, or inability to pass such wage increases through to our customers could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
We will need additional capital to fund our growing operations but cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain sufficient capital from potential sources, and we may have to limit the scope of our operations or take actions that may dilute your financial interest.
We will need additional capital to fund our growing operations in the future. The proceeds from our recent underwritten public offering and funds from other potential sources, along with our cash and cash equivalents, may not be sufficient to fund our long-term operations and we may not be able to obtain additional financing. If adequate additional financing is not available on reasonable terms or available at all, we may not be able to undertake expansion or continue our marketing efforts and we would have to modify our business plans accordingly. The extent of our capital needs will depend on numerous factors, including (i) our profitability; (ii) the release of competitive products and/or services by our competition; (iii) the level of our investment in research and product development; (iv) the amount of our capital expenditures, including acquisitions; and (v) our growth. We cannot be certain that additional funding and incremental working capital will be available to us on acceptable terms, if at all, or that it will exist in a timely and/or adequate manner to allow for the proper execution of our near and long-term business strategy. If sufficient funds are not available on terms and conditions acceptable to management and stockholders, we may be required to delay, reduce the scope of, or eliminate further development of our business operations.
Even if we obtain requisite financing, it may be on terms not favorable to us, it may be costly and it may require us to agree to covenants or other provisions that will favor new investors over existing stockholders or other restrictions that may adversely affect our business. Additional funding, if obtained, may also result in significant dilution to our stockholders.
Our quarterly operating results may fluctuate significantly.
We expect that our operating results may be subject to substantial quarterly fluctuations. If our quarterly operating results fall below the expectations of investors or securities analysts, the price of our common stock could decline substantially. We believe that quarterly comparisons of our financial results are not necessarily meaningful and should not be relied upon as an indication of our future performance.
Climate change may have a long-term impact on our business.
While we seek to partner with organizations that mitigate their business risks associated with climate change, we recognize that there are inherent risks wherever business is conducted. Access to clean water and reliable energy in the communities where we conduct our business, whether for our offices or for our vendors, is a priority. Our major sites in Miami, Florida, Los Angeles, California, Tempe, Arizona, and Bowie, Maryland are vulnerable to climate change effects. For example, in Florida, residents are facing increasing flood risk and storm intensity. This is especially evident in Miami, due to its low-lying topography, porous limestone, dense coastal development and encroaching seas. In California, increasing intensity of drought throughout the state and annual periods of wildfire danger increase the probability of planned power outages in the communities where we work and live. While this danger has a low-assessed risk of disrupting normal business operations, it has the potential impact on employees’ abilities to commute to work or to work from home and stay connected effectively. Climate-related events, including the increasing frequency of extreme weather events and their impact on critical infrastructure throughout the United States and in other countries where we have operations, have the potential to disrupt our business, our third-party suppliers and/or the business of our customers, and may cause us to experience higher attrition, losses and additional costs to maintain or resume our EV charging operations.
Computer malware, viruses, hacking, phishing attacks and spamming that could result in security and privacy breaches and interruption in service could harm our business and our customers.
Computer malware, viruses, physical or electronic break-ins and similar disruptions could lead to interruption and delays in our services and operations and loss, misuse or theft of data. Computer malware, viruses, computer hacking and phishing attacks against online networking platforms have become more prevalent and may occur on our systems in the future. Any attempts by hackers to disrupt our website service or our internal systems, if successful, could harm our business, be expensive to remedy and damage our reputation or brand. Our network security business disruption insurance may not be sufficient to cover significant expenses and losses related to direct attacks on our website or internal systems. Efforts to prevent hackers from entering our computer systems are expensive to implement and may limit the functionality of our services. Though it is difficult to determine what, if any, harm may directly result from any specific interruption or attack, any failure to maintain performance, reliability, security and availability of our products and services and technical infrastructure may harm our reputation, brand and our ability to attract customers. Any significant disruption to our website or internal computer systems could result in a loss of customers and could adversely affect our business and results of operations.
We have previously experienced, and may in the future experience, service disruptions, outages and other performance problems due to a variety of factors, including infrastructure changes, third-party service providers, human or software errors and capacity constraints. If our mobile application is unavailable when customers attempt to access it or it does not load as quickly as they expect, customers may seek other services.
Our platform functions on software that is highly technical and complex and may now or in the future contain undetected errors, bugs, or vulnerabilities. Some errors in our software code may only be discovered after the code has been deployed. Any errors, bugs or vulnerabilities discovered in our code after deployment, inability to identify the cause or causes of performance problems within an acceptable period of time or difficultly maintaining and improving the performance of our platform, particularly during peak usage times, could result in damage to our reputation or brand, loss of revenues, or liability for damages, any of which could adversely affect our business and financial results.
We expect to continue to make significant investments to maintain and improve the availability of our platform and to enable rapid releases of new features and products. To the extent that we do not effectively address capacity constraints, upgrade our systems and equipment as needed and continually develop our technology and network architecture to accommodate actual and anticipated changes in technology, our business and operating results may be harmed. If we do not make the necessary investments or upgrades to maintain a network capable of operating on current and future generations of broadband cellular network technology, namely the 4G and 5G systems, our business and operating results could be adversely impacted.
We have a disaster recovery program to transition our operating platform and data to an alternative location in the event of a catastrophe. However, there are several factors ranging from human error to data corruption that could materially lengthen the time our platform is partially or fully unavailable to our user base as a result of the transition. If our platform is unavailable for a significant period of time as a result of such a transition, especially during peak periods, we could suffer damage to our reputation or brand, or loss of revenues any of which could adversely affect our business and financial results.
Growing our customer base depends upon the effective operation of our mobile applications with mobile operating systems, networks and standards that we do not control.
We are dependent on the interoperability of our mobile applications with popular mobile operating systems that we do not control, such as Google’s Android and iOS, and any changes in such systems that degrade our products’ functionality or give preferential treatment to competitive products could adversely affect the usage of our applications on mobile devices. Additionally, to deliver high quality mobile products, it is important that our products work well with a range of mobile technologies, systems, networks and standards that we do not control. We may not be successful in developing relationships with key participants in the mobile industry or in developing products that operate effectively with these technologies, systems, networks or standards.
If we are unable to keep up with advances in EV technology, we may suffer a decline in our competitive position. The EV industry is characterized by rapid technological change. If we are unable to keep up with changes in EV technology, our competitive position may deteriorate which would materially and adversely affect our business, prospects, operating results and financial condition. As technologies change, we plan to upgrade or adapt our EV charging stations and Blink Networks’ software in order to continue to provide EV charging services with the latest technology. However, due to our limited cash resources, our efforts to do so may be limited. Any failure of our charging stations to compete effectively with other manufacturers’ charging stations will harm our business, operating results and prospects.
We need to manage growth in operations to realize our growth potential and achieve expected revenues; our failure to manage growth could disrupt our operations and ultimately prevent us from generating the revenues we expect.
In order to take advantage of the growth that we anticipate in our current and potential markets, we believe that we must expand our marketing operations. This expansion will place a significant strain on our management and our operational, accounting, and information systems. We expect that we will need to continue to improve our financial controls, operating procedures and management information systems. We will also need to effectively train, motivate and manage our employees. Our failure to manage our growth could disrupt our operations and ultimately prevent us from generating the revenues we expect.
In order to achieve the above-mentioned targets, the general strategies of our company are to maintain and search for hard-working employees who have innovative initiatives, as well as to keep a close eye on expansion opportunities through merger and/or acquisition.
We may be unable to successfully integrate recent acquisitions in a cost-effective and non-disruptive manner.
Our success depends on our ability to grow our business and enhance and broaden our product offerings in response to changing customer demands, competitive pressures and advances in technologies. We continue to search for viable acquisition candidates or strategic alliances that would expand our market opportunity and/or global presence. Accordingly, we have previously and may in the future pursue the acquisition of, investments in or joint ventures relating to, new businesses, products or technologies as a part of our growth strategy instead of developing them internally. Our future success will depend, in part, upon our ability to manage the expanded business following these transactions, including challenges related to the management and monitoring of new operations and associated increased costs and complexity associated with the recent acquisitions of SemaConnect and Electric Blue, as well as future acquisitions. Other risks involving potential future and completed acquisitions and strategic investments include:
● risks associated with conducting due diligence;
● problems integrating the purchased businesses, products and technologies;
● inability to achieve the anticipated synergies and overpaying for acquisitions or unanticipated costs associated with acquisitions;
● invalid sales assumptions for potential acquisitions;
● issues maintaining uniform standards, procedures, controls and policies;
● diversion of management’s attention from our core business;
● adverse effects on existing business relationships with suppliers, distributors and customers;
● risks associated with entering new markets in which we have limited or no experience;
● potential loss of key employees of acquired businesses; and
● increased legal, accounting and compliance costs.
We compete with other companies for these opportunities, and we may be unable to consummate such acquisitions or joint ventures on commercially reasonable terms, or at all. In addition, acquired businesses may have ongoing or potential liabilities, legal claims (including tort and/or personal injury claims) or adverse operating issues that we fail to discover through due diligence prior to the acquisition.
Even if we are aware of such liabilities, claims or issues, we may not be able to accurately estimate the magnitude of the related liabilities and damages. In particular, to the extent that prior owners of any acquired businesses or properties failed to comply with or otherwise violated applicable laws or regulations, failed to fulfill their contractual obligations to their customers, or failed to satisfy legal obligations to employees or third parties, we, as the successor, may be financially responsible for these violations and failures and may suffer reputational harm or otherwise be adversely affected. Acquisitions also frequently result in the recording of goodwill and other intangible assets which are subject to potential impairment in the future that could harm our financial results. If we were to issue additional equity in connection with such acquisitions, this may dilute our stockholders.
We have limited insurance coverage for various liabilities and damages, including potential injuries, and such insurance coverage may not be adequate in a catastrophic situation.
We hold employer liability insurance generally covering death or work-related injury of employees. We hold product and general liability insurance covering certain incidents involving third parties that occur on or in the premises of our company. We maintain business interruption insurance for key locations. Our insurance coverage may be insufficient to cover any claim for product liability, damage to our fixed assets, inventory or employee injuries. Any liability or damage to, or caused by, our facilities or our personnel beyond our insurance coverage may result in our incurring substantial costs and a diversion of resources.
Our future success is largely dependent on the performance and continued service of Michael D. Farkas, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
We presently depend to a significant extent upon the experience, abilities and continued services of Michael D. Farkas, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Although we have an employment agreement in place with Mr. Farkas that extends to May 28, 2024, which includes automatic successive one-year renewal terms thereafter if not otherwise timely terminated by either party, the loss of Mr. Farkas’ services for any reason could prove disruptive to our daily operations, require a disproportionate amount of resources and management attention and could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our future success also depends on our ability to attract and retain highly qualified personnel.
Our future success also depends upon our ability to attract and retain highly qualified personnel. Expansion of our business and the management and operation of our company will require additional managers and employees with industry experience, and our success will be highly dependent on our ability to attract and retain skilled management personnel and other employees. There can be no assurance that we will be able to attract or retain highly qualified personnel. As our industry continues to evolve, competition for skilled personnel with the requisite experience will be significant. This competition may make it more difficult and expensive to attract, hire and retain qualified managers and employees.
We are in a highly competitive EV charging services industry and there can be no assurance that we will be able to compete with many of our competitors which are larger and have greater financial resources.
We face strong competition from competitors in the EV charging services industry, including competitors who could duplicate our model. Many of these competitors may have substantially greater financial, marketing and development resources and other capabilities than us. In addition, there are very few barriers to entry into the market for our services. There can be no assurance, therefore, that any of our current and future competitors, many of whom may have far greater resources, will not independently develop services that are substantially equivalent or superior to our services. Therefore, an investment in our company is very risky and speculative due to the competitive environment in which we may operate.
Our competitors may be able to provide customers with different or greater capabilities or benefits than we can provide in areas such as technical qualifications, past contract performance, geographic presence and driver price. Further, many of our competitors may be able to utilize substantially greater resources and economies of scale to develop competing products and technologies, divert sales away from us by winning broader contracts or hire away our employees by offering more lucrative compensation packages. In the event that the market for EV charging stations expands, we expect that competition will intensify as additional competitors enter the market and current competitors expand their product lines. In order to secure contracts successfully when competing with larger, well-financed companies, we may be forced to agree to contractual terms that provide for lower aggregate payments to us over the life of the contract, which could adversely affect our margins. Our failure to compete effectively with respect to any of these or other factors could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition or operating results.
We have experienced significant customer concentration in recent periods, and our revenue levels would likely decline if any significant customer failed to purchase product from us at anticipated levels.
During the year ended December 31, 2022, there were no customers that accounted for more than 10% of total revenues. During the year ended December 31, 2021, sales to a significant customer represented 12% of total revenue. During the year ended December 31, 2020, sales to a significant customer represented 25% of total revenue. Our revenue levels would likely decline if any significant customer failed to purchase product from us at anticipated levels.
If a third party asserts that we are infringing upon its intellectual property rights, whether successful or not, it could subject us to costly and time-consuming litigation or expensive licenses, and our business may be harmed.
The EV and EV charging industries are characterized by the existence of many patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets. As we face increasing competition, the possibility of intellectual property rights claims against us grows. Our technologies may not be able to withstand any third-party claims or rights against their use. Additionally, although we have acquired from other companies’ proprietary technology covered by patents, we cannot be certain that any such patents will not be challenged, invalidated or circumvented. Intellectual property infringement claims against us could harm our relationships with our customers, may deter future customers from subscribing to our services or could expose us to litigation with respect to these claims. Even if we are not a party to any litigation involving a customer and third party, an adverse outcome in any such litigation could make it more difficult for us to defend our intellectual property in any subsequent litigation in which we are a named party. Any of these results could harm our brand and operating results.
Any intellectual property rights claim against us or our customers, with or without merit, could be time-consuming, expensive to litigate or settle and could divert management resources and attention. An adverse determination also could prevent us from offering our services to our customers and may require that we procure or develop substitute services that do not infringe.
With respect to any intellectual property rights claim against us or our customers, we may have to pay damages or stop using technology found to be in violation of a third party’s rights. We may have to seek a license for the technology, which may not be available on reasonable terms, may significantly increase our operating expenses or require us to restrict our business activities in one or more respects. The technology also may not be available for license to us at all. As a result, we may also be required to develop alternative non-infringing technology, which could require significant effort and expense.
The success of our business depends in large part on our ability to protect our proprietary information and technology and enforce our intellectual property rights against third parties.
We rely on a combination of patent, copyright, service mark, trademark and trade secret laws, as well as confidentiality procedures and contractual restrictions, to establish and protect our proprietary rights, all of which provide only limited protection. We cannot assure you that any patents will issue with respect to our currently pending patent applications, in a manner that gives us the protection that we seek, if at all, or that any future patents issued to us will not be challenged, invalidated or circumvented. Our currently issued patents and any patents that may issue in the future with respect to pending or future patent applications may not provide sufficiently broad protection or they may not prove to be enforceable in actions against alleged infringers. Also, we cannot assure you that any future service mark registrations will be issued with respect to pending or future applications or that any registered service marks will be enforceable or provide adequate protection of our proprietary rights.
We endeavor to enter into agreements with our employees and contractors and agreements with parties with whom we do business to limit access to and disclosure of our proprietary information. We cannot be certain that the steps we have taken will prevent unauthorized use of our technology or the reverse engineering of our technology. Moreover, others may independently develop technologies that are competitive to ours or infringe our intellectual property. The enforcement of our intellectual property rights also depends on our legal actions against these infringers being successful, but we cannot be sure these actions will be successful, even when our rights have been infringed.
Further, effective patent, trademark, service mark, copyright and trade secret protection may not be available in every country in which our services are available over the Internet. In addition, the legal standards relating to the validity, enforceability and scope of protection of intellectual property rights in EV-related industries are uncertain and still evolving.
Risks Related to Legal Matters and Regulations
Changes to existing federal, state or international laws or regulations applicable to us could cause an erosion of our current competitive strengths.
Our business is subject to a variety of federal, state and international laws and regulations, including those with respect government incentives promoting fuel efficiency and alternate forms of energy, electric vehicles and others. These laws and regulations, and the interpretation or application of these laws and regulations, could change. Any reduction, elimination or discriminatory application of government subsidies and economic incentives because of policy changes, fiscal tightening or other reasons may result in diminished revenues from government sources and diminished demand for our products. In addition, new laws or regulations affecting our business could be enacted. These laws and regulations are frequently costly to comply with and may divert a significant portion of management’s attention. If we fail to comply with these applicable laws or regulations, we could be subject to significant liabilities which could adversely affect our business.
There are many federal, state and international laws that may affect our business, including measures to regulate EVs and charging systems. If we fail to comply with these applicable laws or regulations, we could be subject to significant liabilities which could adversely affect our business.
There are a number of significant matters under review and discussion with respect to government regulations which may affect business and/or harm our customers, and thereby adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In addition to government and regulatory agency activity, ESG and privacy advocacy groups, the technology industry, and other industries have established or may establish various new, additional, or different self-regulatory standards that may place additional burdens on technology companies. Customers may expect that we will meet voluntary certifications or adhere to other standards established by them or third parties. If we are unable to maintain these certifications or meet these standards, it could reduce demand for our solutions and adversely affect our business.
Privacy concerns and laws, or other domestic or foreign regulations, may adversely affect our business.
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”), the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (“CCPA”), the California Privacy Rights Act (“CPRA”), the Colorado Privacy Act (“CPA”), and the Connecticut Act Concerning Personal Data Privacy and Online Monitoring (“CDPA”) exemplify the vulnerability of our business to the evolving regulatory environment related to personal data. Management’s attention may be diverted, and 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.
Failure to comply with anticorruption and anti-money laundering laws, including the FCPA and similar laws associated with activities outside of the United States, could subject us to penalties and other adverse consequences.
We are subject to the FCPA, the U.S. domestic bribery statute contained in 18 U.S.C. § 201, the U.S. Travel Act, the USA PATRIOT Act, the Anti-Bribery Act, and possibly other anti-bribery and anti-money laundering laws in countries in which it conducts activities. It faces significant risks if it fails to comply with the FCPA and other anti-corruption laws that prohibit companies and their employees and third-party intermediaries from promising, authorizing, offering, or providing, directly or indirectly, improper payments or benefits to foreign government officials, political parties and private-sector recipients for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business, directing business to any person or securing any advantage. Any violation of the FCPA, other applicable anti-corruption laws, and anti-money laundering laws could result in whistleblower complaints, adverse media coverage, investigations, loss of export privileges, or severe criminal or civil sanctions, which could have a materially adverse effect on our reputation, business, operating results, and prospects. In addition, ensuring compliance may be costly and time-consuming, and responding to any enforcement action may result in a significant diversion of management’s attention and resources, significant defense costs, and other professional fees.
Existing and future environmental health and safety laws and regulations could result in increased compliance costs or additional operating costs or construction costs and restrictions. Failure to comply with such laws and regulations may result in substantial fines or other limitations that may adversely impact our financial results or the results of operation.
Blink and its operations, as well as those of its contractors, suppliers, and customers, are subject to certain environmental laws and regulations, including laws related to the use, handling, storage, transportation, and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes as well as electronic wastes and hardware, whether hazardous or not. These laws may require us or others in our value chain to obtain permits and comply with procedures that impose various restrictions and obligations that may have material effects on our operations. If key permits and approvals cannot be obtained on acceptable terms, or if other operational requirements cannot be met in a manner satisfactory for our operations or on a timeline that meets our commercial obligations, it may adversely impact our business.
Environmental and health and safety laws and regulations can be complex and may be subject to change, such as through new requirements enacted at the supranational, national, sub-national, and/or local level or new or modified regulations that may be implemented under existing law. The nature and extent of any changes in these laws, rules, regulations, and permits may be unpredictable and may have material effects on our business. Future legislation and regulations or changes in existing legislation and regulations, or interpretations thereof, including those relating to hardware manufacturing, electronic waste, or batteries, could cause additional expenditures, restrictions, and delays in connection with our operations as well as other future projects, the extent of which cannot be predicted.
Further, we currently rely on third parties to ensure compliance with certain environmental laws, including those related to the disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous wastes. Any failure to properly handle or dispose of such wastes, regardless of whether such failure is Blink’s or its contractors, may result in liability under environmental laws, including, but not limited to, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (“CERCLA”), under which liability may be imposed without regard to fault or degree of contribution for the investigation and clean-up of contaminated sites, as well as impacts to human health and damages to natural resources. Additionally, we may not be able to secure contracts with third parties to continue their key supply chain and disposal services for our business, which may result in increased costs for compliance with environmental laws and regulations.
The enactment of legislation implementing changes in tax legislation or policies in different geographic jurisdictions including the United States and several European countries could materially impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We conduct business globally and file income tax returns in multiple jurisdictions. Our consolidated effective income tax rate could be materially adversely affected by several factors, including: changing tax laws, regulations and treaties, or the interpretation thereof (such as the United States Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 which, among other changes, introduced a 15% corporate minimum tax on certain United States corporations and a 1% excise tax on certain stock redemptions by United States corporations); tax policy initiatives and reforms under consideration (such as those related to the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development’s (“OECD”) Base Erosion and Profit Shifting, or BEPS, project, the European Commission’s state aid investigations and other initiatives); the practices of tax authorities in jurisdictions in which we operate; the resolution of issues arising from tax audits or examinations and any related interest or penalties. Such changes may include (but are not limited to) the taxation of operating income, investment income, dividends received or (in the specific context of withholding tax) dividends, royalties and interest paid.
We are unable to predict what tax reforms may be proposed or enacted in the future or what effect such changes would have on our business, but such changes, to the extent they are brought into tax legislation, regulations, policies or practices in jurisdictions in which we operate, could increase the estimated tax liability that we have expensed to date and paid or accrued on our Consolidated Statement of Financial Position, and otherwise affect our future results of operations, cash flows in a particular period and overall or effective tax rates in the future in countries where we have operations, reduce post-tax returns to our shareholders and increase the complexity, burden and cost of tax compliance.
Our failure to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting could have a material adverse effect on our ability to report our financial results on a timely and accurate basis.
During the fourth quarter of 2022, we identified IT deficiencies relating to change management and the restriction of access to a sub-system at a subsidiary. Fiscal 2022 was the initial year that this subsidiary was subjected to testing its internal controls over financial reporting. Further, we did not detect a miscalculation of a certain non-cash share-based compensation transaction which management views as an isolated occurrence. These deficiencies, individually or in the aggregate, combined with inadequate compensating controls, created a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement to the consolidated financial statements might not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. We expect to remediate these control deficiencies during 2023.
As disclosed under Item 9A. Controls and Procedures, in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, management concluded that a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting existed as of December 31, 2021. We identified certain design deficiencies in our management and analytical review controls associated with the financial close, revenue and inventory processes. During 2022, we completed the remediation measures related to this material weakness as of December 31, 2022.
Our failure to maintain appropriate and effective internal controls over our financial reporting could result in misstatements in our financial statements and potentially subject us to sanctions or investigations by the SEC or other regulatory authorities and could cause us to delay the filing of required reports with the SEC and our reporting of financial results. Any of these events could result in a decline in the market price of our common stock. Although we have taken steps to maintain our internal control structure as required, we cannot guarantee that a control deficiency will not result in a misstatement in the future. See “Item 9A - Controls and Procedures - Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting” for further information on material weaknesses.
If our estimates or judgments relating to our critical accounting policies prove to be incorrect, our financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances, as discussed under “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” included elsewhere in this Annual Report and in our consolidated financial statements included herein. The results of these estimates form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets, liabilities and equity, and the amount of revenue and expenses that are not readily apparent from other sources. Significant assumptions and estimates used in preparing our consolidated financial statements include those related to revenue recognition, allowance for doubtful accounts, inventory reserves, impairment of goodwill, indefinite-lived and long-lived assets, pension and other post-retirement benefits, product warranty, valuation allowances for deferred tax assets, valuation of common stock warrants, and share-based compensation. Our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected if our assumptions change or if actual circumstances differ from those in our assumptions, which could cause our results of operations to fall below the expectations of securities analysts and investors, resulting in a decline in the price of our common stock.
Risks Associated with Our Securities
Our common stock price fluctuated significantly in 2022 and is likely to continue to fluctuate from its current level in 2023.
The market price of shares of our common stock fluctuated significantly in 2022 and is likely to continue to fluctuate from its current level in 2023. During 2022 and through December 31, 2022, for example, the market closing price of our shares ranged from a low of $10.01 per share to a high of $29.29 per share and, as of March 10, 2023, our stock price was $7.92 per share. Future announcements concerning the introduction of new products, services or technologies or changes in product pricing policies by us or our competitors or changes in earnings estimates by analysts, among other factors, could cause the market price of our common stock to fluctuate substantially. Also, stock markets have experienced extreme price and volume volatility in the last year. This volatility has had a substantial effect on the market prices of securities of many public companies for reasons frequently unrelated to the operating performance of the specific companies. These broad market fluctuations may also cause declines in the market price of our common stock. Investors seeking short-term liquidity should be aware that we cannot assure that our stock price will increase to previously higher levels.
A possible “short squeeze” due to a sudden increase in demand of our common stock that largely exceeds supply may lead to further price volatility in our common stock.
Investors may purchase shares of our common stock to hedge existing exposure in our common stock or to speculate on the price of our common stock. Speculation on the price of our common stock may involve long and short exposures. To the extent aggregate short exposure exceeds the number of shares of our common stock available for purchase in the open market, investors with short exposure may have to pay a premium to repurchase our common stock for delivery to lenders of our common stock. Those repurchases may in turn, dramatically increase the price of our common stock until investors with short exposure are able to purchase additional shares of common stock to cover their short position. This is often referred to as a “short squeeze.” A short squeeze could lead to volatile price movements in shares of our common stock that are not directly correlated to the performance or prospects of our company and once investors purchase the shares necessary to cover their short position the price of our common stock may decline. We believe that the recent volatility in our common stock may be due, in part, to short squeezes that may be temporarily increasing the price of our common stock, which could result in a loss of some or all of your investment in our common stock.
We have a number of shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding warrants and stock options, and an ATM common stock program in place; the issuance of such shares could have a significant dilutive impact on our stockholders.
As of March 10, 2023, we had outstanding warrants to purchase 1,164,793 shares of common stock and stock options to purchase 1,060,535 shares of common stock. Our Articles of Incorporation authorize us to issue up to 500 million shares of common stock, which would permit us to issue up to an additional approximately 405 million authorized, unissued shares of common stock, after giving effect to the approximate number of shares of common stock currently outstanding and the number of shares reserved for issuance under warrants and stock options We also have an at-the-market (“ATM”) program in place pursuant to which we may issue up to $250 million of our common stock from time to time in the public markets and have reserved shares of common stock for this purpose. Accordingly, we have the ability to issue a substantial number of additional shares of common stock in the future, which would dilute the percentage ownership held by existing stockholders.
Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market could cause the market price of our common stock to decline. If there are more shares of common stock offered for sale than buyers are willing to purchase, then the market price of our common stock may decline to a market price at which buyers are willing to purchase the offered shares of common stock and sellers remain willing to sell the shares.
Our executive officers and directors, including our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and his affiliates, concentrated insider ownership of our common stock, which will limit your influence on corporate matters.
As of March 10, 2023, our directors and executive officers collectively beneficially owned approximately 15% of our outstanding shares of common stock, including the beneficial ownership of Michael D. Farkas and his affiliates of approximately 12% of our outstanding shares of common stock.
As a result, our insiders have the ability to influence our management and affairs through the election and removal of our Board and all other matters requiring stockholder approval, including any future merger, consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of our assets. This concentrated voting power could discourage others from initiating any potential merger, takeover or other change-of-control transaction that may otherwise be beneficial to our stockholders. Further, this concentrated insider ownership will limit the practical effect of your influence over our business and affairs, through any stockholder vote or otherwise. Any of these effects could depress the price of our common stock.
Our Articles of Incorporation grant our board the power to issue additional shares of common and preferred stock and to designate additional series of preferred stock, all without stockholder approval.
We are authorized to issue 540,000,000 shares of capital stock, of which 40,000,000 shares are authorized as preferred stock. Our Board, without any action by our stockholders, may designate and issue shares of preferred stock in such series as it deems appropriate and establish the rights, preferences and privileges of such shares, including dividends, liquidation and voting rights, provided it is consistent with Nevada law.
The rights of holders of our preferred stock that may be issued could be superior to the rights of holders of our shares of common stock. The designation and issuance of shares of capital stock having preferential rights could adversely affect other rights appurtenant to shares of our common stock. Further, any issuances of additional stock (common or preferred) will dilute the percentage of ownership interest of then-current holders of our capital stock and may dilute our book value per share.
Certain provisions of our corporate governing documents and Nevada law could discourage, delay or prevent a merger or acquisition at a premium price.
Certain provisions of our organizational documents and Nevada law could discourage potential acquisition proposals, delay or prevent a change in control of our company, or limit the price that investors may be willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock. For example, our Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws permit us to issue, without any further vote or action by stockholders, up to 40,000,000 shares of preferred stock in one or more series and, with respect to each series, to fix the number of shares constituting the series and the designation of the series, the voting powers (if any) of the shares of the series, and the preferences and relative, participating, optional, and other special rights, if any, and any qualifications, limitations or restrictions of the shares of the series.
If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research reports about our business, our share price and/or trading volume could decline.
The trading market for our common stock will, to some extent, depend on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. We do not have any control over these analysts. If one or more of the analysts who cover us from time to time should downgrade our shares or change their opinion of our business prospects, our share price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts ceases coverage of our company or fails to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which could cause our share price or trading volume to decline.
Our business could be negatively affected as a result of actions of activist shareholders, and such activism could impact the trading value of our securities.
Shareholders may, from time to time, engage in proxy solicitations or advance shareholder proposals, or otherwise attempt to effect changes and assert influence on our Board of Directors and management. Activist campaigns that contest or conflict with our strategic direction or seek changes in the composition of our Board of Directors could have an adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition. A proxy contest would require us to incur significant legal and advisory fees, proxy solicitation expenses and administrative and associated costs and require significant time and attention by our Board of Directors and management, diverting their attention from the pursuit of our business strategy. Any perceived uncertainties as to our future direction and control, our ability to execute on our strategy, or changes to the composition of our Board of Directors or senior management team arising from a proxy contest could lead to the perception of a change in the direction of our business or instability which may result in the loss of potential business opportunities, make it more difficult to pursue our strategic initiatives, or limit our ability to attract and retain qualified personnel and business partners, any of which could adversely affect our business and operating results. If individuals are ultimately elected to our Board of Directors with a specific agenda, it may adversely affect our ability to effectively implement our business strategy and create additional value for our shareholders. We may choose to initiate, or may become subject to, litigation as a result of a proxy contest or matters arising from a proxy contest, which would serve as a further distraction to our Board of Directors and management and would require us to incur significant additional costs. In addition, actions such as those described above could cause significant fluctuations in our stock price based upon temporary or speculative market perceptions or other factors that do not necessarily reflect the underlying fundamentals and prospects of our business.
We do not intend to pay cash dividends on our common stock for the foreseeable future, and you must rely on increases in the market price of our common stock for returns on your investment.
For the foreseeable future, we intend to retain any earnings to finance the development and expansion of our business, and we do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our common stock. Accordingly, stockholders and investors must be prepared to rely on sales of their common stock after price appreciation to earn an investment return, which may never occur. Stockholders and investors seeking cash dividends should not purchase our common stock. Any determination to pay dividends in the future will be made at the discretion of our Board and will depend on our results of operations, financial condition, contractual restrictions, restrictions imposed by applicable law and other factors the Board deems relevant.

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ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS.
Not applicable.

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ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
ITEM 2. PROPERTIES.
We maintain our principal executive offices and international headquarters at 605 Lincoln Road, 5th Floor, Miami Beach, Florida 33139.
These offices consist of approximately 10,000 square feet of owned condominium space.
In addition, we lease office spaces in Tempe, Arizona; Bowie, Maryland; Los Angeles, California; Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Antwerp, Belgium; St Albans, England; Israel; and India (Delhi and Bangalore), from which we operate our current business.

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ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS.
We have been party to certain legal proceedings that have arisen in the ordinary course of our business and have been incidental to our business. Certain of the claims that have been made against us allege, among other things, breach of contract or breach of express and implied warranties with regard to our products. Although litigation is inherently uncertain, and we believe we are insured against many such instances, based on past experience and the information currently available, management does not believe that any currently pending and threatened litigation or claims will have a material adverse effect on our financial position, liquidity or results of operations. However, future events or circumstances, currently unknown to management, will determine whether the resolution of pending or threatened litigation or claims will ultimately have a material effect on our financial position, liquidity or results of operations in any future reporting periods.
On August 24, 2020, a purported securities class action lawsuit, captioned Bush v. Blink Charging Co. et al., Case No. 20-cv-23527, was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida against the Company, Michael Farkas (Blink’s Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer), and Michael Rama (Blink’s Chief Financial Officer) (the “Bush Lawsuit”). On September 1, 2020, another purported securities class action lawsuit, captioned Vittoria v. Blink Charging Co. et al., Case No. 20-cv-23643, was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida against the same defendants and seeking to recover the same alleged damages (the “Vittoria Lawsuit”). On October 1, 2020, the court consolidated the Vittoria Lawsuit with the Bush Lawsuit and on December 21, 2020 the court appointed Tianyou Wu, Alexander Yu and H. Marc Joseph to serve as the Co-Lead Plaintiffs. The Co-Lead Plaintiffs filed an Amended Complaint on February 19, 2021. The Amended Complaint alleges, among other things, that the defendants made false or misleading statements about the size and functionality of the Blink Network and asserts claims under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The Amended Complaint does not quantify damages but seeks to recover damages on behalf of investors who purchased or otherwise acquired Blink’s common stock between March 6, 2020 and August 19, 2020. On April 20, 2021, Blink and the other defendants filed a motion to dismiss the Amended Complaint, which has now been fully briefed and is ready for review. On April 7, 2022, the court held oral argument on the motion to dismiss but did not issue a decision. The Company wholly and completely disputes the allegations therein. The Company has retained legal counsel in order to defend the action vigorously. The Company has not recorded an accrual related to this matter as of December 31, 2022 as it determined that any such loss contingency was either not probable or estimable.
On September 15, 2020, a shareholder derivative lawsuit, captioned Klein (derivatively on behalf of Blink Charging Co.) v. Farkas et al., Case No. 20- 19815CA01, was filed in Miami-Dade County Circuit Court seeking to pursue claims belonging to the Company against Blink’s Board of Directors and Michael Rama (the “Klein Lawsuit”). Blink is named as a nominal defendant. The Klein Lawsuit asserts that the Director defendants caused Blink to make the statements that are at issue in the securities class action and, as a result, the Company will incur costs defending against the consolidated Bush Lawsuit and other unidentified investigations. The Klein Lawsuit asserts claims against the Director defendants for breach of fiduciary duties and corporate waste and against all of the defendants for unjust enrichment. Klein did not quantify the alleged damages in his complaint, but he seeks damages sustained by the Company as a result of the defendants’ breaches of fiduciary duties, corporate governance changes, restitution, and disgorgement of profits from the defendants and attorneys’ fees and other litigation expenses. The parties agreed to temporarily stay the Klein Lawsuit until there is a ruling on the motion to dismiss filed in the consolidated Bush Lawsuit. On June 17, 2022, the court substituted the executrix of Klein’s estate as the plaintiff. The Company has not recorded an accrual related to this matter as of December 31, 2022 as it determined that any such loss contingency was either not probable or estimable.
On December 23, 2020, another shareholder derivative action, captioned Bhatia (derivatively on behalf of Blink Charging Co.) v. Farkas et al., Case No. 20-27632CA01, was filed in Miami-Dade County Circuit Court against the same defendants sued in the Klein Lawsuit and asserting similar claims, as well as additional claims relating to the Company’s nomination, appointment and hiring of minorities and women and the Company’s decision to retain its outside auditor (the “Bhatia Lawsuit”). On February 17, 2021, the parties agreed to consolidate the Klein and Bhatia actions, which the court consolidated under the caption In re Blink Charging Company Stockholder Derivative Litigation, Lead Case No. 2020-019815-CA-01. The parties also agreed to keep in place the temporary stay. The court subsequently vacated the consolidation order and explained the parties should first file a motion to transfer, which the parties have done. On June 22, 2022, the court re-consolidated the Klein and Bhatia actions and reinstated the temporary stay. The Company wholly and completely disputes the allegations therein. The Company has retained legal counsel in order to defend the action vigorously. The Company has not recorded an accrual related to this matter as of December 31, 2022 as it determined that any such loss contingency was either not probable or estimable.
On February 7, 2022, another shareholder derivative lawsuit, captioned McCauley (derivatively on behalf of Blink Charging Co.) v. Farkas et al., Case No. A-22-847894-C, was filed in the Eighth Judicial District Court in Clark County, Nevada, seeking to pursue claims belonging to the Company against six of Blink’s directors and Michael Rama (the “McCauley Lawsuit”). Blink is named as a nominal defendant. The complaint filed in the McCauley Lawsuit asserts similar allegations to the Klein Lawsuit relating to the statements at issue in the securities class action and asserts claims for breach of fiduciary duty and unjust enrichment. The McCauley Lawsuit seeks both injunctive and monetary relief from the individual defendants, as well as an award of attorneys’ fees and costs. On March 29, 2022, the Nevada court approved the parties’ stipulation to temporarily stay the McCauley Lawsuit until there is a ruling on the motion to dismiss filed in the consolidated Bush Lawsuit. The Company has not recorded an accrual related to this matter as of December 31, 2022 as it determined that any such loss contingency was either not probable or estimable.

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ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURE
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES.
Not applicable.
PART II

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ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY
ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES.
Market Information
Our shares of common stock are traded on The Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “BLNK.”
Our warrants to purchase common stock that were previously traded on The Nasdaq under the symbol “BLNKW” expired by their terms on February 16, 2023, and were removed from trading. The remaining outstanding warrants on the expiration date were automatically exercised via cashless exercise pursuant to the terms of the warrants into 359,554 shares of our common stock.
Security Holders
As of March 10, 2023, we had approximately 393 stockholders of record and a greater number of beneficial holders for whom shares are held in a “nominee” or “street” name.
The closing price of our common stock on March 10, 2023 was $7.92 per share, as reported by The Nasdaq Capital Market.
Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities
None.
Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
None.
Dividend Policy
We have never declared or paid cash dividends on our common stock. We currently intend to retain all available funds and any future earnings for use in the operation of our business and do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Any future determination to declare cash dividends will be made at the discretion of our Board and will depend on our financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements, general business conditions, contractual limitations and other factors that our Board may deem relevant.

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ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
ITEM 6. [RESERVED]

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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS.
The following discussion and analysis of the results of operations and financial condition for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the notes to those consolidated financial statements that are included elsewhere in this Annual Report. This section generally discusses the results of our operations for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. For a discussion of the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to the year ended December 31, 2020, please refer to Part II, Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, which was filed with the SEC on March 31, 2022. Our discussion includes forward-looking statements based upon current expectations that involve risks and uncertainties, such as our plans, objectives, expectations and intentions. Actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors. See “Forward-Looking Statements.”
At Blink Charging, our highest priority remains the safety, health and well-being of our employees, their families and our communities and we remain committed to serving the needs of our customers and business partners. The Covid-19 pandemic is a highly fluid situation and it is not currently possible for us to reasonably estimate the impact it may have on our financial and operating results. We will continue to evaluate the impact of the ongoing presence of Covid-19 and multiple Covid-19 variants on our business as we learn more and the impact of Covid-19 on our industry becomes clearer.
Any one or more of these uncertainties, risks and other influences, could materially affect our results of operations and whether forward-looking statements made by us ultimately prove to be accurate. Our actual results, performance and achievements could differ materially from those expressed or implied in these forward-looking statements. Except as required by federal securities laws, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether from new information, future events or otherwise.
U.S. dollars are reported in thousands except for share and per share amounts
Overview
We are a leading manufacturer, owner, operator and provider of electric vehicle (“EV”) charging equipment and networked EV charging services in the rapidly growing U.S. and international markets for EVs. Blink offers residential and commercial EV charging equipment and services, enabling EV drivers to recharge at various location types. Blink’s principal line of products and services is its nationwide 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 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).
In order 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 bears the costs of installation, equipment, maintenance, and the percentage of revenue shared.
● In our Blink-owned turnkey business model, we incur the costs of the charging equipment and installation. 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. Typically, our agreement with the Property Partner lasts seven years with extensions that can bring it to a total of up to 21 years.
●
In our Blink-owned hybrid business model, we incur the costs of the charging equipment while the Property Partner incurs the costs of installation. We own and operate the EV charging station and provide connectivity to the Blink Networks. In this model, the Property Partner incurs the installation costs associated with the EV station; thus, we share a more generous portion of the EV charging revenues with the Property Partner generated from the EV charging station after deducting network connectivity and processing fees. Typically, our agreement with the Property Partner lasts 5 years with extensions that can bring it up to 15 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 network connectivity and processing fees.
●
In our Blink-as-a-Service model, we own and operate the EV charging station, while the Property Partner incurs the installation costs. The Property Partner pays us a fixed monthly fee for the service and keeps all the EV charging revenues after deducting network connectivity and processing fees. Typically, our agreement with the Property owner lasts 5 years.
We also own and operate a ride-sharing program through our wholly owned subsidiary, BlueLA Rideshare, LLC (“BlueLA”), with the City of Los Angeles. This program allows customers the ability to rent electric vehicles through a subscription service and charge those cars through our charging stations.
As part of our mission to facilitate the adoption of EVs through the deployment and operation of EV charging infrastructure globally, we are dedicated to slowing climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions caused by road vehicles. With the goal of being a leader in the build out of EV charging infrastructure and of 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, municipal sites, multifamily residential and condos, parks and recreation areas, parking lots, religious institutions, restaurants, retailers, schools and universities, stadiums, supermarkets, transportation hubs, and workplace locations.
As of December 31, 2022, we sold or deployed 66,478 chargers, of which 50,167 were in Blink’s Networks (31,320 Level 2 publicly accessible commercial chargers, 17,613 Level 2 private commercial chargers, 199 DC Fast Charging EV publicly accessible chargers, 116 DC Fast Charging EV private chargers, and 919 residential Level 2 Blink EV chargers, inclusive of 4,802 chargers pending to be commissioned). Included in the Blink Networks are 4,851 chargers owned by us. The remaining 16,478 were non-networked, on other networks or international sales or deployments (937 Level 2 commercial chargers, 151 DC Fast Charging chargers, 11,611 residential Level 2 Blink EV chargers, 2,311 sold to other U.S. networks, 1,221 sold internationally and 80 deployed internationally). The charger units noted above are net of swap-out or replacement units.
As reflected in our consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2022, we had a cash balance of $36,562, working capital of $48,962 and an accumulated deficit of $334,030. During the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020, we incurred net losses of $91,560, $55,119 and $17,846, respectively. We have not yet achieved profitability.
Recent Developments
February 2023 Underwritten Public Offering
In February 2023, we completed an underwritten registered public offering of 8,333,333 shares of our common stock at a public offering price of $12.00 per share. We received approximately $100,000 in gross proceeds from the public offering, and approximately $95,000 in net proceeds after deducting the underwriting discount and offering expenses paid by us. In addition, the underwriters have a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 1,249,999 shares of common stock from us at the public offering price, less the underwriting discounts and commissions. The public offering was made pursuant to our automatic shelf registration statement on Form S-3 ASR filed with the SEC on January 6, 2021, and prospectus supplement dated February 8, 2023. Barclays acted as the sole book-running manager for the offering. H.C. Wainwright & Co., Roth Capital Partners and ThinkEquity acted as co-managers for the offering.
Acquisitions
SemaConnect
On June 15, 2022, we completed the acquisition of SemaConnect, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“SemaConnect”) pursuant to an Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of June 13, 2022 (“Acquisition Agreement”), by and among our company, Blink Sub I Corp., Blink Sub II LLC, SemaConnect and Shareholder Representative Services LLC (solely in its capacity as the stockholders’ representative). Following the closing of the acquisition, SemaConnect became a wholly owned subsidiary of our company. SemaConnect is a leading provider of EV charging infrastructure solutions in North America.
The aggregate purchase price was $200,573, which included excess working capital of $1,229 and closing date cash of $3,639. The consideration paid in the acquisition consisted of: (a) $86,736 in cash, (i) of which $46,136 was paid at the closing of the Acquisition Agreement (“Closing”) and (ii) the remaining $40,600 is payable (bearing interest at 7%) until not earlier than nine months following the Closing and not later than three years following the Closing; and (b) 7,454,975 shares of our common stock with a fair value of $113,837. Included in the cash consideration was $8,103 related to payments due to stock option holders of SemaConnect. Subsequent to the closing of the acquisition, payments to the stock option holder were made after the stock option holder signed an option cash-out agreement.
Electric Blue Limited
On April 22, 2022, pursuant to a Sale and Purchase Agreement dated April 22, 2022, we acquired, through our Dutch subsidiary, Blink Holdings B.V., all of the outstanding capital stock of Electric Blue Limited, a private company limited by shares and registered in England and Wales (“EB”), from its shareholders. Headquartered in St. Albans, United Kingdom, EB is a leading provider of electric vehicle charging and sustainable energy solutions and technologies. EB works with local authorities and businesses to create the infrastructure the United Kingdom needs to meet the 2050 net zero emissions target and prepare for the 2030 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans.
The fair value purchase price for the acquisition of all of EB’s outstanding capital stock was $19,317, consisting of $12,651 in cash, 152,803 shares of our common stock with a fair value of $2,852, plus the contingent consideration described in the following paragraph.
In addition, provided EB reaches specified gross revenue or new EV charger installation targets over the three years post-closing, we also agreed to issue up to approximately $6,400 in additional shares of our common stock to EB shareholders (the “Contingent Consideration”). The Contingent Consideration was recorded at an estimated fair value of $3,814. As of December 31, 2022, the estimated fair value of the Contingent Consideration was $1,316. Of the purchase price to be issued to the EB shareholders at closing, approximately $650 in cash and 25,466 shares of common stock are being held in escrow accounts for periods of 12 months (cash escrow) and 18 months (stock escrow), respectively, following the closing to cover any losses or damages we may incur by reason of, among other things, any misrepresentation or breach of warranty by EB under the Sale and Purchase Agreement.
At-the-Market Offering
On September 2, 2022, we entered into a Sales Agreement (“Sales Agreement”) with Barclays Capital Inc., BofA Securities, Inc., HSBC Securities (USA) Inc., ThinkEquity LLC, H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC and Roth Capital Partners, LLC (the “Agents”) to conduct an “at-the-market” (ATM) equity offering program pursuant to which we may issue and sell from time to time shares of our common stock, having an aggregate offering price of up to $250,000 through the Agents, as our sales agents (the “ATM”).
Subject to the terms and conditions of the Sales Agreement, the Agents will use their commercially reasonable efforts to sell shares of our common stock from time to time, based upon our instructions. We have no obligation to sell any of the shares and may at any time suspend sales under the Sales Agreement or terminate the Sales Agreement in accordance with its terms. We have provided the Agents with customary indemnification rights, and the Agents will be entitled to an aggregate fixed commission of up to 3% of the gross proceeds from shares sold. The shares are being offered pursuant to the Sales Agreement under our automatic shelf registration statement on Form S-3ASR and a prospectus supplement filed with SEC on January 6, 2021 and September 2, 2022, respectively. As of December 31, 2022, 558,721 shares have been sold pursuant to the ATM program, representing gross proceeds of approximately $7,697.
We currently anticipate using the net proceeds from the sale of our shares of common stock under the ATM program to supplement our operating cash flows to fund EV charging station deployment and our acquisition growth plan. We also plan to use any remaining proceeds we receive for working capital and other corporate purposes. The amounts and timing of our use of the net proceeds will depend on a number of factors, such as the timing and progress of our EV charging station deployment efforts, the timing and progress of any partnering and collaboration efforts and technological advances.
New Product and Service Offerings
In January 2023, we announced the new products which included the Vision, EQ 200, Series 3, PQ 150, and 30kW DC Fast Charger, which are designed to serve the increasing demands of the growing EV markets across the U.S., Europe, Asia and Latin America.
The reimagined Vision is designed as a two-in-one solution to attract and captivate drivers and provide site hosts and advertisers an innovative media solution. With a newly designed 55” LCD screen capable of displaying static and dynamic advertising, the Vision is the ideal point-of-charge advertising solution with two 80 amp, 19.2kW ports that can charge simultaneously. The Vision offers easy payment via RFID, Apple Pay, Google Wallet, and all major credit cards. Additional features include cloud connectivity via built-in 4G LTE signal, retractable cable management and dual cable configurations with two universal J1772 plugs and a built-in camera for additional security. Site owners can benefit from charging and advertising revenue share models for this product.
The EQ 200 is an intelligent, affordable, and scalable charging solution designed for European and South American markets. Offering up to 22kW of power and an innovative modular design, this product fits any location and can be tailored to the specific needs of market segments. The EQ 200 is prepared for the future by supporting technologies like ISO-15118, OCPP 2.0, and bi-directional charging, also known as Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G). The charger also offers customization and rebranding options available to fit each user’s needs.
The Series 3 is a flexible and versatile EV charging solution designed for both two- and three-wheeler EVs. Designed for the APAC and Latin American markets, the Series 3 provides up to 15 amps of output in a compact form, making it ideal for installation at small shops and residential and commercial parking areas. Its built-in electric metering allows customers to manage electricity costs with an intuitive, smart network connection. Further, up to 45 charging points can be connected with a single communication gateway.
The PQ 150 is a smart charging cable designed for residential charging in European markets. Offering up to 22kW of power, the PQ 150 is simple and easy-to-use with no installation necessary and provides the highest safety level on the market today. With Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and optional SIM/GSM & GPS functionality, this product offers advanced technology in a simple, sleek design.
The Series 9 30kW DC Fast Charger is our latest solution for fast charging across global markets. A small footprint charging station designed for speed and flexibility, this product was designed to quickly charge tomorrow’s EVs today and offers the perfect balance of size and power, providing up to 100 amps and 1,000 volts of output. A 7-inch LCD touchscreen display provides drivers with an intuitive charging process and the charger integrates with the newly redesigned Blink Networks over a Wi-Fi, ethernet, or 4G connection, offering high-performance, compatibility, and remote monitoring.
Letter of Intent and Loan
On April 19, 2022, we signed a non-binding letter of intent with a U.S. privately-held company (the “Target”) providing for the possible purchase by us of all of the outstanding shares of the Target from its shareholders in consideration for cash, a note and, under certain circumstances, shares of common stock of a subsidiary of our company or, if such subsidiary’s shares are not publicly- traded, common stock of our company. In addition, in the letter of intent, our company agreed to extend a loan of $1,250 to the Target (the “Initial Loan”), of which $1,000 was loaned by us during the second quarter of 2022 and $250 was loaned in July 2022 pursuant to a 6% Secured Convertible Promissory Note signed by the Target. Under the terms of the Initial Loan, if we proceed with the possible stock purchase of the Target, the principal and accrued interest amount under the Initial Loan will be deducted from the cash consideration paid to the Target’s shareholders at closing. If, however, we determine not to proceed with the possible stock purchase of the Target, the Initial Loan will continue to accrue 6% interest per annum, and mature on the earliest of (i) a “Change of Control” (as defined in such note); (ii) the closing of the next investment round by the Target; (iii) an Event of Default (as defined in such note); or (iv) May 1, 2027.
On September 22, 2022, the Company signed a letter agreement concerning the extension of the development work that the Target was performing for a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (the “Subsidiary”) under a Master Service Agreement that was executed on April 29, 2022 (the “Letter Agreement”). Under the Letter Agreement, the Company agreed to extend additional loans to the Target to enable it to expand the development work and to expedite the delivery of the development outcomes (the “Product”) to the Subsidiary. In addition, the Company extended to the Target additional funding of $350 for hiring additional developers and an additional $600 to support the Target’s operations until the development work is finalized and accepted by the Company. The total amount of the loans is $950 (the “Development Loan”), which had been loaned to the Target as of December 31, 2022. The Development Loan was made pursuant to a 6% Grid Secured Convertible Promissory Note and an additional letter agreement, dated September 22, 2022, signed by the Target with terms and conditions similar to those of the Initial Loan (the “Grid Note”). The Development Loan has additional terms which provide that the Company may forfeit the Development Loan if the Target timely delivers the Product and the Company fails to close the acquisition of the Target shortly thereafter. If, however, the Target fails to complete the development work on time, the Company will not be obligated to close the acquisition of the Target and the entire Development Loan will be payable to the Company under the same terms of the Initial Loan.
Note on Covid-19 and Current Economic Conditions
The Covid-19 pandemic has impacted global stock markets and economies. We closely monitor the impact of the continuing presence of Covid-19 and recently identified variants of Covid-19 which appear to be more transmissible and contagious than previous Covid-19 variants and have caused an increase in the number of Covid-19 cases globally. We have taken and continue to take precautions to ensure the safety of our employees, customers and business partners, while assuring business continuity and reliable service and support to our customers. We continue to receive orders for our products, although some shipments of equipment have been temporarily delayed. The global chip shortage and supply chain disruption has caused some delays in equipment orders from our contract manufacturer. As federal, state and local economies have reopened and returns to pre-pandemic levels, we expect demand for charging station usage to increase, however, we are unable to predict the extent of such recovery due to the uncertainty of Covid-19. Additionally, other recent macroeconomic events including rising inflation, slowing economic growth, changes in U.S. and foreign government monetary policies, supply chain disruptions, fluctuations in currency exchange rates and the Russian invasion of Ukraine have led to further economic uncertainty. As a result, we are unable to predict the ultimate impact of equipment order delays, chip shortage, the impact of other economic conditions and continuous presence of Covid-19 will have on our business, future results of operations, financial position, or cash flows. We intend to continue to monitor the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and other global economic factors on our business closely. For a further discussion of the risks, uncertainties and actions taken in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, see “Item 1A Risk Factors.”
Key Factors Affecting Operating Results
We believe our performance and future success depend on several factors, including those discussed below:
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. Existing competitors may expand their product offerings and sales strategies, and new competitors may enter the market. If our market share decreases due to increased competition, its revenue and ability to generate profits in the future may be impacted.
Growth - Our growth is highly dependent upon the adoption by consumers of EVs, and we are subject to a risk of any reduced demand for EVs. The market for alternative fuel vehicles is relatively new, rapidly evolving, characterized by rapidly changing technologies, price competition, additional competitors, evolving government regulation and industry standards, frequent new vehicle announcements, long development cycles for EV original equipment manufacturers, and changing consumer demands and behaviors. Factors that may influence the purchase and use of alternative fuel vehicles, and specifically EVs, include perceptions about EV quality, safety (in particular with respect to lithium-ion battery packs), design, performance and cost; the limited range over which EVs may be driven on a single battery charge and concerns about running out of power while in use; improvements in the fuel economy of the internal combustion engine; consumers’ desire and ability to purchase a luxury automobile or one that is perceived as exclusive; the environmental consciousness of consumers; volatility in the cost of oil and gasoline; consumers’ perceptions of the dependency of the United States on oil from unstable or hostile countries and the impact of international conflicts; government regulations and economic incentives promoting fuel efficiency and alternate forms of energy; access to charging stations, standardization of EV charging systems and consumers’ perceptions about convenience and cost to charge an EV; and the availability of tax and other governmental incentives to purchase and operate EVs or future regulation requiring increased use of nonpolluting vehicles. If the market for EVs does not gain broad market acceptance or develops slower than we expect, our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results may be adversely affected.
Regulations - Our business is subject to a variety of federal, state and international laws and regulations, including those with respect government incentives promoting fuel efficiency and alternate forms of energy, electric vehicles and others. These laws and regulations, and the interpretation or application of these laws and regulations, could change. Any reduction, elimination or discriminatory application of government subsidies and economic incentives because of policy changes, fiscal tightening or other reasons may result in diminished revenues from government sources and diminished demand for our products. In addition, new laws or regulations affecting our business could be enacted. These laws and regulations are frequently costly to comply with and may divert a significant portion of management’s attention. Changes to these applicable laws or regulations could affect business and/or harm our customers, thereby adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Expansion through Acquisitions - We may pursue strategic domestic and international acquisitions to expand our operations. Risks in acquisition transactions include difficulties in the integration of acquired businesses into our operations and control environment, difficulties in assimilating and retaining employees and intermediaries, difficulties in retaining the existing clients of the acquired entities, assumed or unforeseen liabilities that arise in connection with the acquired businesses, the failure of counterparties to satisfy any obligations to indemnify us against liabilities arising from the acquired businesses, and unfavorable market conditions that could negatively impact our growth expectations for the acquired businesses. Fully integrating an acquired company or business into our operations may take a significant amount of time. If we are unable to integrate or pursue strategic acquisitions, our financial condition and results of operations would be negatively impacted.
Results of Operations
Year Ended December 31, 2022 Compared Year Ended December 31, 2021
(in thousands)
For The Years Ended
December 31,
Difference $ Difference%
Revenues:
Product sales $ 46,018 $ 15,480 $ 30,538 197 %
Charging service revenue - company-owned charging stations 6,866 2,978 3,888 131 %
Network fees 4,370 3,703 555 %
Warranty 322 %
Grant and rebate (104 ) -26 %
Ride-sharing services 1,268 65 %
Other 1,393 227 %
Total Revenues 61,139 20,940 40,199 192 %
Cost of Revenues:
Cost of product sales 31,428 11,670 19,758 169 %
Cost of charging services - company-owned charging stations 1,466 107 %
Host provider fees 3,935 1,386 2,549 184 %
Network costs 1,463 1,009 222 %
Warranty and repairs and maintenance 2,795 1,903 213 %
Ride-sharing services 2,137 1,458 47 %
Depreciation and amortization 3,113 1,531 1,582 103 %
Total Cost of Revenues 46,337 18,098 28,239 156 %
Gross Profit 14,802 2,842 11,960 421 %
Operating Expenses:
Compensation 60,602 38,389 22,213 58 %
General and administrative expenses 27,826 10,516 17,310 165 %
Other operating expenses 15,645 9,606 6,039 63 %
Total Operating Expenses 104,073 58,511 45,562 78 %
Loss From Operations (89,271 ) (55,669 ) (33,602 ) 60 %
Other Income (Expense):
Interest income (1,529 ) (1,538 ) -17089 %
Dividend and interest income N/A
Loss on foreign exchange (600 ) (124 ) (476 ) N/A
Gain on forgiveness of PPP loan - (856 ) N/A
Change in fair value of derivative and other accrued liabilities (3 ) -4 %
Other (expense) income, net (372 ) (554 ) -33 %
Total Other Income (Expense) (1,981 ) (2,531 ) -460 %
Loss Before Income Taxes $ (91,252 ) $ (55,119 ) $ (36,133 ) 66 %
Provision for income taxes (308 ) - (308 ) N/A
Net Loss $ (91,560 ) $ (55,119 ) $ (36,441 ) 66 %
Revenues
Total revenue for the year ended December 31, 2022 was $61,139, compared to $20,940 for the year ended December 31, 2021, an increase of $40,199, or 192%.
Revenue from product sales was $46,018 for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to $15,480 for the year ended December 31, 2021, an increase of $30,538, or 197%. This increase was attributable to increased sales of commercial chargers, DC fast chargers and residential chargers when compared to the same period in 2021. Also contributing to the increase in product sales was $3,242 from EB, which we acquired in April 2022, and $14,305 from SemaConnect, which we acquired in June 2022.
Charging service revenue for company-owned and operated charging stations was $6,866 for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to $2,978 for the year ended December 31, 2021, an increase of $3,888, or 131%. The increase is due to the increase in utilization of chargers and an increased number of chargers on the Blink Networks. Also contributing to the increase in charging service revenue was $528 from EB, which we acquired in April 2022.
Network fee revenue was $4,370 for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to $667 for the year ended December 31, 2021, an increase of $3,703, or 555%. The increase was attributable to increases in host owned units as well as billings and invoicing to Property Partners during the year ended December 31, 2022, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. Also contributing to the increase in network fee revenue was $3,199 from SemaConnect, which we acquired in June 2022.
Warranty revenue was $928 for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to $220 for the year ended December 31, 2021, an increase of $708, or 322%. The increase was primarily attributable to an increase in warranty contracts sold for the year December 31, 2022 compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. As of December 31, 2022, we recorded a liability of $176 which represents the estimated cost of existing backlog of known warranty cases.
Grant and rebate revenues were $296 for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to $400 for the year ended December 31, 2021, a decrease of $104, or 26%. Grant and rebates relating to equipment and the related installation are deferred and amortized in a manner consistent with the depreciation expense of the related assets over their useful lives. The decrease in revenue was primarily related to the timing of the amortization of previous years’ state grants/rebates associated with the installation of chargers during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021.
Ride-sharing services revenues were $1,268 during the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to $769 during the year ended December 31, 2021, an increase of $499, or 65%. These revenues are derived from ride-sharing subscription services through a program with the City of Los Angeles, which was associated with the acquisition of BlueLA in September 2020.
Other revenue increased by $967, or 227%, to $1,393 for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to $426 for the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase was primarily attributable to higher Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) credits generated during the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the same period in 2021. We generate these credits from the electricity utilized by our electric car charging stations as a byproduct from our charging services in the states of California and Oregon.
Cost of Revenues
Cost of revenues primarily consists of electricity reimbursements, revenue share payments to our Property Partner hosts, the cost of charging stations sold, connectivity charges provided by telco and other networks, warranty, repairs and maintenance services, and depreciation of our installed charging stations. Cost of revenues for the year ended December 31, 2022 were $46,337 as compared to $18,098 for the year ended December 31, 2021, an increase of $28,239, or 156%.
There is a degree of variability in our costs in relation to our revenues from period to period, primarily due to:
● electricity reimbursements that are unique to those Property Partner host agreements which provide for such reimbursements;
● revenue share payments are predicated on the contractual obligation under the property partner agreement and the revenue generated by the applicable chargers;
● cost of charging stations sold is predicated on the mix of types of charging stations and parts sold during the period;
● network costs are fixed in nature based on the number of chargers connected to the telco network regardless of whether the charger generates revenue;
● provisions for excess and obsolete inventory; and
● warranty and repairs and maintenance expenses are based on both the number of service cases completed during the period.
Cost of product sales increased by $19,758, or 169%, to $31,428 for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to $11,670 for the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase was primarily due to the increase in product sales of commercial chargers, DC fast chargers and home residential chargers during the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the same period in 2021, as well as cost of product sales of $2,885 from EB, which we acquired in April 2022, and $6,619 from SemaConnect, which we acquired in June 2022.
Cost of charging services for company-owned charging stations (electricity reimbursements) increased by $759, or 107%, to $1,466 for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to $707 for the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase in 2022 was attributable to the mix of charging stations generating charging service revenues subject to electricity reimbursement.
Host provider fees increased by $2,549, or 184%, to $3,935 during the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to $1,386 during the year ended December 31, 2021. This increase was a result of the mix of chargers generating revenue and their corresponding revenue share percentage payments to Property Partner hosts pursuant to their agreements, as well as a reduction in utilization during 2021 due to COVID-19.
Network costs increased by $1,009, or 222%, to $1,463 for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to $454 for the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase was a result of the increase in charging stations on our network and costs incurred related to the upgrading of our network system compared to the same period in 2021. Also contributing to the increase in network costs was $781 from SemaConnect, which we acquired in June 2022.
Warranty and repairs and maintenance costs increased by $1,903, or 213%, to $2,795 for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to $892 for the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase in 2022 was attributable to significant efforts expended to reduce the backlog in warranty and repairs and maintenance cases. Also contributing to the increase was $99 from EB, which we acquired in April 2022, and $98 from SemaConnect, which we acquired in June 2022. As of December 31, 2022, we recorded a liability of $176 which represents the estimated cost of existing backlog of known warranty cases.
Cost of ride-sharing services was $2,137 during the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to $1,458 during the year ended December 31, 2021, an increase of $679, or 47%. These costs are from ride-sharing subscription services through a program with the City of Los Angeles, which was associated with the acquisition of BlueLA in September 2020.
Depreciation and amortization expense increased by $1,582, or 103%, to $3,113 for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to $1,531 for the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase in depreciation expense was attributable to an increase in the number of EV charging stations and vehicles associated with the ride-share services.
Operating Expenses
Compensation expense increased by $22,213, or 58%, to $60,602 (consisting of approximately $44,689 of cash compensation and approximately $15,913 of non-cash compensation) for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to $38,389 (consisting of approximately $22,000 of cash compensation and approximately $16,400 of non-cash compensation) for the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase in compensation expense for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the same period in 2021 was primarily related to increases in personnel and compensation in executive, marketing, sales and operations departments as a result of the anticipated domestic and international growth of our company. In addition, compensation expense during the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the same period in 2021 increased due to additional personnel in conjunction with the acquisitions of SemaConnect and EB during the second quarter of 2022.
General and administrative expenses increased by $17,310, or 165%, from $10,516 for the year ended December 31, 2021 to $27,826 for the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase was primarily attributable to increases in accounting, legal, investor relations, marketing, consulting , recruiting, software licensing and other professional service expenditures of $7,724. Further, general and administrative expenses increased due to increases in amortization expense of $5,119 related to the acquisitions of SemaConnect and EB during the second quarter of 2022. Also contributing to the increase in general and administrative expenses were acquisition-related expenses of $3,933 related to the 2022 acquisitions of SemaConnect and EB.
Other operating expenses increased by $6,039, or 63%, from $9,606 for the year ended December 31, 2021 to $15,645 for the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase was primarily attributable to increases in insurance, software expense, rent, hardware and software development costs and property/use tax expenditures of $4,616. Further, increases in travel and vehicle expenses of $1,754, contributed to the increase in other operating expenses for year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the same period in 2021. Also contributing to the increase in other operating expenses were operating expenditures related to the 2022 acquisitions of SemaConnect and EB. During the year ended December 31, 2022, we incurred expenses of $3,809 related to the network upgrade to certain of our company’s EV charging stations.
Other (Expense) Income
Other expense increased by $2,531 from other income of $550 for the year ended December 31, 2021 to other expense of $1,981 for the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase in other expenses is primarily attributable to interest expense of $1,529 associated with the deferred payment from the SemaConnect acquisition. Also contributing to the increase in other expenses is loss on foreign currency exchange of $600.
Provision For Income Taxes
Provision for income taxes was $308 during the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to $0 during the year ended December 31, 2021. The Company’s statutory federal income tax rate for 2022 and 2021 was 21.0%. The Company’s effective tax rate for 2022 and 2021 was 0.3% and 0.0%, respectively. The increase in the provision for income taxes and the effective tax rate was related to certain subsidiaries which generated net income during the year ended December 31, 2022.
Net Loss
Our net loss for the year ended December 31, 2022 increased by $36,441, or 66%, to $91,560 as compared to $55,119 for the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase was primarily attributable to an increase in compensation expense and general and administrative expenses in conjunction with current and anticipated growth of our company.
Total Comprehensive Loss
Our total comprehensive loss for the year ended December 31, 2022 was $92,822 whereas our total comprehensive loss for the year ended December 31, 2021 was $56,465, an increase of $36,357 for the same reasons as noted above related to the increase in our net loss.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
We measure our liquidity in a number of ways, including the following:
December 31,
Cash $ 36,562 $ 174,795
Working Capital $ 48,962 $ 176,303
Debt $ 40,618 $ 10
During the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, we financed our activities from proceeds derived from debt and equity financings which were raised in prior periods. A significant portion of the funds raised from the sale of capital stock has been used to cover working capital needs and personnel, office expenses and various consulting and professional fees.
For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, we used cash of $82,365 and $40,570, respectively, in operations. Our cash used for the year ended December 31, 2022 was primarily attributable to our net loss of $91,560, reduced by net non-cash expenses in the aggregate amount of $26,551, and by $17,356 of net cash used in changes in the levels of operating assets and liabilities. Our cash used for the year ended December 31, 2021 was primarily attributable to our net loss of $55,119, reduced by net non-cash expenses in the aggregate amount of $23,113, and by $8,564 of net cash used in changes in the levels of operating assets and liabilities.
During the year ended December 31, 2022, net cash used in investing activities was $58,787, of which, $38,338 was used as cash consideration for SemaConnect (net of cash acquired), $11,360 was used as cash consideration for EB (net of cash acquired), $6,595 was used to purchase charging stations and other fixed assets, $2,200 was used as a note receivable to a target, and $294 was related to the payment of engineering costs that were capitalized .During the year ended December 31, 2021, net cash used in investing activities was $30,449, of which, $6,804 was provided in connection with the sale of marketable securities, which was offset by purchases of marketing securities of $7,209, $7,065 was used to purchase charging stations and other fixed assets, $22,742 (net of $243 cash acquired) was used as purchase consideration in connection with the Blue Corner acquisition and $237 was used for engineering services.
During the year ended December 31, 2022, net cash provided by financing activities was $6,393, of which, $220 was provided by the exercise of warrants and options, offset by $315 used to pay down our liability in connection with internal use software, $217 was used to pay down our finance lease liability and $681 was used to pay down notes payable this was offset by $7,386 was attributable to the net proceeds from the sale of common stock from the public offering. During the year ended December 31, 2021, net cash provided by financing activities was $223,271, of which, $221,333 was attributable to the net proceeds from the sale of common stock from the public offering, $1,693 was attributable to the proceeds from warrant exercises, $307 of proceeds were from option exercises, partially offset by $62 used to pay down our financing liability in connection with internal use software.
As of December 31, 2022, we had cash, working capital and an accumulated deficit of $36,562, $48,962 and $334,030, respectively. During the year ended December 31, 2022, we had a net loss of $91,560.
In February 2023, we completed an underwritten registered public offering of 8,333,333 shares of our common stock at a public offering price of $12.00 per share. We received approximately $100,000 in gross proceeds from the public offering, and approximately $95,000 in net proceeds after deducting the underwriting discount and offering expenses paid by us. In addition, the underwriters have a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 1,249,999 shares of common stock from us at the public offering price, less the underwriting discounts and commissions. The public offering was made pursuant to our automatic shelf registration statement on Form S-3 ASR filed with the SEC on January 6, 2021, and prospectus supplement dated February 8, 2023. Barclays acted as the sole book-running manager for the offering. H.C. Wainwright & Co., Roth Capital Partners and ThinkEquity acted as co-managers for the offering.
In January 2021, we completed an underwritten registered public offering of 5,660,000 shares of our common stock at a public offering price of $41.00 per share. We received approximately $232,100 in gross proceeds from the public offering, and approximately $221,500 in net proceeds after deducting the underwriting discount and offering expenses paid by us. The public offering was made pursuant to our automatic shelf registration statement on Form S-3 ASR filed with the SEC on January 6, 2021 and prospectus supplement dated January 7, 2021. We used the net proceeds from the public offering to supplement our operating cash flows to fund EV charging station deployment and, when needed, to finance the costs of acquiring competitive and complementary businesses, products and technologies as a part of our growth strategy, and for working capital and general corporate purposes.
We have not yet achieved profitability and expect to continue to incur cash outflows from operations. It is expected that our operating expenses will continue to increase and, as a result, we will eventually need to generate significant product revenues to achieve profitability. Historically, we have been able to raise funds to support our business operations, although there can be no assurance that we will be successful in raising significant additional funds in the future. We expect that our cash on hand will fund our operations for at least 12 months after the issuance date of the financial statements included in this Annual Report.
Since inception, our operations have primarily been funded through proceeds received in equity and debt financings. We believe we have access to capital resources and continue to evaluate additional financing opportunities. There is no assurance that we will be able to obtain funds on commercially acceptable terms, if at all. There is also no assurance that the amount of funds we might raise will enable us to complete our EV development initiatives or attain profitable operations.
On September 2, 2022, we entered into a Sales Agreement (“Sales Agreement”) with Barclays Capital Inc., BofA Securities, Inc., HSBC Securities (USA) Inc., ThinkEquity LLC, H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC and Roth Capital Partners, LLC (the “Agents”) to conduct an “ATM” equity offering program pursuant to which we may issue and sell from time to time shares of our common stock, par value $0.001 per share, having an aggregate offering price of up to $250,000 through the Agents, as our sales agents. We currently anticipate using the net proceeds from the sale of our shares of common stock under the ATM program to supplement our operating cash flows to fund EV charging station deployment and our acquisition growth plan. We also plan to use any remaining proceeds we receive for working capital and other corporate purposes. The amounts and timing of our use of the net proceeds will depend on a number of factors, such as the timing and progress of our EV charging station deployment efforts, the timing and progress of any partnering and collaboration efforts and technological advances. As of December 31, 2022, 558,721 shares have been sold pursuant to the ATM program representing gross proceeds of approximately $7,697.
As electric vehicle charging requirements and technologies change, driven by federal, state or local regulatory authorities or by electric vehicle manufacturers or other technology or services providers for the charging station industry, in particular cellular connectivity technology, we may need to upgrade or adapt our charging station products or introduce new products in order to serve new vehicles, conform to new standards, or adapt new technologies to serve existing customers or new customers at substantial research, development, and network upgrades costs. During 2021, many cellular technology providers announced they will require the upgrade from 2G/3G connectivity to 4G LTE during 2022 (the “Upgrade”). During the year ended December 31, 2022, we incurred $3,809 related to these upgrades. As of December 31, 2022, the charger upgrades were substantially complete.
Contractual Obligations and Commitments
We entered into purchase commitments that include purchase orders and agreements in the normal course of business with contract manufacturers, parts manufacturers, vendors for research and development services and outsourced services. As of December 31, 2022, we had purchase commitment of approximately $60,532, which will become payable upon the suppliers’ delivery of the charging stations, services and other related items. The purchase commitments were made primarily for future sales, deployments of charging stations, inventory management planning and other related items, all of which are expected to be received during the next 12-24 months.
Further, we have operating and finance lease obligations over the next five years of approximately $5,500. These operating lease obligations are primarily related to corporate office space, warehousing, and parking spaces related to our ride-sharing services.
Critical Accounting Estimates
The preparation of financial statements and related disclosures must be in conformity with U.S. GAAP. These accounting principles require us to make estimates and judgments that can affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities as of the date of the financial statements as well as the reported amounts of revenue and expense during the periods presented. We believe that the estimates and judgments upon which it relies are reasonably based upon information available to us at the time that it makes these estimates and judgments. To the extent that there are material differences between these estimates and actual results, our financial results will be affected. The accounting policies that reflect our more significant estimates and judgments and which we believe are the most critical to aid in fully understanding and evaluating our reported financial results are described below.
The following is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all of our accounting policies or estimates. Our accounting policies are more fully described in Note 2 - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, in our Consolidated Financial Statements included at the end of this Annual Report.
Revenue Recognition
We recognize revenue primarily from four different types of contracts:
● Product sales - Revenue is recognized at the point where the customer obtains control of the goods and the company satisfies its performance obligation, which generally is at the time it ships the product to the customer or installation of the product.
● Charging service revenue - company-owned charging stations - Revenue is recognized at the point when a particular charging session is completed.
● Network fees and other - Represents a stand-ready obligation whereby the company is obligated to perform over a period of time and, as a result, revenue is recognized on a straight-line basis over the contract term. Network fees are billed annually.
● Other - Other revenues primarily comprises of revenues generated from alternative fuel credits.
The timing of our revenue recognition may differ from the timing of payment by its customers. A receivable is recorded when revenue is recognized prior to payment and the company has an unconditional right to payment. Alternatively, when payment precedes the provision of the related services, the company records deferred revenue until the performance obligations are satisfied.
Grants, rebates and alternative fuel credits, which are not within the scope of ASC 606, pertaining to revenues and periodic expenses are recognized as income when the related revenue and/or periodic expense are recorded. Grants and rebates related to EV charging stations and their installation are deferred and amortized in a manner consistent with the related depreciation expense of the related asset over their useful lives over the useful life of the charging station.
Furthermore, ride-sharing services, which are not within scope of ASC 606, pertain to revenues and expenses related to a ride-sharing services agreement with the City of Los Angeles which allows customers the ability to rent electric vehicles through a subscription service. The Company recognizes revenue over the contractual period of performance of the subscription which are short term in nature.
Stock-Based Compensation
We measure the cost of services received in exchange for an award of equity instruments based on the fair value of the award on the date of grant. The fair value amount of the shares expected to ultimately vest is then recognized over the period for which services are required to be provided in exchange for the award, usually the vesting period. The estimation of stock-based awards that will ultimately vest requires judgment, and to the extent actual results or updated estimates differ from original estimates, such amounts are recorded as a cumulative adjustment in the period that the estimates are revised. We account for forfeitures as they occur.
Long-Lived Assets
Long-lived assets are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the asset may not be recoverable. We assess the recoverability of our long-lived assets by monitoring current selling prices of EV charging units in the open market, the adoption rate of various auto manufacturers in the EV market and projected EV charging utilization at various public EV charging stations throughout our network in determining fair value. An impairment loss would be recognized when estimated future cash flows expected to result from the use of the asset and its eventual disposition are less than its carrying amount.
Income Taxes
We account for income taxes pursuant to the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes pursuant to FASB ASC 740, “Income Taxes.” Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for taxable temporary differences and operating loss carry forwards. Temporary differences are the differences between the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and their tax bases. Deferred tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance when, in the opinion of management, it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized.
Deferred tax assets and liabilities are adjusted for the effects of changes in tax laws and rates on the date of enactment.
Operating Leases
We determine if an arrangement is a lease at inception. Operating leases are included in operating lease right-of-use (“ROU”) assets and operating lease liabilities in our consolidated balance sheets.
ROU assets represent our right to use an underlying asset for the lease term and lease liabilities represent our obligation to make lease payments arising from the lease. Operating lease ROU assets and liabilities are recognized at commencement date based on the present value of lease payments over the lease term. As most of our leases do not provide an implicit rate, we use an incremental borrowing rate based on the estimated rate of interest for collateralized borrowing over a similar term of the lease payments at commencement date. The operating lease ROU asset also includes any lease payments made and excludes lease incentives. Our lease terms may include options to extend or terminate the lease when it is reasonably certain that we will exercise that option. Lease expense for lease payments is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term.
Goodwill
Goodwill is the excess of consideration paid for an acquired entity over the fair value of the amounts assigned to assets acquired, including other identifiable intangible assets, and liabilities assumed in a business combination. To determine the amount of goodwill resulting from a business combination, the company performs an assessment to determine the acquisition date fair value of the acquired company’s tangible and identifiable intangible assets and liabilities.
Goodwill is required to be evaluated for impairment on an annual basis or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate the asset may be impaired. An entity has the option to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether the existence of events or circumstances leads to a determination that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. These qualitative factors include: macroeconomic and industry conditions, cost factors, overall financial performance and other relevant entity-specific events. If the entity determines that this threshold is met, then the company may apply a one-step quantitative test and record the amount of goodwill impairment as the excess of a reporting unit’s carrying amount over its fair value, not to exceed the total amount of goodwill allocated to the reporting unit. The company determines fair value through multiple valuation techniques and weights the results accordingly. The company is required to make certain subjective and complex judgments in assessing whether an event of impairment of goodwill has occurred, including assumptions and estimates used to determine the fair value of its reporting units. The company has elected to perform its annual goodwill impairment review on November 1 of each year.
Recently Issued Accounting Standards
For a description of our recently issued accounting standards, see Note 2 - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Annual Report.

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ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK.
Foreign Currency Risk
We have foreign currency risks related to its revenue and operating expenses denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar, primarily the euro, causing both its revenue and its operating results to be impacted by fluctuations in the exchange rates. Gains or losses from the revaluation of certain cash balances, accounts receivable balances and intercompany balances that are denominated in these currencies impact our net loss. A hypothetical decrease in all foreign currencies against the U.S. dollar of 1% would not result in a material foreign currency loss on foreign-denominated balances, as of December 31, 2022. As our foreign operations expand, its results may be more materially impacted by fluctuations in the exchange rates of the currencies in which it does business. At this time, we do not enter into financial instruments to hedge its foreign currency exchange risk.

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ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA.
The financial statements required by this Item 8 are included in this Annual Report beginning on page.

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ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS
ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE.
None.

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ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES.
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Disclosure controls and procedures are designed to provide reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Commission’s rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow for timely decisions regarding required disclosure. In designing and evaluating the disclosure controls and procedures, management recognizes that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives, and management is required to apply its judgment in evaluating the cost- benefit relationship of possible controls and procedures. Management has designed disclosure controls and procedures that reasonably enable the management to deliberate and take timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
As required by the SEC Rules 13a-15(b) and 15d-15(b), we carried out an evaluation under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based on this evaluation, the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as of December 31, 2022 due to the material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting described below.
However, after giving full consideration to the material weaknesses described below, and the additional analyses and other procedures the Company performed to ensure that its consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K were prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP, Blink’s management has concluded that its consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, its financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the periods disclosed in conformity with U.S. GAAP.
Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. Our internal control system was designed to, in general, provide reasonable assurance to our company’s management and board regarding the preparation and fair presentation of published financial statements, but because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
As permitted by SEC guidance for newly acquired businesses, because it was not possible to complete an effective assessment of the acquired companies’ controls by year-end, management has excluded both SemaConnect and Electric Blue Limited (“EB”) from its evaluation of disclosure controls and procedures and internal controls over financial reporting and changes therein from the date of such acquisition through December 31, 2022. SemaConnect’s total assets and total revenues represent approximately 7% and 30%, respectively, and EB’s total assets and total revenues represent approximately 3% and 8% respectively, of the related consolidated financial statement amounts of Blink Charging Co. as of and for the year ended December 31, 2022.
Our management assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022. The framework used by management in making that assessment was the criteria set forth in the document entitled “2013 Internal Control - Integrated Framework” issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Based on this evaluation, the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that, during the period covered by this report, such internal controls and procedures were not effective as of December 31, 2022 because of material weaknesses reported below.
● During the fourth quarter of 2022, management identified IT deficiencies relating to change management and the restriction of access to a sub-system at a subsidiary. Fiscal 2022 was the initial year that this subsidiary was subjected to testing its internal controls over financial reporting. Once these deficiencies were identified, management remediated the design of these controls. As this remediation occurred late in the fourth quarter of 2022, it was deemed too late to sufficiently test the remediated controls’ operational effectiveness. Accordingly, management has considered it to be a material weakness in internal controls over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022. Management expects to remediate this control during 2023.
● The Company’s internal controls over financial reporting did not detect a miscalculation of a certain non-cash share-based compensation transaction on a timely basis. Management views this miscalculation as an isolated occurrence but considers this control deficiency a material weakness in internal controls over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022. Management expects to remediate this control during 2023.
Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
During 2022, management continued to implement improvements to the Company’s internal control system. Throughout the year, from executive management on down, a strong commitment was made to the importance of internal control and to create and maintain an infrastructure to support the Company’s compliance program. The Audit Committee was actively engaged and exercised continuous oversight throughout the process. Further, management and the Audit Committee fostered open and regular dialogue with the Company’s external auditors. Internal control, particularly those relating to subjective judgements, were strengthened and, when possible automated and centralized. Further, improvements included:
● All financially significant business processes and entity-level assessments were documented, evaluated, tested for their adequacy of design.
● The Company’s information technology security and general controls were likewise documented, evaluated and tested for their adequacy of design.
● The Company successfully tested for operational effectiveness its business process and entity level internal controls and information technology general and security controls.
In 2021, the Company had identified certain design deficiencies in its management and analytical review controls associated with the financial close, revenue and inventory processes. As a result of the internal controls initiatives referenced above, the 2021 reported material weakness has been remediated and is operating effectively.
Except as described above, there were no changes in the Company’s internal control over the financial reporting during the fourth quarter of 2022 that have materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
ON INTERNAL CONTROL OVER FINANCIAL REPORTING
To the Shareholders and Board of Directors of
Blink Charging Co.
Adverse Opinion on Internal Control over Financial Reporting
We have audited Blink Charging Co. and Subsidiaries (the “Company”) internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022, based on criteria established in Internal Control-Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. In our opinion, because of the effect of the material weaknesses described in the following paragraph on the achievement of the objectives of the control criteria, the Company has not maintained effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022, based on criteria established in Internal Control-Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.
A material weakness is a control deficiency, or combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the Company’s annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. The following material weaknesses have been identified and included in Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting:
● One of the Company’s subsidiaries did not implement program change management and user access controls to ensure that a) IT program and data changes affecting the Company’s financial IT applications & underlying accounting records, are identified, tested, authorized and implemented appropriately b) appropriate segregation of duties that would adequately restrict user and privileged access to validate that data produced by its relevant IT system were complete and accurate.
● Certain of the Company’s controls associated with the calculation of stock-based compensation awards were not operating effectively.
These deficiencies, combined with inadequate compensating review controls, created a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement, individually or in the aggregate, to the consolidated financial statements might not be prevented or detected on a timely basis and represents a material weakness in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
These material weaknesses were considered in determining the nature, timing and extent of audit tests applied in our audit of the fiscal 2022 consolidated financial statements, and this report does not affect our report dated March 14, 2023 on those financial statements.
We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”), the consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2022 and 2021 and the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive loss, changes in shareholders’ equity, and cash flows for the three years ended December 31, 2022 of the Company and our report dated March 14, 2023 expressed an unqualified opinion on those financial statements.
Explanatory Paragraph - Excluded Subsidiaries
As described in “Management Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting”, management has excluded its wholly-owned subsidiaries, SemaConnect, Inc. and Electric Blue Limited, from its assessment of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022 because these entities were acquired by the Company in purchase business combinations during 2022. We have also excluded SemaConnect, Inc. and Electric Blue Limited from our audit of internal control over financial reporting. These subsidiaries’ combined total assets and total revenues represent approximately 10% and 38.0%, respectively, of the related consolidated financial statement amounts as of and for the year ended December 31, 2022.
Basis for Opinion
The Company’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting, and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the accompanying “Management Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting”. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audit of internal control over financial reporting included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audit also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Definition and Limitations of Internal Control over Financial Reporting
A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Because of the inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
Marcum LLP
New York, NY
March 14, 2023

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ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION.
None.

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ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE.
Information required by this item is incorporated by reference from our definitive proxy statement for the 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be filed within 120 days of our fiscal 2022 year-end.

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ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION.
Information required by this item is incorporated by reference from our definitive proxy statement for the 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be filed within 120 days of our fiscal 2022 year-end.

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ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS
ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS
Information required by this item is incorporated by reference from our definitive proxy statement for the 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be filed within 120 days of our fiscal 2022 year-end.

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ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE.
Information required by this item is incorporated by reference from our definitive proxy statement for the 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be filed within 120 days of our fiscal 2022 year-end.

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ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES
ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES.
Information required by this item is incorporated by reference from our definitive proxy statement for the 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be filed within 120 days of our fiscal 2022 year-end.
PART IV

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ITEM 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
ITEM 15. EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES.
(a)(3) EXHIBITS
Exhibit
Incorporated by Reference Filed or
Furnished
Number Exhibit Description Form Exhibit Filing Date Herewith
2.1 Share Purchase Agreement, dated April 21, 2021, between the Shareholders of Blue Corner NV and Blink Holdings B.V. 8-K 2.1 05/13/2021
2.2 Sale and Purchase Agreement, dated April 22, 2022, between the shareholders of Electric Blue Limited, and Blink Holdings B.V. and Blink Charging Co. 8-K 2.1 04/26/2022
2.3 Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of June 13, 2022, by and among Blink Charging Co., Blink Sub I Corp., Blink Sub II LLC, SemaConnect, Inc. and Shareholder Representative Services LLC (solely in its capacity as the stockholders’ representative) 8-K 2.1 06/14/2022
3.1 Articles of Incorporation, as amended most recently on August 17, 2017 10-K 3.1 04/17/2018
3.2 Bylaws, as amended most recently on January 29, 2018 10-K 3.2 04/17/2018
3.4 Certificate of Withdrawal for Series A Convertible Preferred Stock
3.1 04/07/2022
3.5 Certificate of Withdrawal for Series B Preferred Stock
3.2 04/07/2022
3.6 Certificate of Withdrawal for Series C Convertible Preferred Stock
3.3 04/07/2022
3.7 Certificate of Withdrawal for Series D Convertible Preferred Stock
3.4 04/07/2022
4.2
Form of Common Stock Purchase Warrant dated April 9, 2018
8-K
4.1 04/19/2018
4.3 Description of the Securities Registered Pursuant to Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 10-K 4.3 04/02/2020
10.1* Executive Employment Agreement by and between the Company and Michael D. Farkas dated October 29, 2010 10-K 10.17 04/16/2013
10.2* First Amendment to Executive Employment Agreement by and between the Company and Michael D. Farkas dated December 23, 2014 8-K 10.4 12/29/2014
10.3 * Second Amendment to Executive Employment Agreement by and between the Company and Michael D. Farkas dated July 24, 2015 10-K 10.4 07/29/2016
10.4 * Third Amendment to Executive Employment Agreement by and between the Company and Michael D. Farkas dated June 15, 2017 S-1/A 10.7 07/06/2017
10.10 Patent License Agreement, dated March 29, 2012, by and among Car Charging Group, Inc., Balance Holdings, LLC and Michael Farkas 10-K 10.21 04/16/2013
10.11 Patent License Agreement, dated March 11, 2016, by and among Car Charging Group, Inc., Balance Holdings, LLC and Michael Farkas 10-Q 10.3 08/04/2016
10.12 Revenue Sharing Agreement, dated April 3, 2013, by and among Car Charging Group, Inc., EV Pass Holdings, LLC, and Synapse Sustainability Trust, Inc. 8-K 10.2 04/26/2013
10.13 Office Lease Agreement, dated April 20, 2018, between Euro American Group, Inc. and Car Charging Inc. 8-K 10.1 05/15/2018
10.14* 2018 Incentive Compensation Plan Proxy - 08/14/2018
10.17* Employment Agreement, dated January 9, 2020, between Blink Charging Co. and Donald Engel 8-K 10.1 01/10/2020
10.18* Employment Offer Letter, dated February 7, 2020, between Blink Charging Co. and Michael P. Rama 8-K 10.1 02/11/2020
10.20* Employment Offer Letter, dated as of March 29, 2020, between Blink Charging Co. and Brendan S. Jones 8-K 10.1 04/20/2020
10.21* Executive Chairman and CEO Employment Agreement, dated May 28, 2021, between Blink Charging Co. and Michael D. Farkas 8-K 10.1 06/04/2021
10.22* Employment Agreement, dated December 27, 2021, between Blink Charging Co. and Brendan S. Jones 8-K 10.1 12/29/2021
10.23* Employment Agreement, dated April 20, 2021, between Blink Charging Co. and Harjinder Bhade 10-K/A 10.20 04/29/2022
10.24* Employment Agreement, dated May 19, 2022, between Blink Charging Co. and Michael P. Rama 8-K 10.1 05/24/2022
10.25* Employment Agreement, dated May 19, 2022, between Blink Charging Co. and Aviv Hillo 8-K 10.2 05/24/2022
10.26 Form of Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of June 15, 2022, by and among Blink Charging Co., the equityholders of SemaConnect, Inc. and each equityholder of SemaConnect, Inc. to which Blink shares were issued 8-K 10.1 06/21/2022
10.27* Employment Offer Letter, dated June 15, 2022, between SemaConnect, LLC, a Blink Charging company, and Mahi Reddy 8-K 10.2 06/21/2022
10.29 Sales Agreement, dated September 2, 2022, between Blink Charging Co. and the Sales Agents 8-K 10.1 09/02/2022
10.30* Employment Offer Letter, dated June 15, 2022, between SemaConnect LLC and Mark Pastrone, as assumed by Blink Charging Co. on November 29, 2022 8-K 10.1 12/05/2022
21.1 Subsidiaries of the Registrant
X
23.1 Consent of Marcum LLP
X
31.1 Rule 13a-14(a) Certification of Principal Executive Officer
X
31.2 Rule 13a-14(a) Certification of Principal Financial Officer
X
32.1** Section 1350 Certification of Principal Executive Officer
X
32.2** Section 1350 Certification of Principal Financial Officer
X
101.INS XBRL Instance.
X
101.XSD XBRL Schema.
X
101.PRE XBRL Presentation.
X
101.CAL XBRL Calculation.
X
101.DEF XBRL Definition.
X
101.LAB XBRL Label.
X
* Indicates a management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement.
** In accordance with SEC Release 33-8238, Exhibits 32.1 and 32.2 are being furnished and not deemed filed for purposes of Section 18 of the Exchange Act.