The company currently reports a global presence with more than 200 employees across more than 20 nationalities.[1][2]

Origins in Sweden

CTEK’s history begins in Vikmanshyttan, a small community in Sweden’s Dalarna region. Swedish inventor Bengt Wahlqvist developed a battery charger using electronic pulse technology, an approach that CTEK identifies as the foundation for the world’s first “smart” battery charger.[1]

The company was established in 1997. Its early technology was significant because conventional battery charging was generally much less sophisticated: chargers primarily supplied electrical current, whereas CTEK’s approach focused on electronically controlling the charging process to improve battery charging and maintenance.

Over the following decades, CTEK expanded from individual battery chargers into a broader battery-management business serving both consumers and the automotive industry.[1][2]

Expansion into EV charging

A major strategic development came in 2018, when CTEK acquired CHARGESTORM, a Swedish developer and manufacturer of electric-vehicle charging solutions. This gave CTEK a stronger position in the rapidly developing EV-charging market.[1]

CTEK subsequently expanded beyond individual battery chargers into areas such as:

• EV charging hardware
• Charging stations
• Load balancing
• Charging-management software
• Backend systems
• Professional charging infrastructure
• Technical services

The company states it has been developing proprietary EV charging stations since 2009, giving it more than a decade of experience in EV charging technology.[2]

Public listing

CTEK became a publicly traded company in 2021, when its shares were listed on the Nasdaq Stockholm main market.[1]

CTEK’s business can broadly be divided into two major areas: low-voltage battery management and EV charging.

Battery chargers and battery management

This is CTEK’s traditional core business. Its chargers are designed to recover, charge, maintain, and monitor vehicle batteries. The products are used with many types of vehicles, including cars, motorcycles, boats, vans, recreational vehicles, classic cars, performance vehicles, and other vehicles using low-voltage batteries. CTEK currently offers chargers for both 12V and 24V systems.[1][2]

Rather than simply charging a battery as quickly as possible, CTEK’s philosophy emphasises controlled charging and long-term battery maintenance. This is particularly useful for vehicles that spend long periods parked, such as classic cars, motorcycles, collector vehicles, boats, and recreational vehicles.

Smart battery chargers

One of CTEK’s most important contributions to the automotive charging market is the development of what it calls smart battery chargers. These chargers use electronic control systems to determine and adjust the charging process rather than simply delivering a fixed charging current. Many CTEK chargers use multi-stage charging programs designed to progressively charge and maintain a battery. The company’s product portfolio has evolved considerably since its original pulse-technology charger, with modern products incorporating increasingly sophisticated electronics and automated charging functions.[1][2]

Consumer products

CTEK’s Consumer division targets private users as well as businesses purchasing through distributors, retailers, and e-commerce channels. The company states this division includes more than 200 products covering battery chargers, EV chargers, and charging accessories.[1]

Notable product families include:

MXS

The MXS series is one of CTEK’s best-known battery-charger families. The range includes chargers designed for different vehicle and battery applications, from everyday cars to specialised applications. The MXS 5.0, for example, is one of the company’s widely recognised battery-maintenance chargers.

CS ONE

The CS ONE represents CTEK’s more advanced generation of intelligent battery chargers. It incorporates CTEK’s APTO™ (Adaptive Charging) technology, which is designed to automatically adapt the charging process to the battery. CTEK describes the CS ONE as the first charger based on this technology.[1]

CS FREE

The CS FREE is a portable battery charger and maintainer designed for situations where conventional mains electricity may not be available. It incorporates adaptive boost technology and can also function as a power bank. CTEK markets it for cars, motorcycles, vans, boats, and recreational vehicles.[2]

Professional products

CTEK also has a Professional division aimed at commercial and industrial customers. These products and systems are intended for organisations such as automotive manufacturers, professional workshops, vehicle dealerships, charging-point operators, parking companies, property owners, and fleet-related businesses. Rather than simply selling an off-the-shelf charger, CTEK can develop customised low-voltage and EVSE solutions for professional applications.[1]

Electric-vehicle charging

EV charging has become one of CTEK’s major strategic areas. The company’s EV business goes beyond the physical wall-mounted charger. CTEK provides solutions involving AC charging, charging stations, EVSE, load balancing, charging networks, backend software, charging management, payment-related functionality, monitoring, and infrastructure management. This allows CTEK to address both individual home charging and much larger installations involving multiple charging stations.[1][2]

Load balancing

One particularly important technology in CTEK’s professional EV business is load balancing. If multiple EVs charge simultaneously, a building or electrical installation may not have enough available power to allow every charger to operate at maximum output. A load-balancing system can dynamically distribute available electrical capacity among charging points. This makes it possible to install multiple chargers while managing the site’s overall electrical capacity more efficiently.

CTEK is not exclusively a consumer aftermarket brand. One of the company’s significant competitive advantages is its relationship with automotive manufacturers. CTEK states it has established long-term relationships with more than 50 of the world’s major vehicle manufacturers.[1][2]

This means CTEK technology can appear in professional automotive environments and OEM applications in addition to products sold under the CTEK name. The company has worked with prominent automotive brands and lists organisations such as Ferrari and Porsche among customers of its Professional division.[1]

CTEK’s brand identity is strongly connected to battery intelligence and controlled charging. Its stated emphasis is on developing products that are safe, reliable, easy to use, easy to install, technologically advanced, and designed to maximise battery performance. The company describes trust, passion, and innovation as major drivers of its business.[1]

CTEK also emphasises Swedish engineering and product development. Its corporate materials state that its products are designed, developed, and tested in Sweden, with R&D centres in Falun, Norrköping, and Shenzhen.[1]

CTEK occupies a distinct position in the automotive aftermarket. It is generally positioned as a premium battery-management and charging brand, rather than as a mass-market manufacturer of inexpensive generic chargers. The brand’s reputation is built around the progression of Swedish engineering leading to intelligent charging, battery longevity, safety, and reliability.

This positioning has helped CTEK become particularly recognisable among automotive enthusiasts, classic-car owners, motorcycle owners, professional mechanics, dealerships, performance-car owners, motorsport users, marine users, and EV infrastructure operators. CTEK states its products have received numerous international automotive awards and have frequently achieved “best in test” results.[1][2]

CTEK’s products are sold internationally, with the company reporting sales in more than 70 countries.[1] Its customers span multiple layers of the automotive and energy ecosystem, including consumers, retailers, workshops, vehicle manufacturers, charging operators, and property owners. CTEK therefore operates across several parts of the vehicle-energy ecosystem rather than functioning solely as a battery-charger brand.

CTEK officially organises its business into two divisions:

Consumer

Focused on products sold to end users through retailers, distributors, and e-commerce. Main products include battery chargers, battery maintainers, EV chargers, and charging accessories.[1]

Professional

Focused on customised solutions for organisations and professional customers. Its offerings include EVSE, low-voltage charging systems, EV infrastructure, charging management, and customised OEM solutions. Its customers include vehicle manufacturers, charging-point operators, and parking companies.[1]

Several technologies are closely associated with the CTEK brand:

• Electronic pulse technology: Part of CTEK’s historical foundation. Founder Bengt Wahlqvist developed a battery charger using electronic pulse technology, which CTEK identifies as the basis of its first smart charger.[1]
• Adaptive Charging: CTEK has continued developing intelligent charging technology, including APTO™ Adaptive Charging, used by the CS ONE.[1]
• Battery maintenance: Rather than treating charging as a one-time activity, CTEK’s products are designed around the broader concept of battery care and management.
• EV load balancing: In its EV business, CTEK uses intelligent systems to distribute electrical power between charging stations, helping infrastructure operate within available power limits.[2]

The 2018 acquisition of CHARGESTORM was an important turning point for CTEK. CHARGESTORM was a Swedish company specialising in EV charging technology. The acquisition enabled CTEK to expand from its established low-voltage battery business into the rapidly growing EV infrastructure market.[1]

In strategic terms, this changed CTEK’s narrative from a company specialising in vehicle batteries toward a company providing charging solutions across conventional and electric vehicles. That transition is central to understanding CTEK’s modern business.

CTEK’s move into EV charging represents an extension of its original expertise rather than a complete departure from it. The company’s traditional business is concerned with managing electrical energy in vehicle batteries. EV charging involves the same broad principle at a much larger system level: electrical supply flows through charging hardware to the battery, vehicle, and energy management systems. CTEK has therefore positioned itself to participate in both conventional vehicle battery management and the emerging electric-mobility infrastructure market.

CTEK presents the transition toward electric mobility as an important part of its long-term strategy. Its sustainability approach includes developing charging infrastructure that can make more efficient use of available electrical capacity, alongside its broader ESG commitments.[1] The company frames its mission around developing charging products that are innovative, safe, easy to install, and easy to use for different types of vehicles.[1]

• 1997: CTEK founded in Vikmanshyttan, Sweden.[1]
• Late 1990s onward: Development and commercialisation of intelligent battery-charging technology.
• 2000s–2010s: Expansion of battery chargers and relationships with automotive manufacturers.
• 2009: CTEK states it began developing proprietary EV charging stations.[2]
• 2018: Acquisition of Swedish EV-charging company CHARGESTORM.[1]
• 2021: CTEK AB listed on Nasdaq Stockholm.[1]
• 2020s: Continued expansion of both low-voltage battery management and EV charging solutions, with products sold in more than 70 countries.[1]
• 2026: CTEK continues to operate as a global battery-management and vehicle-charging company, with Consumer and Professional divisions.[1][2]

1. History – CTEK
2. CTEK – Power Every Moment