Why this EV charging company just helped electrify an entire village in Senegal

In a small village in Senegal, almost no one has electricity, but that’s about to change. Last year, a 40-foot-shipping container rolled into town, unfolded an array of solar panels on its roof, and crews began running wires to connect the whole village to clean power. After final approvals from the local government, the new microgrid will soon switch on.

The project had an unusual funding source: ChargePoint, the EV charging company known for its network of a million chargers in the U.S. and Europe...