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Robotic, on-demand tech for seamless EV charging
CategoriesSustainable News

Robotic, on-demand tech for seamless EV charging

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: According to a McKinsey survey, the availability of chargers is the most significant consideration of sceptical EV buyers. Hoping to tackle that is Kolbev, a Swiss-based company, which envisions a future where renewable energy seamlessly integrates into urban landscapes. The company’s innovation: an on-demand, wireless EV charging system equipped with energy storage, designed to be swiftly deployed to city locations.

Subscribing customers can use Kolbev’s app to request e-charging in specific car parks and city hotspots. The robotic charger will then autonomously locate the e-car and manoeuvre beneath the vehicle to initiate charging, offering a space-saving solution in compact city areas.

Importantly, Kolbev’s innovation removes the barrier of costly upfront investments by operating without the need for infrastructure. This approach not only ensures easy implementation but opens up the possibility for rapid scalability. Additionally, Kolbev’s solution delivers renewable energy, aiming to catalyse the widespread adoption of EVs in a more sustainable manner.

Springwise has previously spotted other innovations aimed at improving the way EVs are charged, from a new charging system that improves reliability, scalability, and cost-effectiveness to an AI-powered smart charging technology.

Written By: Georgia King

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A robot brings EV charging to your parking space 
CategoriesSustainable News

A robot brings EV charging to your parking space 

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: In 2021, sales of electric vehicles (EVs) doubled from the previous year, reaching an all-time high of 6.6 million. Growth looks likely to continue, with the first figures from 2023 showing year-on-year increases. Where the dynamism of the market may stumble is in the lack of public charging infrastructure. The International Energy Agency (IEA) warns in its Global EV Outlook 2022 report that the number of public charging stations that governments and agencies have announced as planned may not be enough to power the growing number of EVs on the road. 

Rather than reconfigure public parking ramps to find room for stationary charging stations, USA-based EV Safe Charge is turning to robotics for a mobile, bookable EV charging solution. Called ZiGGY, the company’s robotic charger debuted at the Dallas Fort Worth airport in May 2023. Designed to make EV charging easy and convenient, the robot reserves a parking space for the driver when a charge is requested through the app. 

Upon arrival at the airport car park, drivers receive directions to the space the robot has reserved for them. When they return, a fully charged vehicle awaits. The robotic charging stations provide a variety of benefits for car park owners, including sizeable advertising space on two sides of the robot and the elimination of the need to dedicate significant amounts of space to permanent charging stations.  

By offering EV charging-as-a-service, airports and other large commercial spaces provide customers with a safer, smoother experience. Car owners don’t have to waste time and battery power searching for an available charging centre, and frequent flyers don’t have to worry about returning to an uncharged car battery.  

Other innovations in Springwise’s archive that are helping upgrade the global EV charging network include a platform that tracks electricity prices for the most cost-effective charge and an artificial-intelligence-powered (AI) app that charges connected vehicles when the price is best.

Written By: Keely Khoury

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Home EV Charging Made Simple (But Do Hire an Electrician)
CategoriesSustainable News Zero Energy Homes

Home EV Charging Made Simple (But Do Hire an Electrician)

By Zarkon Group,

Level 2 is fine for home EV charging

All electric vehicles, except Teslas, use public and private L-2 chargers via a J1772 connector, also known as the J-plug. (Tesla vehicles come with the adapter that lets you use the J-plug.) An L-2 charger will typically take about 4-10 hours to fully charge an EV. For home EV charging, that usually works.

“Eighty percent of EV charging is done at home anyway, and they charge overnight,” Myers added. “The average mileage that an EV driver drives is around 30 miles a day. People really don’t need to go in and do a super-quick fill up at home.… You don’t run your cell phone until it’s completely empty and then run to go charge again. You use it during the day, and at night you plug it in and then it charges. That’s really how EVs are run. So we kind of have to get into that mentality [with our cars].”

Public DC fast chargers

Even so, sometimes we need a quick charge to get us home. “Where these [DC] fast chargers come in is along major highways, because that’s where you do need it if you’re traveling from here to here: to provide that 15-minute, half-hour stop,” Myers said. “You get some coffee or whatever, fill up and then be on your way.”

FYI: there are three types of DC fast chargers: CHAdeMO, CCS, and Tesla. Again, you’ll find these DCFC stations in public, but not for home EV charging.

  • CHAdeMO (the initialism for charge de move is pronounced CHAD-em-oh) has become the standard for manufacturers like Nissan and Mitsubishi.
  • The more common CCS, or combined charging system, is an open-source standard. In the US, all newly manufactured passenger EVs (except Tesla) will use the CCS connector.
  • Tesla vehicles utilize their own DC fast chargers, but vehicles come with adaptors for CCS.

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Wireless charging technology for e-scooters
CategoriesSustainable News

Wireless charging technology for e-scooters

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: The global e-scooter market is skyrocketing as more people are shifting from private and public transport to electric scooter rentals. However, one major consideration is the ability to recharge the scooters on the go – most cities are not equipped for large-scale charging stations and swapping out batteries is expensive. Enter Meredot, a Latvian developer and manufacturer of fast wireless chargers for e-scooters which has recently unveiled its first commercial wireless charger.

Meredot’s charger consists of a charging pad, that can be placed either above or below the ground. Existing e-scooters can be retrofitted with receivers, while new ones can have them built-in during manufacturing. The pads are used in conjunction with software that enables operators to have a full overview of the amount of charge on each vehicle. Alternatively, Meredot can operate and manage the charging network on behalf of clients.

The pads use technology such as Foreign Object Detection (FOD), Live Object Detection (LOD), and Position Detection (PD) to allow scooters to be parked in any way on the pad and still be charged correctly at the same speed it takes to charge using cables. The MePower technology can also work through asphalt, snow, or ice and is functional at temperatures between –22 and 122 degrees Farenheit (–30 to 50 degrees Celsius).

Roman Bysko, CEO and co-founder of Meredot, hopes that the wireless chargers will act as the foundation to allow an expansion of micro-mobility. He explains that “With transportation moving from fossil fuels to electricity – and now to wireless electricity – it’s clear that cable charging is becoming obsolete (…) As our global market share grows with the release and installation of our Wireless Chargers worldwide, we intend to become the world’s premiere fast wireless charging provider.”

There has been a wide range of innovations in the e-mobility space. Springwise has spotted public transport employees being given e-bikes and an inflatable e-scooter that fits in a backpack.

Written By Lisa Magloff

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