ChargeWheel sparks mobile EV charging in San Francisco

ChargeWheel has secured $1 million in funding to launch a mobile electric vehicle (EV) charging network in the San Francisco Bay Area. The network will be based on ChargeWheel’s mobile Energy Trailers, which don’t require a connection to the grid, and can therefore operate in any car park. The company says they offer a combined solar-powered generation and energy storage solution, and plans to deploy 100 in the Bay Area by the end of 2019. The units can simultaneously charge four EVs or up to 400 electric
April 8, 2019 Read time: 2 mins

ChargeWheel has secured $1 million in funding to launch a mobile electric vehicle (EV) charging network in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The network will be based on ChargeWheel’s mobile Energy Trailers, which don’t require a connection to the grid, and can therefore operate in any car park.

The company says they offer a combined solar-powered generation and energy storage solution, and plans to deploy 100 in the Bay Area by the end of 2019. The units can simultaneously charge four EVs or up to 400 electric bikes or e-scooters at DC fast-charging (DCFC) speeds.

Huzaifa Muhammad, CEO and founder of ChargeWheel, says micromobility charging networks and infrastructure do not exist where micromobility devices are primarily used.

“Many of the largest fleet operators are relying on warehouses far away from city centres, stocked with diesel generators to charge their vehicles en masse,” he continues. “Similarly, there is a lack of DC fast chargers in large city centres for electric car drivers, mainly due to lengthy permitting and infrastructure installation issues.”

ChargeWheel’s Energy Trailers are equipped with solar panels, 550KWh of energy storage capacity. The company will introduce a $99 yearly unlimited charging subscription plan, allowing drivers to charge their vehicles at a fixed cost from any location.

The company says EV fleet operators will also benefit because they can lease the trailers on yearly contracts.

For a monthly subscription fee, micromobility fleet operators which use independent contractors for charging their fleets can direct contractors to the nearest ChargeWheel energy trailer.

Funding came from venture capital firm Ride Side Capital and an additional funding round is expected to close later this year.

Urban Traffic Control

Related Content

  • Aberdeen opts for APT EV charging
    March 13, 2014
    Aberdeen City Council in Scotland has chosen electric vehicle (EV) charging from APT Technologies to support its aim to reduce air and noise pollution through encouraging the use of more sustainable and quieter transport modes. The contract also includes a three-year maintenance package. The first installation saw eight double 7kW units, two wall-mounted 7kW units and one double mixer post with 7kW and 3kW power supplies installed into local authority premises to service fleet vehicles and give council e
    Read More
  • Strike action prompts commuters to try something different
    June 2, 2014
    David Crawford highlights responses to transit disruption on both sides of the Atlantic. Shortly before workers at San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) began a lengthy round of pay and conditions-related strikes in summer 2013, impacting on the daily lives of 400,000 communities, online ridesharing group Avego publicised a new web address: bartstrike.com. By the start of the following week, Avego was encouraging stranded commuters to download its smartphone app by offering them the chance in a raffle
    Read More
  • MaaS app Whim ‘to cover 60 countries in next five years’
    April 9, 2018
    Whim, the Mobility as a Service (MaaS) app which gives users access to transport packages on a pay-as-you-go or monthly subscription basis, has announced ambitious growth plans. “Within the next five years, we want to cover 60 countries,” Whim co-founder Kaj Pyyhtia (pictured) told ITS International. At present Whim, which is owned by MaaS Global, is available in just two countries, but Pyyhtia insists the target is achievable. The service was launched in Birmingham, UK, last week, to cover the
    Read More
  • NKM Mobilities installs Tritium fast chargers in Hungary
    July 18, 2018
    NKM Mobilitas will install 12 of Tritium’s Veefil-RT 50kW DC fast chargers along main traffic routes in Hungary during the second half of 2018. The roll-out is part of a wider ambition to establish a charging network throughout the country. The company is a subsidiary of National Utilities, the state Hungarian provider which supplies gas and electricity to households in the country. NKM Mobilitas plans to work with local governments and municipalities to implement 100 e-chargers across Hungary by the
    Read More

Highlighted Content