The electric vehicle industry is growing rapidly, but one key challenge for the segment is the lack of EV charging stations. The development of a public charging network is vital to the success of EVs. Range anxiety is a proven roadblock to wider acceptance of EVs.
People prefer charging their EVs at home, and at the same time, want to have the convenience & security of easily accessible public charging stations.
But, why not have an EV charging service that comes to you? An EV charging facility that allows customers to request on-demand charging when their vehicle is low or out of charge.
With a shortage of charging stations for electric vehicles, some entrepreneurs are looking into mobile EV charging options. Let’s have a look at some players in this field:
Hopcharge: IIT-Delhi alumnus Saurabh Rohilla & BITS-Pilani alumnus Arjun Singh launched Hopcharge in 2019. The startup offers on-demand EV charging service at your doorstep. The Gurugram-based company has an EV charging app through which customers can request Hopcharge’s charging services from the convenience of their homes. They need to select the type of EV, enter their location, battery status and time of convenience to schedule the charging service.
The startup began its operations in Gurugram and has since expanded to Delhi, Noida, Mumbai & Bengaluru. Hopcharge has also collaborated with Tata Motors and is selling their subscriptions at Tata dealerships.
Repos Energy: Ratan Tata-backed mobile energy distribution startup Repos Energy’s aim is to bring all fuels, be it liquid, gas or electric, under one platform, and make them available with ‘just a click on the phone’. Below is a screengrab from the Repos Energy app, where customers will be able to choose from the variety of energy options once they are launched:
The Pune-based company delivers these ‘fuels’ safely using custom-made ‘Special Purpose Vehicles’. The startup is planning to bring all forms of energy like biofuels, CNG, LNG, EV charging & battery swapping right at the customers’ doorsteps.
Repos Energy has also tied-up with Pune-based ‘Urja Bio System’ & Gurugram-based ‘BatX Energies’ to introduce a truly green on-demand EV charging service. As per the trio’s plans, Urja Bio System will create micro power generation utilities using waste-to-energy production, which will be used to charge batteries. BatX Energies will assemble batteries by sourcing end-of-life lithium-ion cells from OEMs, telecom & IT infra companies. These batteries will then be equipped in Repos Energy’s mobile charging trucks.
Mobec:
Mobec is a Noida-based startup which identifies as a mobile EV charging-as-a-service (MCaaS) provider. It is working on a franchise model and is targeting 100 franchise partners throughout the country by the end of 2023. In the initial phase, the company is focusing on expanding the network’s reach across tier-1 cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad & Pune.
The company’s portable charging solutions eliminate the need for heavy investment in setting-up EV charging infrastructure.
Customers can schedule the nearest portable charger through the Mobec EV charging app. The company aims to provide on-demand doorstep charging facilities for EV owners.
Scan the barcode and download the EV Joints app to find 6,000 EV charging stations across various networks.
Click & download the EVJoints app to find 6,000 charging stations.
At the core of Mobec’s portable charging solutions is ‘Mobec 3’ modular portable power bank that provides a 3.6 kWh power output. This modular system can be stacked to increase the output capacity of the power banks to 7, 15 & 20 kWh.
Bonus Content:
Quench Mini:
Pune-based EV charger manufacturer ‘Quench Chargers’ recently introduced an innovative EV charging solution, the Quench Mini. This portable 30 kW EV charger has caught everyone’s eye owing to its unique mobile design. The Quench Mini has built-in wheels and can easily be moved or carried anywhere.
The portable Mini is a substitute for fixed charging stations and extensive electrical infrastructure. The charger allows multiple EVs to be charged simultaneously, thereby saving time and infrastructure costs.
The Quench Mini is available in 5, 10 & 15-metre cable variants.
Conclusion:
Companies which offer the above mentioned products & services, are aiming to change the way EV users charge their vehicles. Innovative mobile EV charging stations and portable EV chargers can be deployed quickly with no additional infrastructure. Tier-1 & 2 cities in India have high land costs (rental & purchase). Mobile EV chargers eliminate such costs. Depending upon the on-site situation, such chargers are presently being powered by battery energy storage solutions (BESS), and if these are received well, we may see such mobile EV charging vans with solar panels on top, thus creating green self-contained generating systems.
