ChargeWheel secures $1 million investment to build network of solar-powered mobile charging hubs

ChargeWheel, a company providing clean, on-demand mobile charging hub for micro-mobility fleets and electric vehicles, announced that it has secured $1 million in seed funding from Right Side Capital. An additional multimillion-dollar funding round is expected to close later this year.

The funding will support the launch of the San Francisco Bay Area's first charging network based on ChargeWheel's Energy Trailers, a combined solar power generation and energy storage solution for charging personal electric vehicles of all kinds. The Energy Trailer system is capable of simultaneously charging four electric vehicles or up to 400 e-bikes and e-scooters at DC fast charging (DCFC) speeds.

The ChargeWheel Energy Trailers will complement the company's existing ChargeWheel Energy Delivery Vans, which are capable of deploying the Energy Trailers or recharging them if needed. By Q4 2019, ChargeWheel will have 100 Energy Trailers ready for deployment and accessible to micromobility fleet operators and EV drivers.

“E-scooters and e-bikes are enabling huge strides toward zero-emissions transportation in cities today, but because micromobility charging networks and infrastructure don't exist where micromobility devices are primarily used, many of the largest fleet operators are relying on warehouses far away from city centers, stocked with diesel generators to charge their vehicles en masse,” said Huzaifa Muhammad, CEO and Founder of ChargeWheel. “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 offering addresses the sustainability and efficiency shortcomings in the micromobility industry by providing a cleaner and more convenient way to charge electric modes of transportation in cities.”

ChargeWheel's Energy Trailers are equipped with solar panels, 550KWh of energy storage capacity and DCFC, and offer several advantages over traditional EV and micro-mobility fleet charging models. The Energy Trailer is capable of charging vehicles with 100% solar energy generated by roof-mounted solar panels, enabling micro-mobility fleets to utilise an unprecedented level of clean energy in their operations.

Energy Trailers can operate in any parking lot - and anywhere you can bring a van - dramatically reducing space, permitting and equipment requirements for the infrastructure necessary to recharge micro-mobility fleets at DCFC speeds. They don't require a connection to the grid, making them completely mobile and capable of generating renewable electricity onsite using solar panels.

Fleet operators can benefit from ChargeWheel's charging as a service offering in several ways. They can lease the trailers on yearly contracts. For a monthly subscription fee, micro-mobility fleet operators who use independent contractors for charging of their fleets can direct their contractors to the nearest ChargeWheel Energy Trailer for charging.