5 World-Changing Electric Mobility Startups in the US

As part of our advisory activities at Mind the Bridge, we are continuously looking for the most innovative startups around the world that fit the verticals we are focusing on and our client’s needs. In this article, you will find five US startups that are worth following in the E-mobility space. Before that, we would like to share some trends shaking this sector.

On September 23rd, 2020, Gavin Newsom, California’s governor, signed an executive order requiring all new passenger cars and trucks sold in the state to be zero-emission vehicles by 2035. This is another deeper step towards electrification.
Electrification refers broadly to the adoption of electricity as a source of power for vehicles. It encompasses electric vehicle technology, platforms, and infrastructure. We identified three macro trends in this sector:

  • The market is going through a consolidation process, led mainly by corporate M&A and investments. Direct investments by corporations accounted for ~45% of the total investments  In 2019, with a 3X growth since 2017). 
  • Oil & Gas companies are the most active non-transportation industry in strategic investments in E-Mobility, twice more active than Utilities, 50% more than Tech companies. They are mostly operating in the acquisition of electric charging solutions companies and through their dynamic CVC arms.

The fuel cell industry is set for rapid growth. An estimated $130 billion opportunity will be up for grabs by 2030 as vehicles move to emission-free engines. Fuel cells will take part in this opportunity.

You will find below five US companies that are worth following in the E-mobility space.

Electriphi

HQ: San Francisco, California
Founded: 2018
Funding: $3.5M

Electriphi developed a comprehensive platform for fleet charging management based on schedules, routes, and energy rates. The scaleup sophisticated ML/AI platform can measure and predict the impact of route topology, weather conditions, driver behavior, and vehicle efficiencies to provide the most optimal charging strategies.

What’s the Value:
Companies can smoothly shift to a fully electric fleet thanks to Electriphi fleet-tailored algorithms that can simulate vehicles, infrastructure, and energy models. 

Worth Mentioning:

Xeal

HQ: Los Angeles, California
Founded: 2019
Funding: Undisclosed

Xeal provides an electric car charging platform for apartments, condos, and workplaces. They developed a proprietary cloud base management software, consumer app, and EV charging control access system. Xeal wants to make EV charges profitable assets by creating an Airbnb-style platform.

What’s the Value:
They develop a patent-pending technology leveraging Near Field Communication (NFC) to enable EV charging in locations where Wifi and Internet access is not available. 

Worth Mentioning:

Veloce Energy

HQ: Los Angeles, California
Founded: 2020
Funding: Undisclosed

Veloce Energy’s developed a modular & scalable energy storage solution and a charging-infrastructure-as-a-service model. The combination of these two elements can create flexible and scalable grid-edge energy networks to increase EV charging profitability.

What’s the Value:
Veloce Energy can work with any established EV charger manufacturer to integrate any of their equipment into the DC FastGrid system. 

Worth Mentioning:

Ampcontrol

HQ: New York
Founded: 2017
Funding: Undisclosed

Ampcontrol developed software to optimize EV charging by ensuring that you always have full batteries and lower energy costs. It helps to charge point operators (CPOs) as well as fleet operators and utilities to prioritize and schedule charging when it is more convenient to avoid high peak demand charges.

What’s the Value:
It allows operators to keep their central backend (e.g. OCPP Server) and integrate Ampcontrol with only a few API endpoints.

Worth Mentioning:

Zero Avia

HQ: Hollister, California
Founded: 2017
Funding: $5,8M

Zero Avia developed a zero-emission powertrain designed for commercial air travel. The company’s powertrain is based on electric propulsion powered by the hydrogen fuel cell system. This solution enables aviation companies to lower fuel and maintenance costs. 

What’s the Value:
Zero Avia allows aviation companies to leverage investments on the current infrastructure and reduce the impact on CO2 emission.

Worth Mentioning:

Final Conclusions

The very definition of the boundaries of E-Mobility is not necessarily unequivocal. In this article, we wanted to give a snapshot of different areas, from AI to fleet charging to aviation. It is also important to acknowledge the rising interest in hydrogen technologies and the widely accepted fact that electric vehicles will be an active part of the grid, allowing energy to be stored or to flow through them. 

Stay tuned for our next Scaleup Summits:

*sources: Crunchbase, Pitchbook, Mind the Bridge

About the author: Alessio Tresanti, Innovation Advisor
Alessio holds a BSc in Economics and an MSc in Innovation, Strategy, and Entrepreneurship from Grenoble Ecole de Management.
Currently, he serves as an Innovation Advisor at Mind the Bridge where he manages the Energy Vertical and he helps with the open innovation activities of Enel Spa for the Silicon Valley Hub. That allows him to scout and evaluate more than 1000 startups per year.