According to a Canadian business, using robots that patrol parking lots in apartments and condos at night to charge depleted automobiles while their owners are asleep is a more cost-effective and efficient option than installing cables. Two Canadian cities, one of the biggest real estate developers in the nation, and one of the Big Three U.S. automakers have expressed interest in the company.
According to census data, almost one-third of Canadians dwell in multi-residential buildings. EV owners who live in condos or apartments frequently do not have constant access to chargers, which is a significant benefit for those who can set up the devices in their own driveway or garage. It is expensive for building owners to add additional plug locations, especially in older structures that would require modification to accommodate the electrical load.
Since the first EVs were put on the road, sales have been hampered by these charging issues. In a recent large-scale survey, EY identified the scarcity of charging outlets as a major worry. The accountancy and consulting firm cautions that Canadians are becoming less inclined to buy electric vehicles. The majority of Canadians desire a black, gas-powered SUV, according to a survey conducted last week by DesRosiers Automotive Consultants, which surveyed 4,500 people.
The federal government’s goal of gradually discontinuing the sale of new internal combustion automobiles by 2035 is negatively impacted by this. In the third quarter of 2024, just over 25% of new motor vehicle registrations in Canada were battery electric, hybrid electric, or plug-in hybrid vehicles, according to Statistics Canada.
Fixed chargers are a holdover from internal combustion, according to Toronto-based Kiwi Charge, which models them after gas pumps where drivers pull up to fill up. According to founder Abdel Ali, his service is roughly 40% less expensive to install in buildings than that of his nearest rival.
“It’s going to be a seamless experience,” he told Yahoo Finance Canada. “Each robot can replace the equivalent of 30 Level 2 chargers.”
The robot from Kiwi Charge locates customer automobiles by mapping the indoor parking structure of a building. For a vehicle to accept a charge, no permanent changes are necessary. The robot can connect to a location outside the car via a proprietary connection that connects the car’s charge port. When the automobile is parked for the night, this end of the cable, which is held in place by the closed trunk lid, rolls out over the bumper like a flap.
As of right now, Kiwi Charge has a proof-of-concept robot that can locate customer cars, navigate parking spaces, and initiate a charging session without assistance from a person. A larger battery and the ability to use AI and vehicle data to anticipate when a charge is necessary are features of the upcoming version. To determine that, the business is collaborating with the Vector Institute, an AI research center funded by the Ontario government.
According to Ali, a fully functional autonomous version should be prepared for a funded pilot project with Tridel Group, one of the biggest privately held real estate companies in Canada, by the end of the year. Some of Toronto’s highest residential buildings are part of the company’s extensive portfolio.
“Tridel is excited to work with Kiwi Charge and its revolutionary technology,” Graeme Armster, Tridel’s director of innovation and sustainability, said in an email. “We believe this is going to change the landscape of electric vehicle charging and are proud to be involved as things evolve.”
“Developers are very interested in giving their residents access to EV charging. That’s where the whole industry is going,” Ali said. “We’re able to help them do it at a lower cost that can be passed down to the residents. That’s why they’re excited about this solution.”
The excitement over Kiwi Charge has extended to Detroit, the home of Ford (F), General Motors (GM), and Stellantis’ North American business (STLA). Ali says that Kiwi Charge is “in talks” regarding their technology and potential future vehicle charging methods with one of the so-called Big Three American manufacturers. Since the discussions are still private, Yahoo Finance Canada has consented to keep the carmaker’s identity a secret.
“What [they] see is that how chargers are set up right now, it’s a relic of gas cars,” Ali said.
He believes that the electric vehicle connection point and his charging robots could eventually be included into the exterior of cars and trucks.
Kiwi Charge is now using a manual version of its robot to evaluate its business plan. The trailer is essentially a large battery that is towed into parking lots. According to Ali, charging charges are equivalent to those of utilizing a Level 3 public charger, such as those found in the network of Tesla (TSLA) Superchargers.
“We’re live in two buildings, but we have 140 as part of our wait list,” Ali said. “We can’t service that right now.”
Kiwi Charge charges its battery on a trailer using public chargers, the majority of which are not used late at night. This type of pilot project is currently underway in Vaughan, Ontario, and the company intends to launch a test in Markham, Ontario, in January. North of Toronto’s downtown, both cities are roughly an hour’s drive away.
“Portable EV charging solutions eliminate a large barrier to EV adoption,” Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti said via email. “Providing companies with a real-life environment to test, develop, and showcase breakthrough technologies . . . underscores Markham’s leadership in sustainability and smart mobility.”
Cities like Toronto, Mississauga, and Waterloo have electrification restrictions in their municipal zoning laws, even though Ontario does not have any criteria for EV-ready buildings. Provincial EV preparedness laws are already in effect in British Columbia and Quebec.
According to Jennifer Rogers, the leader of EY Canada’s automotive and transportation division, EV charging, range anxiety, and affordability issues must be resolved if sales are to increase from their current levels.
“Beyond the early adopter phase, I think it’s going to be harder to turn people into electric vehicle owners,” she told Yahoo Finance Canada. “When you start getting beyond people with a single-family home, where it’s easier to have at-home charging, that poses challenges.”
By no means is Kiwi Charge the only business making an effort to close this gap in convenience.
ZiGGY is a rolling robot used for EV charging that is owned by the Los Angeles-based startup EV Safe Charge. In 2023, the business won a competition to install a pilot in Barcelona’s public parking facilities. But it seems that in order to connect to a car’s socket, ZiGGY requires a human. After a reservation is made through an app, it is intended to meet drivers at a predetermined parking space.
Meanwhile, Toronto-based startup SWTCH Energy claims that its electrical load management software enables ten times as many EV chargers to be installed in aging multi-tenant buildings without the need for expensive infrastructure improvements.
In the meantime, Tesla is submitting patent applications that hint at an upcoming wireless charging solution.
“We’re ahead of the curve when it comes to our technology and some of the IP (intellectual property) that we’re developing,” Ali said.
“There are some competitors that come up, but we think that our solution from a technology perspective and a go-to-market perspective is ahead of the curve.”