As the number of electric vehicles on our roads increases, so does the need for charger-accessible parking spots. Instead of having to create more EV-specific spots, parking garage operators could soon utilize Autev charging robots that come to people's cars.
Designed by a Seattle-based startup of the same name, the Autev bot is basically a big battery on wheels. It autonomously makes its way to a user's electric car (or other type of EV) when hailed by that person via an app. That vehicle can be located at any parking spot within the garage, EV-dedicated or otherwise.
Once the robot arrives, the user just plugs its charging cable into their vehicle's charging port, then leaves it to get the job done as they run their errands, etc.
When they return, they unplug the bot's cable, allowing it to head back to its own charging station within the garage. If the user gets back early and wants to leave before charging is complete, they can either reduce the desired charging capacity via the app, or just manually unplug the robot's cable.
Autev CEO/cofounder Osama AlSalloum tells us that the robot supports DCFC fast charging technology, and is capable of charging up to six vehicles before needing to get recharged itself.
It is hoped that fleets of the bots will be commercially available to garage operators by the first quarter of next year. Those operators will pay a monthly fee, and receive revenue both from customer charging fees and advertising on the robots.
For other examples of mobile EV-charging robots currently in development, check out the offerings from Volkswagen and EV Safe Charge.
Source: Autev
