Los Angeles-startup EV Safe Charge Inc. today unveiled ZiGGY, a mobile EV (electric vehicle) charging robot aimed at overcoming the limitations of stationary units and the need for costly electrical infrastructure. The company expects to be the first company to bring to market a mobile EV charging solution featuring communication and digital, interactive advertising.

It is intended for use in parking facilities such as those for shopping and entertainment centers, and hotels for fleet operators and property owners. In addition, the robot’s digital ad server can generate advertising revenue for the facility and display customized information.

“Strong EV sales and emissions reduction goals are creating a more sustainable future, but EV charging infrastructure isn’t keeping up,” said Caradoc Ehrenhalt, Founder & CEO of EV Safe Charge Inc. and the robot’s inventor. “ZiGGY is a flexible and simple solution for virtually any office, mall, or apartment complex to help meet the growing charging needs of its tenants and guests without expensive, time-consuming infrastructure and installation investment if it’s even possible. In many cases, especially in older buildings, adding EV chargers isn’t an option until now.”

Founded in 2016 by Ehrenhalt, EV Safe Charge began supplying stationary (non-robotic) mobile EV charging solutions at Jaguar I-Pace launch events in the U.S. and Canada. Since then, EV Safe Charge has provided mobile charging to other EV car launches, events, film studios, and companies including Audi, Daimler, Harley-Davidson, and HP. The company also provides services to clients like Penske Automotive and Lucid.

“One of the barriers to mass EV adoption is the charging anxiety,” said Enrenhalt. “We’re really helping to solve that. It’s one of the solutions we need for our planet. Our company was created out of the true desire to help the environment. So, I’m very excited and proud of everything we’re doing in this space because the more we can make it easy to charge, the more EV adoption will happen and the cleaner our planet gets.”

The idea behind ZiGGY came out of a direct customer need, said Ehrenhalt. Many legacy buildings don’t have enough power for additional–and in some cases any–chargers.

“To bring in additional power for buildings sometimes can take many years and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars or more,” said Ehrenhalt.

The robotic ZiGGY is designed to be summoned to an EV via a mobile app or in-vehicle infotainment system and arrives at the vehicle’s parking space to reserve the spot for charging. The robot can return to its home base for recharging from the grid, battery, or solar energy—or a combination. It can also be chosen for offsite charging if no infrastructure is available or desired onsite. Two extra-large screens can serve as informational kiosks or interactive advertising displays—an additional income generator for parking facility operators.

EV Safe Charge will lease ZiGGY as a “charging-as-a-service” to facilities and provide support and maintenance. Facility operators will have the option to direct vehicle owners to the app for payment or to provide charging as an amenity. In addition, they will no longer need to block off spaces for permanent EV chargers because the robot can serve all parking spaces.

“We created ZiGGY in response to the growing demand for flexible EV charging solutions from our customers and to help support the global transition to a cleaner, greener, all-electric mobility future,” Ehrenhalt added. “By helping drivers to overcome charging anxiety, one of the barriers to mass EV adoption, ZiGGY is enhancing the EV charging experience for everyone.”

EV Safe Charge wanted a modern, welcoming design for ZiGGY and engaged award-winning San Francisco-based industrial design studio Box Clever. The team worked on the design of ZiGGY’s exterior while also creating a holistic design experience including the UX and brand identity design.

“Through our work on the design and branding of ZiGGY, we are delighted to be contributing to a transformative innovation that will help advance a clean energy future,” said Bret Recor, Box Clever’s Founder and Creative Director.

EV Safe Charge is taking reservations now for the ZiGGY charging robot, which is currently scheduled to enter production in 2023.

Some sites are already on board for using ZiGGY including Holiday Inn Express in Redwood City, CA; Opera Plaza in San Francisco, and The William Vale luxury hotel in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood.

“We delight in finding opportunities to introduce our guests and neighbors to next-level amenities and technology,” said David Lemmond, General Manager of The William Vale. “ZiGGY is perfect for the growing demand for easier charging solutions. ZiGGY will introduce our entire community to just how convenient charging your EV really can be without substantial infrastructure updates.”

EV Safe Charge has been funded through angel investors including Sand Hill Angels, one of the largest early-stage investing groups in the U.S. In addition, Capstone Financial Group, a leading international investment bank in the automotive/mobility space, has been instrumental in supporting the company’s funding.

“Sand Hill Angels makes seed-stage investments in disruptive, scalable technologies that we believe can become highly profitable businesses,” said Drue Freeman, Sand Hill Angels Board Member. “We invested in EV Safe Charge because we believe that the acceleration of electric vehicle adoption will result in a growing shortage of readily available fixed-charging capacity, even as industry and government invest massively in infrastructure. The cost of retrofitting existing parking structures for EVs can be prohibitive for operators and landlords, and it will be inefficient to install enough fixed-charging capacity to meet demand in every parking lot.”

“We are thrilled about ZiGGY, and feel it will be well received by the market because it represents a cost-effective alternative that simplifies EV charging infrastructure,” said Carl Norman, President of Capstone Financial Group. “We look forward to ZiGGY moving into production and to partnering with parking operators, office and residential landlords, hotels, event venues, and more to support the future of flexible charging needs.”