As part of the Start-up in Residence (SiR) programme, Campus Groningen and Bedrijvenvereniging WEST will be working with EVoltify to help speed up development of a mobile charging station for electric vehicles. The development plan is to get off to a flying start thanks to the involvement of CommShare: a leading (electric) vehicle leasing organisation. In the coming week the first test using a mobile charging station will be carried out, and following this test the scheme will be expanded to include various companies on Campus Groningen. EVoltify is based at the Campus, with its HQ at the BuildinG. It is hoped that these trials will lead to an innovative pilot programme that will include various Campus-linked companies and organisations.
Riko Kruit, co-founder at EVoltify says: “the Startup in Residence programme is a great chance for EVoltify, and allows us to further develop and test our product. We hope that our innovative idea will help to make transport on the Campus more sustainable. After a flying start to our development, we are looking for new ways to develop ourselves with Campus Groningen.”
Testing
EVoltify’s mobile charging station will go through a series of tests and trials to determine its best configuration to optimize charging times for electric (loan) cars on the Campus. The testing phase is being carried out in collaboration with students from both the Hanzehogeschool and University of Groningen, and the innovative mobility concept CommShare is also participating in the pilot and development programmes.
Stephanie van der Veer, Operations Manager at CommShare says: “Together with EVoltify there will be a near-100 percent mobility guarantee for CommShare in the future, and also a 100 percent charging guarantee on Campus Groningen locations. This collaboration therefore strengthens all of us within it.”
Mobile charging stations
After the various tests to see how the mobile charging station can work, a logistical trial will be carried out, with the charging station and various CommShare cars to be made available across the Campus.
This means that from June 2021 other organisations on the Campus can take part in this trial on their own premises, whether that involves having the charging station at their building, or also taking part in CommShare’s electric car scheme. For more information, or to take part, just get in touch with Riko Kruit (co-founder EVoltify) via riko@evoltify.com, or with Stephan van der Veer (Operations Manager, CommShare) via svdveer@pouwrent.nl
The city, province, and various organisations have come together to make working as a start-up in Groningen as simple and stimulating as possible with a scheme that gives start-ups a half-year partnership period with large organisations like Campus Groningen to work together to address big societal challenges.
EVoltify was started as an answer to ‘range anxiety’ felt by those that use electric vehicles, with a simple way to charge up. Once you’ve parked up, use the app to tell EVoltify where your car is, and we’ll bring the charging station to you! With mobile charging stations you can make sure your car has enough power for trips throughout the day.
CommShare is an all-in-one mobility concept that focuses on the sustainable instillation of electric lease cars for business trips, with a 100 percent guarantee of having a car where and when you need it. The concept is made possible through a collaboration between Triade, Pouw Rent, and Martinistad B.V. BMW & MINI. The concept was launched on Campus Groningen in 2020, with the UMCG as launch partner and customer.
