Category Archives: CleanTech Innovation

The Gulf of Mexico: the Perfect Place for a Wind Farm?

The US is planning to install a tidal wave of new offshore wind turbines in the Gulf of Mexico. Not only will this wind farm compete on cost with electricity markets in the region, but it adds the prospect of job creation in America as the US economy recovers from the impact of COVID-19.
This wind farm would provide electricity for coastal states such as Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida where energy-guzzling appliances such as air conditioning are extremely popular. The installation of a sustainable energy source would provide large amounts of electricity that these states need without detriment to the environment.

While other nations have been turning to offshore wind farms for a source of sustainable energy, the US only has one offshore wind farm off Rhode Island. According to the Department of Energy, offshore wind has the potential to generate more than 2,000 GW of capacity per year, nearly double the nation’s current electricity use. With that in mind, if 1% of that potential is captured, nearly 6.5 million homes could be powered by offshore wind energy within the next decade.

“We are in an incredible growth period,” said Laura Morton, a senior director at the American Wind Energy Association in Washington, D.C. She cited a recent white paper from the Special Initiative for Offshore Wind, projecting a $70-billion business pipeline in the U.S. by 2030. The Gulf of Mexico presents many advantages as a site for an offshore wind farm from its shallow, warm waters, smaller than average wave heights and proximity to the existing offshore oil and gas infrastructure.

Pioneering turbine technology by 2030
Two recent studies conducted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), which was funded by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), have given promising results for the future of offshore wind energy in the Gulf region.

The first NERL study, concerning offshore renewable energy in the Gulf of Mexico found that wind energy would be the most technically feasible and provide twice the energy consumed in the Gulf states.

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This not only represents a huge step for the development of offshore wind farms in America, but the environmental conditions of the Gulf mean there will be huge advancements in offshore wind farm technology. The turbines will be developed to withstand challenges of hurricane exposure, lower winds and softer soils thus creating the need for pioneering new technologies to withstand this.

With this adaptive technology in hand, NREL forecasts that offshore wind farms could be viable by 2030.

The second study conducted by the NREL showed the economic benefits of this new wind farm, indicating it could create approximately 4,470 jobs with $445 million in gross domestic product (GDP) during its construction and an ongoing 150 jobs with $14 million GDP annually from operation and maintenance labour, materials, and services.

With many countries fearing recession due to the coronavirus pandemic, the installation of this innovative new offshore wind farm will be economically beneficial to the US, creating jobs whilst installing a new, sustainable energy source.

SunPower Leading the Way in Solar Affordability and Accessibility

Through financial support and digitalisation, SunPower is expecting an improvement in their second quarterly earnings allowing flexible financing options for customers.
Solar panel company, SunPower, have expressed their optimism for an increase in sales. This is expected in May and June after a slow month in April due to the coronavirus pandemic. When reporting their first quarterly earnings for the year (Q1) CEO of SunPower, Tom Werner, told Greentech Media (GTM), “There is a balance of a difficult April and an improving May and June.”

After halting manufacturing in April and reducing workers to a four-day week amid the virus, the company’s solar manufacturing is expected to make a revival. Production has now resumed in Malaysia and Oregon. This uphill turn will continue with openings expected at the company’s factories in Mexico and the Philippines.

To boost sales of solar panels, the company also offered the first six months of its solar contract for free. Not only sacrificing profit for the potential of more sign-ups but making a change to renewable energy more attractive to its customers.

SunPower said these “proactive and cost control initiatives” helped their Q1 performance and Werner also stated, “We think we’ve made the appropriate adjustments and put ourselves in a strong position because we responded early to the COVID-19 crisis”.

A new digitalised way to shop solar
One significant thing that lends itself to the success of SunPower during the pandemic is their digitalisation. The company developed an online design function before the pandemic. This allows customers to create their solar installation design without leaving their front door.

With COVID-19 leading to restrictions on day to day life, SunPower’s digitalisation means customers can purchase solar energy in a safe, accessible way. This innovative idea could explain why they developed a positive and optimistic financial report.

This impact has been reported by SunPower who said their residential segment revenue was up 20.3% to £200.4 million.

With their innovation, SunPower is leading the way for sustainable energy companies to become digital. By making the solar panel market more accessible, there is potential for more people to turn to sustainable energy in their homes and businesses.

$1 billion to make solar more “mainstream”
Not only are SunPower leading the way in digitalisation, but they have just received $1 billion in financing from the California-based Technology Credit Union (Tech CU). A significant benefit for the company, especially during a pandemic.

SunPower Executive Vice President Norm Taffe has stated “Our new partnership with Tech CU will diversify SunPower’s funding resources while providing our customers with streamlined process and experience. This $1bn commitment will also allow for tens of thousands of SunPower solar systems to be funded over the course of the next four years”. This partnership is a huge safety net for the future of SunPower while they continue to rebuild after the pandemic.

A $1 billion partnership with Tech CU will increase financing options available to US residential solar customers. Along with the digitalisation of the company, SunPower is making huge steps in the accessibility of solar energy.

This partnership will allow SunPower to reduce operating costs. As well as streamlining loan applications and the contract signing process, the company are developing a new financing program.

The integration of SunPower’s sales and system design tools, customers will be able to compare cash, lease and loan acquisitions.

Tech CU CEO Todd Harris said: “The combination of solar energy solutions coupled with finance solutions from providers like SunPower has made a huge difference in terms of making financing and acquiring solar loan systems easier and more mainstream.”

Innovative steps made by the company before the pandemic paired with their partnership with Tech CU is paving the way for a more affordable and accessible solar panel industry.

For more information on how solar energy is becoming cleaner, see here.

Eco-Friendly Construction: The Environmental Benefits of Green Buildings

The world’s greatest buildings – be it residential homes or office spaces – are no longer only determined by their security and design. Buildings are now built with the highest sustainability rankings in mind, now making foundations, energy and waste management the most substantial factors in construction.
What is a green building?
According to the World Green Building Council, a green building is “a building that, in its design, construction or operation, reduces or eliminates negative impacts, and can create positive impacts, on our climate and natural environment.” In other words, the green building should not disrupt the land, water, resources and energy in and around the building.

Why should we care?
Green buildings are more than a sustainability trend. Many architects, construction engineers, and clients agree that smart and environmentally friendly buildings are becoming imperative to sustainable transformation.

According to International Energy Agency (IEA), buildings account for almost 40% of global energy-related CO2. What is more, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) states that buildings are responsible for a staggering 30% of raw material consumption, and 12% of clean water consumption.

In addition, long gone are the days when green buildings used to be known for poor return on investment (ROI). With the cost of renewable energy going down significantly and continual advances in engineering, design and construction technologies, green buildings are becoming a more viable option.

What are the environmental benefits of green buildings?
According to Green Built Alliance, there are four main environmental benefits of green buildings:

Enhance and protect biodiversity and ecosystems
Green building projects should be designed and implemented to make as little harm as possible to the natural habitats and biodiversity. Notice nature declares that environmentally friendly building contractors must protect birds and their habitats as well as provide green spaces by re-planting trees around newly built homes and office spaces.

Improve air and water quality
According to USGBC, buildings account for 12% of total water consumed in the US. Green buildings use water efficiency developments which involve using water resources in a way that saves water and ensures that future generations can have a reliable supply of clean water. Furthermore, the growing concern around CO2 emissions and air pollution make it crucial to create designs that do less harm to the environment.

Reduce waste streams
Waste is one of the greatest environmental issues today, therefore green builders focus on minimizing it by developing innovative construction practices. Engineers use as little of materials as possible to avoid potential waste, utilise energy efficient designs and appliances.

Conserve and restore natural resources
According to Smart Cities Dive, green buildings utilise nearly 40% less raw materials as they prioritise to use recyclable materials. This leads to a significant 3 billion ton reduction of raw materials use annually.

For more information, some of the most fascinating buildings in the world which are praised for their sustainable architecture.

Teenager Makes Bioplastic From Shrimp

Australian teenager, Angeline Arora, has identified prawns as a new source for bioplastics which can decompose in a landfill over just 33 days.
Bioplastics are plastic materials produced from biomass sources like corn starch, woodchips and recycled food waste. Arora’s project was inspired by a trip to the supermarket when she asked the cashier why they were charged for plastic bags.

After learning that it was to deter people from using plastic bags to save the environment, she thought “there has to be a way where humans can have their needs met and use plastic bags, but also not damage the environment.”

The encounter turned her attention to experiment with organic waste like banana peels, but no to avail. She told National Geographic that “I looked at prawns and thought what makes their shells look like plastic? Maybe I can take that out and use it someway and bind it to make a plastic-like material.”

Prawns contain a carbohydrate called chitin, and crustacean shells like those of prawns contain up to 20-30% of it. Crab shells also contain a similar percentage of chitin, with lobsters containing up to 40% of the carbohydrate.

She harvested the chitin and chemically converted it into chitosan and combined it with fibroin, which is a protein found in silk cocoons. The result is a sophisticated bioplastic that decomposes within 33 days.

Chitin extraction can be achieved mainly by two methods, either chemically or biologically. The chemical method involves an alkali treatment and organic solvent treatment, which can be toxic and degradative. This makes the resulting chitin unsuitable for medicinal use and increases the cost of processing food waste.

The biological method however is an advanced and new technique for chitin extraction. This method involves the use of enzymes and achieves a higher chitin yield. Overall it is an affordable and eco-friendly one that possesses environmental advantages over the chemical method.

Her invention won her the Innovator to Market Award in the 2018 BHP Billiton Foundation Science and Engineering Fair. She also placed 4th in the world and won a comprehensive scholarship to a prestigious university in the U.S at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.

Bioplastics Dilemma
Chemical engineer Ramani Narayan from Michigan State University told National Geographic that “The argument for bioplastics is the inherent value of reducing the carbon footprint.”

About eight percent of the world’s oil is used to make plastic, and proponents of bioplastic often tout a reduction in its use as a significant advantage. The argument rests on the basis that if a plastic item releases carbon into the atmosphere as it degrades, bioplastics will add less carbon comparatively. Conventional plastics would release carbon previously trapped underground in the form of oil.

However, a 2011 study from the University of Pittsburgh revealed that there are other environmental considerations associated with growing crops for bioplastics. Using the corn crop for plastic instead of food purposes is at the centre of a debate over how resources should be stewarded in light of food scarcity.

Nevertheless, Arora’s innovative bioplastic technology marks a change for packaging in the efforts towards carbon emission reduction.

Flying Towards Cleaner Energy With Dutch Startup KitePower

See how this Dutch company is utilising wind power innovatively to provide a brighter future towards carbon neutrality.
Wind energy is a source of clean, renewable energy, alongside solar and hydropower. Unlike fossil fuels, wind energy can provide an infinite supply of energy.

In 2020, 80% of the planet’s energy is dependent on fossil fuels, which are responsible for emitting carbon dioxide and other harmful gases into the atmosphere. Yet, planet Earth has provided us with the resources to sustain humanity’s energy dependency with renewable energy.

The movement towards clean energy must be made this century, as it is predicted that the planet will run out of oil by 2052, followed by gas and coal in 2060.

The importance of wind energy
Scottish engineer James Blyth (1839-1906) first developed the wind-powered turbine in 1887, whilst teaching at Anderson’s College in Glasgow. His discovery was initially unpopular and neighbours objected to Blyth using it to power street lamps, as they feared the machine was powered by supernatural forces.

Blyth sadly never got to see how appreciated his invention would become, for, in the modern day, wind energy is being used in the fight against climate change and is utilised as an energy source in over 100 countries.

Wind turbines create energy by harnessing the wind from a great height, which turns propeller blades. The rotor then spins a generator which creates electricity. The UK runs the highest amount of offshore wind farms and makes up 35% of the capacity globally.

Furthermore, even as a top polluter, China has taken huge strides by adopting renewable energy sources, including building the world’s largest wind farm on land, the Gansu Wind Farm Project.

Dutch wind energy start-up looks to the skies for a future without carbon
Despite the benefits of unlimited and harmless energy, many people object to wind turbines, on account of their unflattering shape, the noise, their placement in the countryside and spoiling clear views – but KitePower has an alternative.

When one thinks of The Netherlands, one might picture the iconic, wooden windmills, but for start-up KitePower, the stereotype is only a small exaggeration. The Netherlands first utilised wind power for windmills in order to grind grains and pump water across flat, dry land.

Now, KitePower technology is based on the structure of a traditional kite, with inflatable membrane wings, instead of paper. The kite takes to the air whilst being attached to a motor or a generator on land, which is charged as the kite flies.

Powered by the wind
Aiming higher was the ambition of head researcher Roland Schmehl, who said in his Ted talk: “The higher you reach, the higher the energy density that you can harvest.” KitePower claims that with the amount of energy capable of being created, the machine can save up to 400 tonnes of Co2 and 150,000 litres of diesel, per year.

The kites also requite 90% less material than the humble wind turbine, making them easily transportable and available to remote communities and areas suffering from unexpected disaster.

If the use of fossil fuels continues, then the coastline will be at risk of flooding if the polar ice caps melt. Thus, there may be a very desperate need for KitePower in the future. But, if the planet can embrace wind energy with the gusto of the Chinese and the UK, there is every chance that KitePower will be seen both on and offshore.

Swiss Start-Up Captures Carbon from Air for Clean Fuels

Based in Switzerland, ClimeWorks is the leading company in the Direct Air Capture (DAC) industry.
The Swiss start-up aims to capture CO2 from the atmosphere, which is then stored underground, or used to manufacture carbon-neutral fuels.

Following the Paris Agreement, GHG emissions are estimated to reach 60 GtCO2e in 2030 under present policies. Due to the heightened ambition to stabilise global temperatures, adhering to the global carbon budget will require the elimination of carbon emissions from major sources by 2050.

Given the challenges of eliminating distributed sources of emissions, negative emission technologies (NETs) that sequester carbon dioxide from the environment have become an integral part of climate change strategies adopted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

How it works
Direct Air Capture technologies are solutions that aim to directly extract evenly distributed CO2 from ambient air in the atmosphere. Currently, the industry is still in its preliminary stages of development, consisting of several active companies concurrently designing and utilising variable DAC technologies that target different markets.

The DAC design adopted by ClimeWorks relies on alkaline-functionalised adsorbents bonded to a porous solid support, which is held within modular “collectors”. The CO2 adsorption process is initially carried out at ambient conditions before the temperature-vacuum-swing (TVS) process.

During TVS, CO2 is released through pressure reduction and heating of the system. The whole process is then repeated after a cooling phase. As the adsorbents only require a temperature range of 85–120 °C for regeneration, waste heat can be utilised, making it one of the lowest energy-consuming systems that yield high purity gaseous CO2.

ClimeWorks progress
Since its founding in 2009, ClimeWorks has developed multiple prototypes of its DAC technology and eventually constructed the world’s first negative emission plant in Iceland under the CarbFix2 project, alongside Reykjavik Energy.

Since ClimeWorks’ plants use only energy from renewable sources or waste heat, 900 tCO2/yr has been captured from the air nominally without the need for any fossil-based power plant in proximity for operation.

Based on comprehensive development goals for cost reduction and the data collected from all 14 DAC plants built and operated by ClimeWorks in Europe, the expected costs of CO2 removal and storage via mineralisation is projected to approach $100/tCO2 within a decade.

Towards a carbon-neutral future
Just recently in May 2020, Stripe, a tech start-up based in San Francisco has announced its commitment towards tackling climate change by spending an additional $1 million annually in carbon dioxide removal technologies.

ClimeWorks was one of the selected solutions within the mix, stating ambitious plans to bury 50 tonnes of CO2underground in 2020 through its pilot project which includes the potential development of a bigger plant capable of capturing several thousand tonnes of CO2 annually.

Alongside more than 350 businesses that have pledged to match emission reduction targets proposed by the IPCC, Stripe has started the ball rolling for companies to invest in NETs.

As pioneering companies emerge to support the upscaling of such technologies, greater cost reduction, and the proliferation of carbon dioxide removal solutions will be expected in the near future.

The Search Engine That Plants Trees

Ecosia, the search engine, is having a positive influence on the planet by using the profit they generate from internet searches for planting trees.
Based in Berlin, the company are currently on their way to reaching 95.3 million trees planted all over the world in the places where they’re needed the most. The project greatly benefits the environment, as well as local economies.

How does it work?
Each month, Ecosia pays its partners to plant trees and to bring back forests through practical methods, such as firefighting and natural regeneration.

Ecosia became the first German company to become accredited as a B Corporation. Also, Ecosia, built its own solar plants in Germany to ensure that only 100% renewable energy was being used to power searches. The company currently has over 9,000 planting sites and plants trees in five different continents – most notably Africa and South America.

The green search engine was founded by Christian Kroll in 2009 after he travelled around the word and saw the consequences of deforestation. Kroll, claims that countries aiming to become “carbon neutral” is not enough. He was, therefore, inspired to aid the drive to net carbon zero by planting trees, which effectively removes CO2 from the atmosphere, and aids in reducing the negative effects of deforestation.

Planting for the future
In 2020, Ecosia is becoming the first company to produce twice as much solar power needed to power all their searches. This will actively accelerate the energy transition away from fossil fuels by adding solar energy and crowding out dirty energy from the grid.

The search engine, which has won several awards, uses servers that run on 100% renewable energy, and every search request removes 1kg of CO2 from the atmosphere.

Mobile App Developer, Paul Quinney, said: “It’s pretty hard to find a job in the tech industry where you are doing something other than just making the investors rich. In our case, we are trying to make the world a better place.”

With over 15 million users, Ecosia was recently added to Google Chrome as an official search engine option, which means even more trees will be planted and people can now use Ecosia across all their devices.

As well as dedicating their profits to tree planting, Ecosia are also focused on privacy, so there is no third-party trackers and all searches are anonymized within one week.

It’s Time to Tackle the E-Waste Problem

With electronic devices getting cheaper and the explosive technology industry growth, the world is facing a massive e-waste problem.
What is e-waste?
Electronic devices, also known as e-waste and e-scrap, include such items as dated refrigerators, irons, lawn mowers, televisions, smart-phones, laptops and others. Only 20% of global e-waste is recycled and the rest 80% usually continues to be stored in households because of inconvenient recycling options or simply dumped in landfills.

As the devices become more affordable and the replacement cycle gets shorter, more of the “old” stuff keeps piling up. According to the World Economic Forum, there were 44.7 million metric tonnes of e-waste generated in one year which is the equivalent of 4,500 Eiffel Towers.

“Many thousands of tonnes also find their way around the world to be pulled apart by hand or burned by the world’s poorest workers,” the World Economic Forum notes. “This crude form of urban mining has consequences for people’s wellbeing and creates untold pollution.”

The importance of e-waste recycling
Currently, the majority of the world uses a so-called linear economy model where people take resources, use them to make something and then get rid of it when they no longer need it. If no action is taken soon, the amount of global e-waste is expected to go up to 120 million tonnes by 2050.

The United Nations reports that the e-waste produced annually is worth over $62.5 billion, more than the GDP of most countries. In addition, the UN has advised countries to get a clear plan on how to deal with e-waste.

Toxic waste is released into the atmosphere when no-longer-in-use electrical items are thrown away as most of the component parts are non-biodegradable, which means these particles contaminate soil and groundwater. As a result, the e-waste recycling becomes fundamental to the overall health of the ecosystem and the future of humanity.

Another important aspect of e-waste recycling is that the majority of electric goods contain a broad range of precious materials, such as nickel, zinc, aluminium and even gold or silver. In order to extract these precious metals, they need to be specially treated to separate and remove safely. It is possible to cut, not only costs, by reusing what has been already mined, but to also reduce the greenhouse gasses.

Klyk – a startup that helps tackle the e-waste problem
Klyk, a London-based technology refurbishment startup whose motto is “It’s Not About More Technology. It’s About The Right Technology”, and focuses on stimulating the circular economy in the technology sector.

Klyk’s mission is to empower businesses to be more sustainable with their technology tools. The company offers B2B solution to refurbish or lease technology devices by promoting a greener approach towards the environment and also saving other businesses money.

The startup supplies good-as-new refurbished phones, laptops and other devices from major manufacturers, so that clients can get the technology they desire at a much lower cost. Thus the startup not only helps to tackle the e-waste issue but also reduce the Co2 emissions.

Furthermore, Klyk finds new homes for the devices that are no longer needed from their clients. The startup aims to change the way people own and use technology and promote the circular economy in the technology supply chain.

Recently, UK mobile network operator O2 announced a new partnership with Klyk to reveal new efforts to tackle e-waste. Earlier this year O2 pledged to achieve net-zero across its entire business by 2025.

Canada’s Answer to Carbon-Negative Homes

This Canadian startup, Carbicrete, has created a carbon consuming alternative to cement, that will create the building blocks for a carbon negative future.
To live in a carbon-negative home, the human race does not have to pack up and move back into caves. We just have to change the way we build.

Yuri Mytko, Chief Marketing Officer of Carbicrete, told Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT): “Concrete is the most consumed substance on the planet, after water.”

Concrete is used in the production of roads, pathways, bridges and buildings, as well as under-water structures and seaside piers.

Many such products are being constructed in developing nations, allowing the population to travel safer and more efficiently, have access to clean water as well as protection from flooding and generally live safer lives. Yet this progress comes at a cost to our planet.

Cement is a pollutant
Cement is an ingredient of concrete and the production of it accounts for 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions, of which a total of 500,000 tons of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide are emitted per year.

The excess amounts of these gases used in cement production cause damage to our ozone layer, more than all the fuel-guzzling trucks in the world.

As the human population continues to grow, the demand for concrete continues to rise, as well as the level of carbon dioxide used to produce it.

A carbon-negative answer to halt 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions
But there is an alternative: Carbicrete uses no cement at all but can do the job in the production of carbon-negative concrete.

The Montreal based company uses steel slag, an unwanted byproduct of steel as the base. The product is moulded into the desired shape and cured with carbon dioxide (the curing process toughens or hardens a material), then the Carbicrete is ready to go.

Thus, not only does Carbicrete not emit carbon dioxide in the process of being created, but it also consumes extra during the curing process, lowering the carbon footprint into a hugely carbon-negative one.

Does Carbicrete work?
The company claim that their carbon-negative bricks are cheaper to produce and are stronger than cement, in addition to causing less harm to the environment.

In Canada alone, Carbicrete claims that their product will help reduce cement emissions by 10%. Currently, they sell a license to concrete makers and then assist them in the production.

Carbicrete won the 2017 Pollution Probe Award, for offering an answer to the problem of cement.

Earlier this year, Carbicrete was also named a CleanTech Global 100, for its innovation. Chris Stern, CarbiCrete’s CEO, was proud of the recognition and said: “We work to bring a cost-effective, cement-free concrete solution to the global construction industry.”

With Carbicrete, the world can balance the progress of dependable infrastructure in Developing Nations, without causing any further damage to the planet.

In addition, with the construction of carbon-negative pathways and bridges, more people may choose to walk or cycle to their destination, than drive, adding another point to the benefits of Carbicrete.

Wireless Car Charging for HEVO’s Transport Evolution

HEVO has developed and tested a new wireless charging mat for electric vehicles despite stiff competition from larger competitors.
Brooklyn based company, HEVO, has developed a wireless charging pad for electric cars. The company, whose vision “is built on creating the global wireless charging standard for electric vehicles (EV) that provides users with the charging experience they are demanding,” finalised the product in May.

The company has developed this product with limited funding and staff, with CEO Jeremy McCool showcasing the product from his mother’s garage via Zoom. Their new ground-mounted pad beams electricity up to a car-mounted receiver which wirelessly charges the vehicle. The new charging pad is about to enter low-volume production at the Flex contract manufacturing facility in Austin, Texas.

It is through small investments from family and friends, along with government grants (most significant being the $50,000 from Veterans Affairs), McCool was able to launch HEVO. Now a successful company, HEVO want to “lead the transport evolution” which will “protect the environment and security interests of future generations”. The finalisation of this new product makes HEVO a key player in the wireless car charging market.

HEVO ready to turn EV charging wireless
During his Zoom demonstration, McCool demonstrated HEVO’s new charging pad with the assistance of their app. Not only does the app direct the user to the pad, but it also tracks how much power is beaming up and how much it will cost.

HEVO’s new product has a tower that draws power from the home and incorporates a utility-grade meter and an optional Level 2 charger. The technology has proved its worth in quality tests for fire flame, chemical and environmental safety according to McCool.

More safety features such as “foreign object detection” has been installed. The first type of this pad produced by HEVO delivers 8 kilowatts maximum charge, which works out as 20-24 miles of charge per hour.

The new pad has been through pilot testing in three continents with major automakers, utilities and EV charging companies. HEVO is now ready to ship their product and change the way people charge their electric vehicles.

Advantages of hands-free
The electric vehicle industry is expecting a wave of EV adoption in the upcoming years and wireless charging holds many advantages over the wired systems which are in place now.

Visually, the car charging pads, like this new innovative design by HEVO, are seamless to install compared to the wired systems currently available, with no need for intrusive cabling and plugs. Furthermore, with these advances in the wireless electric vehicle market, technology could go into roadways to top up cars on the go rather than having to stop to charge up.

One particular advantage of wireless charging is that drivers don’t need to leave their cars to charge up. Addressing this advantage and the current coronavirus, McCool stated: “right now, who the heck wants to touch anything?” again demonstrating the clear advantages of this new, hands-free technology.

Andrew Johnston, a market advocate on consulting firm Guidehouse’s mobility solutions team, stated: “This may sound silly, but you’d be surprised at how many people in public [crash] into chargers. When it’s a pad, you can drive over it a million times — it’s designed to be driven on”. So not only does the charging pad have hands-free convenience, but its durability sets itself apart from its wired counterpart.

“Persistence and resilience” is the way to success
Companies in the electric vehicle and charging market are all looking at the prospects of developing wireless charging or upgrading the wireless systems they have in place. HEVO in comparison to a lot of their competitors are a lot smaller but are determined to be part of the transport evolution.

McCool has stated about the HEVO’s drive for success: “it’s really about persistence and resilience. We’re going to continue to pursue our mission and our vision, even with the fact that there are other companies that have more money than us.”

Despite the fact they are a smaller company, HEVO have been identified as a key player in a Wireless EV charging market analysis. It is clear that this smaller company are keeping up with larger companies in their mission to “lead the transport revolution”.