Our thanks to Takayuki Yamazaki on Twitter for drawing our attention to ZiGGY, a self-driving electric vehicle (EV) charger.
Aside from looking pretty cool, we think this is exactly the kind of innovation needed to tackle the UK’s notoriously slow rollout of EV charging points.
ZiGGY self-driving EV charger
This clever robotic EV charger will find a parking spot, reserve it for you, then sit behind you to charge your EV, cheerfully displaying ads all the way as another revenue stream for carpark operators. It’s a nifty idea, but we do wonder how Ziggy will cope with the brutally competitive, openly hostile environment of a crowded mall car park on Christmas Eve.
The Ziggy charging robot is a project by EV Safe Charge, aimed at giving parking garages a super-easy, super-flexible and cost-effective way to add EV charge spots without having to hang chargers next to every park.
Optimizing the work performed by electric car chargers to the maximum seems to have become the goal of manufacturers, who are always looking for a way to make this an efficient and versatile element.
In this sense, the company that develops charging solutions for electric cars EV Safe Charge has recently presented Ziggy, a smart robotic loader designed not only to provide charging for your electric car, but also to find you a parking space and show you ads while carrying out the charging process.
NEWS RELEASE
EV Safe Charge Previews ZiGGY™, First and Only Mobile EV Charging Robot with Interactive Advertising Platform
Mobile EV charging robot summoned via app to charge electric vehicles and serve every spot in commercial and residential parking structures and lots – while displaying digital information and advertisements – with no costly infrastructure expenses
June 14, 2022 02:07 PM Eastern Daylight Time
LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–EV Safe Charge, a leading provider of flexible electric vehicle (EV) charging technology, today unveiled ZiGGY™, its mobile EV charging robot. ZiGGY will bring EV charging to parking facilities, shopping and entertainment centers, hotels, fleet operators and property owners, providing cost-effective charging, overcoming the limitations of stationary EV chargers without the need for costly electrical infrastructure. In addition, ZiGGY’s digital ad server can generate advertising revenue for the facility and display customized information.
“At EV Safe Charge, we are thrilled to have Sand Hill Angels among our angel investors and participating on the board”
“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 ZiGGY’s inventor. “ZiGGY is a flexible and simple solution for virtually any office, mall or apartment complex to help meet 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.”
Charging your battery-powered vehicle could get a lot easier if EV Safe Charge has anything to say about it.
The company has just unveiled a new mobile charging robot named Ziggy that can top up your EV while you’re out running errands, according to Electrek. Once you’ve booked a charging session, the rolling battery bank will identify a spot in a parking lot for you, reserve it, then charge your battery while you’re off shopping, seeing a movie or grabbing a bite to eat.
You’ll be able to book and summon Ziggy using either a mobile app or your EV’s infotainment system. EV Safe Charge hasn’t revealed the rate at which the robot will be able to charge, but the company told Eletrek that Level 2 charging (12-80 miles per hour) will be available at launch. The company also said it will eventually be capable of Level 3 charging (3-20 miles per minute). When it’s done charging your battery, Ziggy will return to its home base, where it will recharge itself using either the parking lot’s power grid, battery storage solar energy or a mixture of all three.
Ziggy certainly sounds promising, but there are a couple potential downsides. The first is that the robot will be equipped with two large touch screens. They could be used to display relevant information, but EV Safe Charge’s renders of the device also suggests the device could be used as a rolling billboard. The second, which was first pointed out by New Atlas, is the question as to whether or not the machine can function as planned in a crowded parking lot. If you’ve ever shopped a mall during holidays, you know how crazed drivers can be while fighting for a space. It’s hard to imagine holiday-addled shoppers passing over a space because it was reserved by a robot.
Fortunately, we won’t have to wait long to find out if Ziggy works as planned. EV Safe Charge hasn’t announced a firm launch date yet, but plans to put the charging robot into production next year. Sites in San Francisco and Brooklyn have already agreed to give the charging robot a tryout. So, we may soon have our answer.
Ziggy will roll itself into a free parking space to reserve it for you, and once you get there it’ll let you in and sit behind your car to provide EV charging as well as advertising space
This clever robotic EV charger will find a parking spot, reserve it for you, then sit behind you to charge your EV, cheerfully displaying ads all the way as another revenue stream for carpark operators. It’s a nifty idea, but we do wonder how Ziggy will cope with the brutally competitive, openly hostile environment of a crowded mall car park on Christmas Eve. Read more
Charging technology provider EV Safe Charge has unveiled ZiGGY – a mobile robot that can charge an EV wherever it’s parked. Through its ability to recharge itself via different energy sources and its summoning feature, ZiGGY can alleviate the need to install specific parking stalls for EV charging, as any spot can now become a spot to recharge. Read more
With an EV industry in continuous expansion, we also have to deal with a shortage of readily available fixed-charging capacity, which means we have to come up with new ways to meet the increasing EV charging demand. The Ziggy mobile robot aims to do just that, promising to offer a more cost-effective alternative to conventional solutions and overcome the limitations of stationary chargers.
Developed by EV Safe Charge, Ziggy was recently unveiled as the first and only mobile EV charging robot that can generate advertising revenue. Ziggy can be used in parking facilities, shopping and entertainment centers, by fleet operators, property owners, and so on. It boasts of providing cost-effective charging while also generating additional income for the operator. The robot features two extra-large screens that can be used as “informational kiosks” or interactive advertising displays, as explained by EV Safe Charge. Read more
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