Introducing ZiGGY: An autonomous robot that saves you a parking spot then charges your EV

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robot charge EV

 

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.

EV Safe Charge currently provides end-to-end charging solutions, particularly as it pertains to mobile charging. The company created a mobile rental charging solution for the launch of Jaguar’s I-PACE EV and works with several other OEMs like Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Porsche, and Stellantis.

Previously, EV Safe Charge has helped find its clients ideal charging solutions based on their needs, recommending charging technology from a multitude of partners including ABB, Enel X, evconnect, and Bosch.

Now, EV Safe Charge has invented its own mobile charging device in the form of a robot named ZiGGY.

robot charge EV
ZiGGY the robot that can be summoned to charge your EV / Source: EV Safe Charge

ZiGGY robot begins reservations before charging EVs in 2023

EV Safe Charge officially unveiled ZiGGY, the EV charging robot this morning alongside a press release and dedicated product page on its website.

ZiGGY was designed with the help of award-winning industrial design studio, Box Clever, who contributed the design of the robot’s exterior, as well as the UX and brand identity. Caradoc Ehrenhalt, founder & CEO of EV Safe Charge Inc. and ZiGGY’s inventor, spoke to the EV robot’s purpose:

Strong EV sales and emissions reduction goals are creating a more sustainable future, but EV charging infrastructure isn’t keeping up. 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.

When it hits the market, the ZiGGY robot will be summoned to your EV using a mobile app or in-vehicle infotainment system. If you summon ahead of time, the robot will arrive at parking space and hold it for you, then plug-in for charging once you’ve safely parked.

Following an EV visit, ZiGGY will be able to return to its home base to recharge from the grid, battery storage, solar energy, or a combination of these sources. The ZiGGY robots can also be implemented for offsite charging if no infrastructure is available.

EV Safe Charge plans to lease ZiGGY robots to customers under a Charging-as-a-Service (CaaS) business model, which will include ongoing technical support and maintenance. Following production, ZiGGY will come equipped with two large screens that can serve as informational kiosks or interactive advertising, offering additional income options for parking facility operators.

While we don’t have the exact charge rates, we were told that the ZiGGY robots will begin by charging at Level 2 speeds. However, a spokesperson for EV Safe Charge told Electrek that the company expects to upgrade ZiGGY to Level 3 charging within its first year of production.

Speaking of which, EV Safe Charge is raising additional capital in a seed round to finance the production and marketing of ZiGGY, which is scheduled to begin in 2023. Sites in San Francisco, and Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood are already onboard. Reservations for the ZiGGY EV charging robot are now open.

Introducing ZiGGY: An autonomous robot that saves you a parking spot then charges your EV

Meet Ziggy, the Mobile Robot That Comes to Your Parking Space and Charges Your Car

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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.

Ziggy mobile EV charging robot

Ziggy mobile EV charging robotZiggy mobile EV charging robotZiggy access from the car infotainment systemZiggy mobile EV charging robotZiggy mobile EV charging robot

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.

Users can reserve Ziggy in advance and ask for the mobile EV charging robot via a mobile app or through their car’s infotainment system and have it arrive straight to their parking space. The robot will save you the parking space for plug-in charging and knows how to return to its home base to recharge itself using grid, battery, or solar energy. Ziggy features cameras on all four sides, front and tail lighting, a safety sensor band, and all-wheel steering. It can go over speed bumps and up and down ramps.

In addition to offering an EV charging solution that features communication and digital, interactive advertising, Ziggy also brings to the table its flexibility. That means that parking operators will no longer have to block spaces for permanent EV chargers, because the mobile robot can be deployed wherever it is needed.

EV Safe Charge will lease its Ziggy to deliver “Charging as a Service” and will provide ongoing technical support and maintenance. The robot is scheduled to enter production in 2023, but the company is already taking reservations.

 

 

https://www.autoevolution.com/news/meet-ziggy-the-mobile-robot-that-comes-to-your-parking-space-and-charges-your-car-191178.html

Rising Gas Prices Another Reason for Retail to Install EV Chargers

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The number of charging stations on the market now are inadequate to meet the needs of existing EV motorists.

Retail properties stand to benefit greatly from the growing number of electric vehicles on the road, a new post from the National Association of Realtors, points out, noting the synergy between electric charging stations and retail sales are similar to convenience stores’ relationship to gas stations.

“EV charging stations amount not only to an added convenience amenity allowing consumers to refuel as they shop, but they have the potential to increase footfalls and to promote shoppers lingering in projects and stores for longer periods of time,” David Greensfelder, managing principal, Greensfelder Commercial Real Estate, tells GlobeSt.com. Read more