Electric Era, an electric vehicle (EV) charging startup, recently relocated to a larger facility south of Seattle to accommodate its growing business. The team at Electric Era believes that having a functioning workspace with employees can showcase the legitimacy of a startup and lead to increased sales opportunities. The company recently launched its first EV charging station at a Costco site in Washington after impressing the retail giant’s EV charging team with their professional working environment. Electric Era is building DC fast-charging systems with giant batteries to help deliver and store power, and plans to install stations at nine locations by the end of the month and an additional 50 stations next year.
One of Electric Era’s key selling points is its quick sales turnaround, with the team able to install their fast-charging devices within seven weeks of being ordered. The company’s chargers are priced slightly higher than Tesla but at least 25% cheaper than other competitors, making them a cost-effective option for businesses and consumers. Electric Era stations have a strong track record, with chargers operating 98% of the time. The stations include a battery about the size of an extra-large refrigerator, which is crucial for delivering the large amounts of power needed for fast-charging stations and helping to alleviate grid constraints as more EVs are on the road.
Electric Era, which was founded in 2019 and has raised $20.5 million from investors, operates out of an 18,000-square-foot facility with ample space for expansion. The facility includes a central room with desks, electrical benches, and areas for customizing chargers, testing batteries, and other workstations. The company has room to grow as it receives more orders for installations. Costco, with over 50 EV charging sites in the U.S., Canada, Spain, Korea, and the United Kingdom as part of its climate action plan, plans to install fast chargers at 20 locations in the future. Electric Era is eager to continue expanding its EV charging network nationally through partnerships with Costco and other companies.
One of the challenges facing public fast chargers is their unreliability, with issues such as theft of charging cables affecting their operation. Electric Era aims to address this problem by installing stations near businesses with higher activity levels to reduce the risk of theft. The company’s fast-charging devices can deliver as much energy as is consumed by 200 homes and serve approximately 150 cars per day at a typical station. By including a battery in the setup, Electric Era can recharge from the grid during low-demand periods and provide extra power when needed to charge cars, helping to solve grid constraints as more EVs are on the road.
In conclusion, Electric Era is rapidly expanding its EV charging network and aims to deploy additional stations in the coming years through partnerships with companies like Costco. The company’s focus on quick sales turnaround, affordability, and reliability, as well as the inclusion of large batteries in their charging stations, sets them apart in the EV charging industry. With the increasing demand for EV charging infrastructure and the push towards a greener transportation sector, Electric Era is poised to play a significant role in the future of electric vehicles.
