OpConnect, a company based in Portland, Oregon, has recently raised nearly $5.26 million to expand its sales of hardware and software for electric vehicle charging stations. Founded by CEO Dexter Turner in 2016, the company has raised a total of $14 million and is focused on organizations with EV fleets, such as cities, food and beverage deliveries, school districts, and multi-family properties. OpConnect offers a range of services including advising customers on charging systems, selling and installing hardware from third-party manufacturers, connecting the system to online management services, and providing charger maintenance.
The company’s online technology integrates station hardware with software that controls access to chargers, manages energy consumption, and generates reports on power consumption. All software is developed in-house by OpConnect’s engineering team, making it a key strength of the company. OpConnect operates nationwide with installations in 28 states and plans to expand further, especially in the Midwest and in Canada and Puerto Rico. The company has also conducted pilot projects that incorporate solar power and battery storage into charging stations to lower energy demand and is now planning to scale these systems into microgrids to provide power even if the grid goes down.
Dexter Turner, OpConnect’s CEO, has a background in aviation and has launched two previous startups before founding OpConnect. He initially explored electric aviation but ultimately decided to focus on electric vehicles and chargers. Turner’s goal is to make access to EVs and chargers more equitable, with a target of installing 25% of OpConnect chargers in low-income communities. He is working with organizations such as Forth Mobility and participating in the Department of Energy’s Clean Cities and Communities coalition to achieve this goal.
The recent investment round for OpConnect was led by The 22 Fund, based in Los Angeles, with participation from Reinventure Capital, CDVCA, Portland Seed Fund, and E8. Other companies in the Pacific Northwest developing EV charging technologies include Electric Era in Seattle, which manufactures charging stations with batteries, FlexCharging in Redmond, which develops software for charging during off-peak hours, and Hypercharge Networks in Vancouver, B.C., which sells charging hardware and software. OpConnect’s focus on expanding its reach and developing innovative charging solutions demonstrates its commitment to advancing the adoption of electric vehicles and sustainable transportation solutions.
