Voices of ChargeExpo 2024: Verde Mobility Puts a Jolt into the EV Charging Ecosystem

Hello, everyone, Gabrioga Harano here with Market Scale, and I have the pleasure of today being with Perez Patel, who's founder and CEO of Verde mobility, as well as president and CEO of system level solutions. Fresh, thank you so much for being here today. If you could, just give us, like, a brief bio give our audience, a little bit more information about Verde mobility, your story. Just go. Sure. I'd I'd like to thank market skill for having me. Verde mobility basically is a company that focuses on EV charging, both AC and DC, as well a software and and the entire ecosystem. So you have a one stop shop for, deploying and and EV chargers across the world. And, I think our our story started with, system level solutions, our parent company, had been doing a lot of work in, in high power electronics and things like this. We actually designed, traction control systems for locomotives. And what that entailed was taking AC that, you know, unclean AC Energy, converting it to DC, and then reconverting it back to AC to power motors. So that kind of all the electronic and the control systems that we did for that. We said, this EME charging thing is gaining some traction now. So let's use that, all that experience and know how to to build chargers. So we now have a lineup of, but basically AC and DC chargers, as well as the software, to support those charges and, you know, working with various, protocols worldwide, OCP, open ADR, things like that that, that make these chargers really smart. And make them very amenable to, you know, various places around the world. Yeah. Well, let's talk a little bit more about that because we love one stop shops here. So how would you say the Verde mobility is really pushing the boundaries in in terms of their tech? I mean, especially in EV charging technology. Yes. So, you know, when fundamentally, you know, there's nothing really new about taking energy from one place and and moving it to the other. And we're doing the conversion. So when you talk about you know, cutting edge on this stuff. It's the software that defines how the hardware is going to work. And that's where we shine. And, that's where we have software that basically kind of allows people to do what's called load management, demand side management wherein if you have, you know, there's a limited amount of electricity that's available in various sites. So we can do, load management and make sure that you have n number of chargers that are being charged and up and running, with a limited amount of load. So everybody's getting if a lot of cars are in the base, they're all getting charged. And and depending on what their levels are. We're doing smart charging for them. So that's kind of the innovations. We're actually doing a lot of other innovations, like, for example, when you want to do charging, So the EV charger, typically, the people think of getting it from the grid, the electricity from the grid. Well, we can get it with, you know, we have other instrumentation that allows you to get it from solar, from wind, and other green sources, and we just partnered with another company that does hydrogen fuel cells. So we can actually then, take hydrogen fuel cells have a little bit of machinery around that and then also use that to charge cars as well. Well, let's talk about the infrastructure to smart charging infrastructure. And where that's heading right now, Verde mobility, how are you contributing to it? I mean, how important is it ultimately? I mean, it's an important topic, but from Verde mobility's perspective, how do you see EV charging infrastructure panning out? How are you contributing? What are your thoughts? So, yes, for EV charging. So we, Verde mobility and maybe, I maybe skipped this part, but it was an important part. Verde mobility started in India. As a subsidiary of system level solutions, and we've been moving west. So we have, now some market share in Europe in UK and now we're moving into the states because I am from Dallas. So it makes sense. Right? So basically that EV's charging infrastructure how we see it, and how we're contributing to it is that the United States still has a dearth of working EV chargers. Just recently, some guys came to visit me at the booth yesterday. And they said, oh, there are some chargers. I won't name the company. But there's some chargers that are in this and we went to them, and they weren't working. Right? And so there's, you know, connectivity issues are there. Lots of, teething issues for the electric charging infrastructure is there in the United States right now. Actually, worldwide. I wouldn't say in the United States worldwide. And, what we have is a number of chargers that are, you know, connected in multiple ways so that, the data is flowing when you're charging your session, you're not limited by anything. So those those are the types of, ideas we're kind of bringing into the charging sector here. And then, you know, one of the things that we're also looking to do is that, intellectual property for all the sits in India, but we wanna do buy America now. And so we will start some manufacturing here so that we can say that our chargers are ready for buy America. Built in the United States with American, labor force. And, and, you know, like I said, the parent company system level solutions is a US company. So we're just kind of bringing stuff back here and then, and building up the ecosystem here so that we can take part of, some of the Nevi funding that's available. And, and, actually, more than the funding, basically, EV charge, EV cars aren't going anywhere. And so we want to basically have an infrastructure that people can come up and say, yeah, those Verde mobility charges are the ones to use. Well, you mentioned so I mean, speaking to global expansion and just market adaptation, so you started in India. You're moving west in terms of, adapting your solutions. How have you kind of seen, with the global markets? Just how especially in regions where there's, like, varying electric grid capabilities, how have you seen you've had to adapt your approach from that respect? Just since you're you're moving across. Have you seen that? Yeah. So it's interesting. The the chargers, like, for example, in India. One of the things that kills us is heat you know, just that region is hot. And so then we have to adapt the chargers, for that particular environment. And then not only that is that, the installation and the energy availability, and the quality of energy availability in India is very low. So we've got it, you know, the proving ground has, for us, has been in India, where we've seen all sorts of problems with grid, with environment, And, so the charges have been, you know, brought brought up in an environment toughened you if you'd will, in that environment. And so, you know, we, in India, the the grid, sometimes they don't provide proper grounding. Your neutral isn't there. You get spikes in the, in the energy, you know, up to We've seen spikes up to two hundred and ninety volts come through the energy lines. Yeah. And so, you know, it's fried a few things, but it fried a few things on the front end, and now we know how to, adapt for that. Then as we move forward into Spain and Portugal and UK, again, environment played a role in in the UK, you know, lot lot of coastline. So then, you know, you wouldn't think of it, but the powder coating has to be done correctly so that it it goes into the salt air and stuff like this. So we've learned a lot of things as we've moved towards And I think now we're very well positioned. The United States have ever as every type of environment that you can think of. Right? And maybe even so for the power too. Right? So now we're very well positioned to actually bring that technology into the United States and and actually make a very robust, product. No. That's so very true. I'm could you you mentioned that you your partner earlier, but could you highlight any type of key collaborations or partnerships that you might have had with a Verde mobility that's just been instrumental in advancing your mission, but also your technology. So most of the partners that we've had right now have been in India. Various motor companies, that are there. And then one of the, there's a CPO in India called AnnFolts that did a lot of work in helping us expand and placing charges in various locations in India. Then we went to the UK, and we had a company called Smarter Technologies actually start piloting and doing stuff and and bringing that about. And then, bayes, which is the, ministry in, environmental ministry. They actually we were actually commissioned to do what's called a hardware auxiliary load control switch for chargers on the connected curb program. So, you know, you you've got curbs. You wanna connect them to chargers, and we are making the switch that allows utilities to basically proportionally control the charging that goes out to the cars so they don't tax the grid. So those are the types of things that we've been doing, and and those those guys have been instrumental in helping us formulate our strategies and moving forward. And in the United States, we're looking for partners. And, you know, the because this is our first foray into into the into the United States. In terms of charging? Well, moving into a little bit more of the challenges aspect of, everything that Verde mobility is doing so well but also just EV charging industry as a whole today. What are some of the biggest pain points that you've seen maybe even across your partners, people you've worked with. It's such a a wide ranging topic, and I'm sure there's challenges that go into it, but what has been kind of the major pain point in this past year? The major pain point is the cost of installation. If you have most of the house households here in the United States will have it, between a hundred amp or a two hundred amp service. If you have an eleven point kilowatt, eleven point five kilowatt charger that decently charges your car. You know, a hundred amp service just barely cuts it. It lets you have a Ford f one fifty lightning. And you wanted to put that, charger in hundred amp cut service won't cut it. Now you have to upgrade to a two hundred amp service. And when you do that, then that two hundred AM service costs quite a that upgrade quite costs quite a bit. So that's one major challenge is the installation costs that are that are there. And then apart from the the, and that's for, you know, homes and and and businesses, then when you when you get into other places where is the energy available for it. Let's say if you wanna do a DC charger, that's a hundred and eighty kilowatts. Well, what business is gonna have a hundred and eighty kilowatts available. They may not have it. So what'll happen is that if they want it and if they really want it, then they have to go to the utility, spend the money to bring that service to, the charger and then they can move forward. But that's an expensive proposition as well. And then on top of that, the other main issue that I that we see is connectivity. People are complaining that, that charger isn't working and typically it doesn't work or you can't charge because the connection to the cloud and the payment gateways aren't there. And, you know, the Wi Fi doesn't work. The cellular doesn't work. There's other things like that. So that's another pain point that people are seeing. And then the third is that There is just some abuse of chargers when they're in public places. Yeah. So that's, and we see that all the time. Cable are cut the connectors are, are are broken and, the LCDs, is smashed in. Maybe some people just don't like the EVSC right now. But, but, but, you know, that'll change over time. And then I think as as we see more, robust connectivity, other, you know, For example, other innovations instead of using four g LTE connectivity, you can use n b I o t or LTE cat one, which has a a lower energy footprint, but also has a longer range and, get, you know, we can we can do those types of things with our chargers and we can experiment to make sure that we have the best possible connectivity. And that's where companies like Verde mobility come in to change that perception. To show all of the awesome capabilities that y'all have with infrastructure, integration, all these things. And, along those lines, I wanted to ask about, user experience as well as design, just how does Verde mobility kinda prioritize that or in what ways just some of the pain points. It it came to our mind that how is user experience and design kind of related? Oh, yeah. I mean, you know, there's there's a physical experience that the user has. Right? Right? And then there's this, kind of a soft experience that people have. I mean, Tesla got it right. Right? When they put out their cars. They know they also had a supercharger infrastructure available. And the experience for people to charge out of Tesla was very simple. You know, there's not a whole lot of apps and all these other things that are going on. And so user experience is a big thing. Now can't get away from an app, because you have the the charger industry as fragmented. There's not one app for every charger. Right? But we do have an app that shows you where the chargers are tells you about the health of the charger, whether it's available or not. And so that user experience has to be super easy for registration for and the main thing is for payment. I've rolled up to chargers in the United States in Austin, wherein, you know, it had a nice QR code. Oh, great. I'll pay. Hit the QR code and says, it takes me a link to download their app. Okay. So I downloaded their app, and then it then I put in my profile, put in the credit card details And they said, sorry, you cannot charge here. And so that experience is the I'm in an f one fifty. I've got about five miles left and then I'm searching for where's the where's an available charger? That experience can't happen. And so that user experience. We've tried it. We we've basically built the software. So it's, you know, when you come up to software, whether you have an app or not, and you wanna you wanna pay or start charging, there's a QR code there. It takes you to a payment gateway, starts, you you you pay, and then it starts. And then if you want to use the app, you can. And then conversely, there's an experience that's there for the charge operator wherein, you know, all these people are charging and you have all these charges available. So how do you make sure that you as a charge point operator are giving the user a great experience and all the charges are up and running So we have software for the cod portal that allows the charge point operators to actually look at the health of the chargers, what the state they're in, Are they charging? They can figure out other things, other parameters that are there that allow them to manage that charger network as well. And then just lastly, before we start wrapping up the conversation here, What role do you see Verde mobility seeing, and so playing in the future of mobility and transportation as a whole? Like, you have your mission statement, you've seen results this past year. A lot of the pain points we just mentioned, I mean, what are you making progress on? Where do you see Verde mobility playing a role in EV charging. And I wanna see Verde mobility charges everywhere. Everywhere. Yeah. Right? Slowly, but surely we'll get there. And, yeah, so, that's that's the main goal is to have Verde mobility charges available, and then extensions to Verde mobility will be some of the stuff that we have available at SLS, you know, connections into the home, then Verde mobility will have connections into grid side. We'll do vehicle to grid stuff. There's innovations that are coming along. Like I said, the hydrogen, stuff where hydrogen actually augments this stuff. It's not a it's not a play for the Com consumer, but it is a play for when energy isn't available. You'd like to add high add another charger in. Well, you don't wanna spend the money for the infrastructure there. You know, Texas does have excess hydrogen. Yeah. So we can use that and and and make a make a nice infrastructure. So that's I see vulnerability, you know, the first step is to grow our charging network through partners. We'd we'd like to work with partners that wanna do installation of our chargers have a and manage them well or and we'll work with with anybody who wants to do that. And then get those chargers out there and then start augmenting you with the other innovations that'll come out of Verde mobility. So for those who are maybe interested in becoming a partner, are they just wanna learn more, how can they reach out? Yeah. Just go to, verde mobility dot com, and then, or directly email me at presh at verde mobility or dot patel at verde mobility dot com. Fantastic. Alright. Well, that wraps up today's conversation. So thank you so much, Perresh, for joining us today. Very much. And for those of you listening in who want to learn a little bit more about the energy industry and all of our industry updates, please visit market scale dot com or visit company dot market scale dot com to learn more. Thanks for watching.