A few months ago, ElectricFish caught my attention when the company opened a new manufacturing facility and corporate headquarters to build and deploy intelligent grid-edge charging solutions to accelerate EV adoption, especially in areas with power-grid limitations.
But what really stood out to me was California State Senator Josh Becker’s comment that “ElectricFish is tackling the need for more high-speed EV charging and doing it in a way that is easier on the grid and can be deployed faster, while also creating new manufacturing jobs right here on the Peninsula.”
I’ve since learned more about the company’s journey; to date, the company has received $1.69 million in grants from the California Energy Commission, and has also received funding from the Department of Energy’s Cradle to Commerce, Caltech Rocket Fund, Michigan Mobility Funding Platform, 2023 Oxford Seed Fund, and Third Derivative.
Last week, I caught up with one of the co-founders, Anurag Kamal, CEO of ElectricFish. Here is my conversation with Anurag.
M.R. Rangaswami: Can you explain ElectricFish’s “intelligent grid-edge charging solution”, and how is it different from other charging solutions, like Tesla’s, which are currently dominating the EV space?
Anurag Kamal: Certainly. Our charging solution is also an energy asset that boosts grid reliability and resilience while reducing the costs of deploying extremely fast EV charging. 350 Squared™ is our plug and play energy storage system that is designed to power on-site and community loads while also delivering extremely fast EV charging through two DC fast charging ports (CCS and NACS). EVs can be charged at 20 miles a minute speed (up to 350 kW), which is state of the art capabilities for charging speeds.
This can be deployed in two to three weeks using an existing grid connection. This is critical because it allows businesses to avoid the lengthy and costly process of extensive infrastructure upgrades, which can take months or even years. In contrast, Tesla Superchargers typically require significant investments in infrastructure, such as trenching, electrical upgrades, and dedicated transformers, all of which can delay installation and create added expenses. Moreover, Tesla’s systems are entirely grid-dependent and do not provide backup power for communities during outages.
Further, the system can also provide up to 48 hours of backup energy for community use. This means the 350 Squared can power critical infrastructure during outages or serve as an energy source when grid electricity is unavailable. The market opportunity within grid services is a vital yet often overlooked aspect of the evolving EV landscape. With the electric vehicle market projected to keep accelerating in growth, our grid-edge charging devices can also enhance grid resilience, capitalizing on the accelerating demand for decarbonization and Grid modernization efforts. Our robust dual revenue model, combining hardware sales with a subscription-based software platform, strategically positions ElectricFish to deliver significant returns in this burgeoning sector.
The National Park Service, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers have completed successful pilot projects with ElectricFish. These projects demonstrate a new ability to unlock DC fast-charging in grid-constrained sites in days instead of years, while also monetizing backup energy for critical onsite loads.
M.R.: How does ElectricFish’s mission and EV charging solutions help achieve California’s goals regarding electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure?
Anurag: California has set some of the nation’s most ambitious goals for reaching net-zero emissions, including transitioning to electrified transportation for everyday commuters and businesses, such as logistics. Achieving these goals would require providing access to reliable EV fast charging in high-traffic and highway off-ramp public locations, multi-family residences, truck rest stops and depots, and at or near ports. The state is targeting one million public EV chargers by 2030, a goal that faces numerous hurdles such as high installation costs, grid capacity constraints, and ensuring equitable access, particularly in underserved communities where these challenges tend to be more prevalent.
ElectricFish’s rapid plug-and-play deployment makes it easier to install chargers quickly in both urban and grid-constrained areas. The system combines on-site energy storage with fast chargers, allowing peak demand spikes from fast charging to be smoothed out for grid reliability. This not only provides time and cost savings for customers and the end-users, but also lowers the overall cost of achieving the transition, improving energy and transportation affordability for the community.
Our mission is to build a network of energy assets that can contribute to modernizing the grid, and do so in an equitable manner. In fact, we are committed to empowering universal access to clean, affordable energy while championing fairness and equity, bridging the energy gap worldwide.
Our technology also gives underserved communities or regions affordable charging solutions without the need for costly grid upgrades. Historically, these communities face the most challenges due to underinvestment in grid infrastructure, which makes traditional EV chargers much more expensive to install. ElectricFish offers a solution that fully aligns with and enables California’s policy goals for an equitable energy transition.
It has been well reported that for a number of reasons California is lagging behind on building out the infrastructure to support its EV adoption goals. And this is exactly where we can help. Our technology helps close this gap by enabling faster infrastructure build-out for light, medium and heavy-duty vehicles.
M.R. Rangaswami: Globally, what is the future of electric grids, and what can ElectricFish’s role be in that future?
Anurag:As we face the urgent need to modernize our aging electrical grids, the timing for ElectricFish couldn’t be more critical. With the extreme growth of generative AI, widespread electrification and the accelerating adoption of EVs, future electrical grids around the world will look very different than anyone imagined just a few years ago. The whole system will become much more decentralized, allowing energy to be generated and managed at the edges of the grids, as close as possible to where it’s needed.
This future will need reliable, resilient, intelligent infrastructure all along the grid edge that can dynamically handle spikes in power demand without spending billions on traditionally vulnerable “poles and wires.”
ElectricFish is delivering that future infrastructure today. Our battery-integrated fast chargers are designed for reliability and resilience, providing dependable performance in various conditions. And with the charging industry’s largest batteries and fastest charging, managed by cutting edge AI software, ElectricFish is future-proofing today’s grid investments.
M.R. Rangaswami is the Co-Founder of Sandhill.com