Happy Tuesday. Welcome to Electric Avenue, your weekly EV news fix. First hit is free!

Here’s what we have for you today:

• Charging Station of the Week 🔌

• E-Mobility Startup Interview: Self-reliant EV charging - How XEAL Energy is tackling apartment and workplace charging⚡

• 3 Links 🔗

• Meme of the week 🤡

📅 Event Visit: Julius will be visiting Connecting the Dots: Carbon Emissions for public EV Charging in Munich on Thursday this week. Let me know if you are there.

Not subscribed yet? Sign up here 👇🏼

Let's dive in!

This Issue Is Sponsored By…

…No one. But it could be you.

Here's the deal: We've created a way for you to get your message in front of our readers - people just like you - right here in our weekly newsletter.

This will help us keep the newsletter and community work going. Our goal is to include only relevant messages about EV charging products and services.

If you run a charging or EV-related business and want to reach over 2,600+ engaged EV experts and industry professionals, contact us today!

Janek & Julius

Charging Station of the Week 🔌

Clever operates 30 charge points under a beautiful wooden roofs in Aabenraa, Denmark Denmark (mark it for your next trip). On the same site there are three other CPOs - IONITY (6 charge points), Circle-K (10) and E.On Drive (2).

E-Mobility Startup Interview:

XEAL 🇺🇸🌭🚀

🥳 Today, we are delighted to feature our 4th E-Mobility Startup Interview. What to expect? 🎯 

• Hand-selected startups in the e-mobility and EV charging industry ⚡️

• 1st hand insights and their story 🤓

• Cool products and tech 💡 

Find our previous editions here:

⚡ How FLEXeCharge wants to make charging more profitable - E-Mobility Startup Profile 

⚡Electra's Blueprint for Urban Fast Charging: Combining Tech DNA with Infrastructure Operation - E-Mobility Startup Interview 

⚡No connectivity, no problem - How Heycharge is solving underground apartment charging - E-Mobility Startup Interview 

Today, we’re featuring XEAL Energy. We sat down with the team and asked them to break down their journey, from the initial opportunity discovery to developing their innovative technology for charging in low- and no-connectivity environments 🙂 

Editorial Note:

Let’s dive in!

Hello! Who are you and what business did you start?

I'm Nikhil Bharadwaj, co-founder and CTO of NYC-based Xeal, the only smart EV charging solution with a 100% uptime guarantee. EV chargers often face reliability issues, with about a third being non-functional at any given time. Most of this downtime is caused by problems with central-network dependencies—whether it's connectivity issues or failures in critical functions like payments and diagnostics.

Xeal was founded by Zander Isaacson and myself in 2019 to tackle these industry-wide challenges head-on. Initially, we started like other EV charger companies but quickly realized the limitations of relying on central networks. So, we pivoted to create the first and only self-reliant charging network.

Our patented protocol allows our chargers to perform all necessary smart computing functions like payments, authentication, and more without any dependence on the cloud or network, ensuring that even when the overall centralized networking infrastructure is down or unavailable, our chargers continue to operate, keeping drivers from being stranded​.

Since its inception, Xeal has built a trusted and reliable EV charging company for real estate in 40+ markets with thousands of chargers deployed nationwide.

What's your backstory and how did you develop the idea?

Xeal began with a simple mission: to stop climate change without bothering people. Zander and I met at Penn State and shared a passion for electric mobility, technology, and startups.

Fast forward through many late-night discussions, and we eventually created our own products and technology. Like others already on the market, we faced the same hurdles—networking failures leading to downtime. Studies showed that about 95% of charger downtime was due to central network problems.

That’s when we realized the industry relied on a model with too many single points of failure and vulnerabilities. So, we re-engineered from first principles to make something new. We developed our patented self-reliant communication and computing protocol, which allows chargers to operate without external dependencies.

This approach solved the networking issues that plague traditional legacy chargers, enabling Xeal to offer an always-on experience for EV drivers​.

Take us through the process of building and launching the first version of your product.

When building something from scratch and innovating around concepts that had just been launched or gotten popular in 2019-2020, it was truly challenging to build our v1 for the patented technology.

These concepts included things like distributed ledgers, short-range communications that had just been unlocked by both Apple and Android to be bi-directional with data transfer, and tap-to-pay technology that got more traction during COVID. When you are the first in the space, you don’t have the resources to look up answers and have to solve thousands of micro problems to get to the finish line.

This challenging yet rewarding experience over multiple years has led to multiple patents/inventions and defensibility for the company to continuously stay at the forefront of the technology we are deploying while delighting our customers with a simple tap, charge, go experience, and the magic happens behind the scenes.

Here’s a video to see Xeal in the wild that we captured after launching our solutions:

You can find further details on our technology on our website: https://xealenergy.com/technology/

Did you ever have an “oh shit” moment where you thought it wouldn’t work?

Definitely. It came early on before our innovation in the market and, in retrospect, turned out to be a blessing in disguise. We had just landed deals with a Fortune 500 company, class A luxury apartments, and others with our first product (prior to our innovations) going live across 12+ properties, and we were deploying solutions similar to other legacy players in the market that had a central networking architecture.

Almost immediately, we ran into issues—the same ones everyone else in the industry still faces. Drivers couldn’t reliably start a charge, payments weren’t processed, or we couldn’t get insights into the operations of the chargers. We ran back and forth all night, keeping the chargers online with multiple hotspots and locally starting charging sessions while “hiding” behind HVAC units in parking lots or sitting in our car overnight. We did what we could to keep our customers happy, but it made it clear that we needed to rethink our approach.

As frustrating as that period was, it pushed us to create our self-reliant protocol, eliminating dependence on external networks. Today, our chargers offer a 100% uptime guarantee, ensuring no EV drivers are stranded. Looking back, that insight and pain saved our company​ and created a solution and opportunity that could truly benefit the world of EV charging and beyond for other IoT/smart connected devices.

Can you break down the keys to this business model for us? What makes it work? And what do outsiders typically not understand about your business model?

Charging companies often claim uptime rates of 98-99%. However, these figures are misleading because they exclude factors like Wi-Fi/cellular disruptions and outages, server failures, and user-side connectivity issues—problems responsible for 95% of downtime. In reality, about a third of chargers are non-functional at any given time.

Xeal's 100% uptime guarantee is a real metric, thanks to our self-reliant computing protocol, which operates without external networks. We work across various charger types, offering software or hardware integrations that don't require additional IT infrastructure or cloud dependency. Xeal offers a complete solution that includes the project's hardware, software, and installation for our customers. Our platform is also designed for scalability, making it easy for other manufacturers and OEMs to join our ecosystem and integrate their products with our software solutions seamlessly so we can scale EV charging to be as reliable as possible for everyone.

That's why over 300 of the nation's top real estate leaders, like UDR and Harrison Street, have partnered with us. We've deployed thousands of chargers in multifamily housing, life sciences, senior living, and universities such as Duke and UCLA. Beyond being a valuable amenity, our chargers provide a dependable revenue stream for property owners. Xeal offers a full-service implementation package that includes hardware, software, and installation, making it seamless for property owners to adopt EV charging. They retain full control over charging rates, allowing them to set pricing based on their operational needs or resident incentives. This flexibility not only generates income but also offers a reliable, always-on service that differentiates their properties and enhances resident satisfaction.

Since launch, what growth channels have been most effective for you?

Our most effective growth channel has been our strategic partnerships, driven by a strong sales team that deeply understands the real estate sector. By developing close relationships with major real estate owners and developers, we've been able to expand rapidly across their extensive property portfolios. For example, earlier this year, we grew our partnership with Valiant Residential by 10x year-over-year, deploying hundreds of new stations in just three months.

Word-of-mouth has also played a significant role in our growth. Our chargers' positive results—reliable, always-on functionality—have led to property owners, developers, and managers recommending us to others in their networks. Additionally, as we expand, we're finding that residents are beginning to ask for Xeal chargers by name, reflecting the strong reputation and brand awareness we've built over the years. We have also seen great success with incredible channel partners who are offering our products to a broader community of customers.

Moving into next year, we are also excited to expand our partnerships with other OEMs and CPOs in the EV charging space and beyond in the IoT world to scale our technology to its full potential: https://xealenergy.com/platform/

What platforms/tools are absolutely crucial for running your business? What business do you wish someone else would build that would make your job easier?

We're also enormously thankful for our certified network of installers, who prioritize precision and timeliness, ensuring everything is done right the first time and on schedule.

One challenge remains: the time-intensive permitting and site assessment processes. A tool that could automate these steps by integrating local regulations and utility requirements would save us significant time and resources, allowing us to deploy chargers even faster.

What are some strong opinions you have about leadership, and how do you actually put those into practice in your company?

I believe leadership is about fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration. At Xeal, we keep the innovation cycle open, allowing everyone—whether an engineer, customer support, or part of our installation team—to contribute their ideas.

This open environment has led to key breakthroughs that innovate small teams to do monumental things in the industry. We prioritize transparency so everyone understands the company’s goals and how their work fits the bigger picture. This alignment ensures that our team is motivated and that we continue innovating to address the industry’s challenges. By empowering people to take ownership of their work, we’ve created a company culture that thrives on problem-solving and creativity​.

Where can we go to learn more?

Visit our website at https://xealenergy.com/ to learn more about Xeal, our technology, and our partnerships. We have great explainers that explain how our technology works and case studies that showcase customer satisfaction and revenue from on-site chargers.

3 Links 🔗

• Miles & More for EV Charging ✈️: Spark Alliance is Europe’s first curated operator network, launched by Ionity, Electra, Fastned, and Atlante with the goal of delivering a more reliable fast-charging experience across borders, inspired by airline groups such as Star Alliance. Starting summer 2025, stations will display ad-hoc pricing via a in-App link, with roaming functionality to follow in autumn. Surprisingly, the alliance does not include any added-value features — such as uniform pricing, Plug & Charge / AutoCharge, reservations, or loyalty perks. A solid first step — but is this enough to truly enable a better user experience than what we know from EMPs? (Press Release, Spark Alliance Website)

• Volvo Trucks are taking the Greenlane🚚 : Swedish Truck maker Volvo has announced will integrate Greenlane's charging network into its Volvo Open Charge service in North America. Greenlane itself is a new CPO joint venture initiated by Daimler Trucks, Next Era and Blackrock (we reported). The company recently launch its updated website, detailed its offering for trucking and logistics companies and announced that its first site (featuring Alpitronic 400kW chargers) will go live soon in Colton, CA. (Volvo press release, Greenlane Technology Suite press release).

• Good things come in threes, including Chinese Megawatt chargers⚡️: Just recently the charging industry was surprised when BYD announced that it’s upcoming Han L and Tang L electric cars in China will support charging rates of up to 1MW. This is achieved by plugging two DC charging cables, capable of up to 500kW each, into the same vehicle. Now BYD announced that it will deploy up to 500 chargers capable of these speeds this month, aligning with the official launch date of the two vehicles. In the meantime it’s Chinese rivals ZEEKR (part of Geely Group) and Huawei are trying to counter the BYD marketing offense by announcing their own respective Megawatt charging sytems. We can’t wait to see the first media reviews covering these systems!

• BONUS Link - Breaking News! 📰: According to the German YouTube channel nextnews, a leading EMP (name undisclosed) has filed a lawsuit against EWE Go (among the Top 10 CPOs in Germany) — marking the first legal challenge under the EU’s AFIR regulation. At the core: AFIR (article 5 paragraph 3) mandates non-discriminatory pricing between ad-hoc users and B2B customers (EMPs). The outcome could set a signaling effect for the entire industry, with potential effects on pricing strategies and operator practices across Europe. (link)

Most-clicked link last week: Was the press release about Siemens’ downsizing its charging business unit (Link).

Meme of the Week 🤡

🤣🤣🤣

That's a wrap for this week! Let us know how you feel and leave some feedback (We read every single one of these 🙂 ):

Reader Review of the Week ✍️

Selected ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️ Freakin’ awesome on ⚡️ DC Fast Charger Error Rates 🚨 and wrote:

“Hi many thanks for the reliability information. Great to see those stats from Monta (I also appreciated the Kempower report as well). Please continue the good work.”

Someone forwarded this to you? Subscribe now - it's free!

DISCLAIMER: None of this is financial or tax advice. This newsletter is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. The Electric Avenue team may hold investments in or may otherwise be affiliated with the companies discussed.