An agreement with Zerova promises Imperial-UCD spinout Go Eve global impact for its multiple car charging technology.
A new technology faces a number of challenges when it goes out into the world, from satisfying safety regulations to attracting its first users. But you know it is having an impact when the innovation is embraced by a significant player in the industry.
This has just happened for Go Eve, a joint spinout from Imperial and University College Dublin, which has developed a system that allows multiple electric vehicles (EVs) to be recharged from a single charger. Called DockChain, this innovation addresses the problem of limited access to charging, which is holding back the large-scale shift to electric mobility that is needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality in cities.
After a series of trials and pilot projects, Go Eve has signed a partnership agreement with Zerova, a global manufacturer of customised EV charging systems headquartered in Taiwan. This will see DockChain recommended for use with Zerova's rapid DC charger, which is designed for use in workplaces, hotels, depots and garages.
"We are excited to partner with Go Eve to bring this innovative solution to the market," said Bruno Guenka, Senior Marketing Manager at Zerova. "Our DS Series chargers, combined with Go Eve's DockChain technology, offer a unique and efficient charging experience that meets the growing demands of EV users."
According to John Goodbody, co-founder and marketing director at Go Eve, this is a significant technical and commercial validation for the company "This is the very first EV charger manufacturer to officially endorse and recommend our DockChain innovation being added to their rapid DC chargers," he said. "Having our technology hard-wired into an existing charger with the full backing of the manufacturer's warranty is a big step forward, both for the company and for our customers."
Make a chain
Go Eve's approach to multiple vehicle charging was developed by Professor Robert Shorten and colleagues at University College Dublin to address the 'one car, one charger' model that still limits the use of EV charging infrastructure. This is frustrating for drivers looking to plug in, and a serious headache for fleet managers who need to keep large numbers of electric vehicles charged and ready to roll.
Professor Shorten continued working on the idea when he relocated to the Dyson School of Design Engineering at Imperial in 2019. Go Eve was set up in early 2021 as a joint spinout between UCD and Imperial, with the goal of bringing the DockChain technology to the market.
The system allows a single charger to support multiple EVs through a daisy chain of compact charging terminals, each in its own parking bay. Instead of dividing the power from the charger, DockChain charges one vehicle at a time by prioritising where it sends the current. The system can be set to charge on a first come, first served basis, or to prioritise vehicles with the lowest batteries, or any other pattern the operator requires.
The first pilot for the new system took place in November 2022, with a four-station DockChain set up at Imperial's South Kensington campus. "We were able to charge the cars sequentially, in whichever order we wanted, at high power," says Mr Goodbody. "And that was the first manifestation of the lab idea in a real car park."
Around the world
In 2023 Go Eve raised £3 million in seed funding to help bring its system to the market. Since then, it has tested DockChain at multiple sites in the US and Europe. This includes four sites operated with Zerova, charging a broad range of vehicles, including both cars and vans.
In 12 months, Go Eve has scaled from a small startup to a position where we are embarking on joint work with some of the biggest and most important industry players. Professor Robert Shorten Head of the Dyson School for Design Engineering and co-founder of Go Eve
The new partnership agreement builds on the success of those trials, and the award last year of a CE safety and quality mark that allows DockChain to be sold throughout Europe.
"It is fantastic to witness the interest in the DockChain technology, and Go Eve, from major automotive equipment manufacturers, from the EV charging industry and from service providers," said Professor Shorten, who is now head of the Dyson School for Design Engineering.
"The past 12 months have been an amazing journey in this respect, with Go Eve scaling from a small startup to a position where we are embarking on joint work with some of the biggest and most important industry players," he went on. "This is a great validation of both the technology and of Go Eve."
