Utah’s EVject Aims to Make EV Charging Safer

Adoption of electric vehicles in the US, despite a recent weakening of the market, continues to increase, and at the end of last year there were 3.3 million electric vehicles on the road, up from 2 million in 2022 and 1, 3 million in 2021, according to data. tracked by Edmunds. Approximately another half million all-electric vehicles were sold to U.S. customers in the first five months of this year.

And while most EV owners turn to a home station as their primary source to keep their batteries charged, public EV infrastructure has also grown in leaps and bounds to support expanded range and convenience of operation. an electric vehicle.

Along with the expanded use of public charging stations, some unique challenges have arisen, and Utah startup EVject aims to alleviate concerns and some potentially dangerous situations, with a novel new product that allows drivers who are connected to a charging port drive smoothly. leave their cars or disconnect the umbilical.

Charging infrastructure is increasing

Earlier this year, the Pew Research Center reported that by February 2024 there were more than 61,000 publicly accessible Level 2, or DC, electric vehicle charging stations in the U.S., more than double the 29,000 public stations that were in operation by the end of 2020. With little context and contrast, Pew also noted that there are currently about 145,000 gasoline filling stations nationwide.

The growing use of electric vehicles has fueled the need for publicly accessible charging ports, and increasingly, electric vehicle drivers find themselves tied up at those facilities waiting for their batteries to recharge. This can be a wait of an hour or more on Level 2 or around 30 minutes on a DC fast charger, depending on the type of vehicle and the battery level at the time of charging.

Those potentially long waits in the car are where EVject’s detachable charger connection comes into play. And it’s an idea born, in part, from stories of some terrifying situations.

Breakaway technology allows for quick getaways

In a Deseret News interview, EVject founders Kreg and Amanda Peeler said their novel detachable connector design allows the driver to start their vehicle and walk away from a bad situation even while tethered to a charging station.

Amanda Peeler said she had her own scary moment at an isolated charging station, but was able to simply walk away when a group of strangers approached her vehicle. The Peelers recounted other cases in which lost wildlife, charger fires or weather conditions required emergency exits by drivers connected to charging ports.

EVject’s founders noted that similar technology already exists at traditional gasoline filling stations that typically have separation mechanisms at both the nozzle and pump ends of the fuel lines.

“Right now, with EV charging stations, things are where they were 100 years ago or more with cars,” Amanda Peeler said. “Today, gas pumps have two different separations to allow people to simply drive away in an emergency. We just want to create that same option during loading.”

The Peelers said the proliferation of electric vehicle charging stations has led to some of those facilities being located in out-of-the-way corners, behind buildings or simply in the middle of nowhere. They note that, in addition to unexpected events such as flash flooding, encounters with wild animals or problems with charging stations, more than one million criminal incidents occur each year in parking lots, parking lots and gas stations.

“This product fits in with other things that are happening with the adoption of safety standards for charging stations,” Kreg Peeler said. “They are demanding lights, cameras and other security features… and at some point security connectors may also be necessary.”

Evolving EV Safety Standards

Amanda Peeler noted that safety requirements are evolving as the adoption of electric vehicles continues to expand and, like the evolution of features required for combustion engine vehicles, the process is evolving.

“It’s not that different from seat belts in the ’60s,” he said. “Some automakers started making them optional, and over time they become a requirement.”

EVject, which launched about a year ago but went into full production this spring, has raised about $4 million in backing and is on track to expand its EVject connector to work with the various iterations of connector types.

The company initially had some issues with Tesla, after the electric vehicle maker, owned by Elon Musk, filed legal action, alleging that the EVject connector had overheating issues. The Peelers said the claims were mostly unfounded, and after some collaborative communication with Tesla officials, the company made updates to its device and Tesla dropped the lawsuit.

While EVject currently operates as a direct-to-consumer business, the company is working on licensing deals with other accessory makers, as well as automakers, and expects the business model to eventually evolve into an enterprise operation as it grows. EV manufacturers adopt separable connectors as standard. feature on their vehicles.

The Peelers believe that change may be on the near horizon.

“I think it’s just a matter of time,” Amanda Peeler said. “Manufacturers design electric vehicles to protect the equipment, now we just need to protect the driver.”