Ross Bloom is the founder of REVVIT, a Newton startup that seeks to make EV Level 1 charging more accessible to renters, condo owners, and small company employees.
The concept of REVVIT is to create a simple and inexpensive way for small property landlords, condos, municipalities, and small businesses to offer Level 1 charging to their residents and employees. Level 1 charging uses a common residential 120-volt (120V) AC outlet. REVVIT says, “America’s electric vehicle charging infrastructure has a first mile problem.” 25% of Americans live in places where charging near their residence isn’t a viable option, and REVVIT aims to help resolve that. Getting charging stations into locations where those people live and work would remove a huge barrier to making EV’s more attractive.
REVVIT’s low cost charging station could be placed almost anywhere. Since the hardware is relatively low cost at around $1000 per station, small landlords, multi-unit building owners, small businesses, and municipalities could offer it as an incentive to residents and employees. It is true that Level 1 charging is slow, but it is sufficient for short trips and commutes to locations where faster charging is available. REVVIT is working with cities and towns to install these devices on municipally-owned street light poles in places where a car could park for a few hours to charge. Since typical street lamps have access to 120V but not 220V (which are required for the faster Level 2 charging), the Level 1 chargers are a good fit. The 120V connection would use the ubiquitous J-1772 plug, which is present in most EV’s, and charge at 15 Amps. The system is secured by a code which opens a secure panel to access the charging cable. Only members who have subscribed would have code access to the charger.
Ross is currently seeking mechanical and engineering talent to help with product development and is also looking for pilot sites to test early system installations. Contact Ross at ross@REVVIT.net if interested in further information.
Craig Forman is a HeatSmart Newton Coach and a Green Newton Board Member.
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