ZiGGY is a neat new autonomous robot that will find you a parking spot, wait for you, and recharge your electric vehicle battery while you’re shopping, at work, or running errands. No, seriously.
We all know that charging EVs takes longer than stopping for gas, which is why several brands are looking for solutions. The company EV Safe Charge is a popular provider of end-to-end charging options, especially when it comes to mobile charging solutions. EV Safe Charge even partnered with Jaguar for its new i-PACE EV to offer on-the-fly charging options.
However, this week EV Safe Charge took things even further and unveiled a fully autonomous robot that will charge your electric vehicle from anywhere. By that, we mean you don’t need to find a gas station or building that supports EV charging, and you don’t have to park in a specific stall. Instead, ZiGGY, the EV charging robot, will come to you. Well, kind of.
Here’s what EV Safe Charge Co-founder and CEO Caradoc Ehrenhalt had to say:
“ZiGGY is a flexible and simple solution for virtually any office, mall, or apartment complex to help meet growing charging needs of its tenants and guests without expensive, time-consuming infrastructure and installation investment, if it’s even possible. In many cases, especially in older buildings, adding EV chargers isn’t an option until now.”
The ZiGGY robot won’t hit the streets until sometime in 2023, according to the press release, but once it does, you’ll absolutely want to give it a try. Electric vehicle owners can summon ZiGGY using a dedicated mobile app or from select in-car infotainment systems.
If you’re at the office and have a long drive home, ZiGGY will come to you and charge your car. If you summon ZiGGY ahead of time, the autonomous robot will find you a parking space, reserve it, and sit patiently until you arrive. Then, plug in for a recharge after you accept the parking spot.
What about speeds? According to Electrek, ZiGGY will initially offer level 2 charging speeds but plans to upgrade to level 3 fast charging later.
Obviously, ZiGGY isn’t full of limitless power and will be able to navigate safely back to a home base charging station at an office complex, airport, or other locations and top off before the next customer. These little things could be rolling around several areas in the next few years, and specific sites in San Francisco are already on board.
Unfortunately, the company isn’t ready to share charging rates or how much the service will cost, but you can expect a premium for the convenience.
via Electrek
