L-Charge start-up announced crowdfunding campaign in order to partially fund its “Green route” project. The “Green Route” is supposed to facilitate the major highways between Barcelona and Paris with super fast EV-chargers. L-Charge promises to allow it to charge electric cars for up to 100km in just 10-20 min.
“The fact that there are not enough charging stations across the globe, even in the most developed countries such as the United States, means that EV owners are limited with their travel options. The problem is also not only the lack of the number of charging stations but the speed of charging. It’s insane to spend one or two hours charging your car nowadays, the charging speed should be comparable with that speed of gasoline filling stations. And it is where we come with our solution,” says Dmitry Lashin, CEO of L-Charge.
The company wants to fund up to 50% of the project with crowdfunding. Those who donated for the project are promised to be rewarded with a 20% discount for the first 2 years of service at all L-Charge stations. In total, the company plans to build 10 stations between the two cities of Paris and Barcelona.
L-Charge’s charging stations are mini power stations capable of generating and storing energy and charging electric cars with no need for a grid connection. The power is generated from compressed natural gas or hydrogen.
Designed for highways, gas stations, and parking lots, L-Charge’s stationary charger does not require any staff or connection to an external power grid. Chargers run on an internal supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG) or LNG/H2 mixture. 600-1000 kW power generators are the core of the L-Charge stationary mini-power station for fast charging of electric vehicles. L-Charge says its devices emit 7.05 kg of CO2 per 100 km worth of charge power, 68% less than a typical diesel vehicle would emit to drive 100 km.
In October, the Russian start-up started a tour around Europe, providing free electricity in cities. For the moment, the start-up gathered $1.5 million (€1.33 million) in funds for its ambitious project and received orders for $5 million (€4.43 million).
Apart from the stationary charging stations, L-Charge provides mobile EV-charging service. Thus, they can provide electricity wherever is needed, regardless of the power grid and can be called up as Uber. Currently, the service provided by the Russian-American group is working in Moscow and is expected to come into full operation in Abu Dhabi by the end of this year, and in Spanish Barcelona and Madrid by the end of 2022.
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