Scottish clean energy company Trojan Energy has secured a late seed round investment of £2.2m to roll out its flat-and-flush on-street EV charging hubs and develop further commercial applications of its technology.
The round was led by Scottish angel investor Equity Gap and includes investment from Scottish Enterprise, SIS Ventures and Aberdeen-based angel investor Alba Equity.
Trojan said it will use the funding to improve its technology and applications by volume level manufacturing, rolling out chargepoints in more areas and growing its team.
To use Trojan’s technology, customers use a lance that connects their vehicle to a flat-and-flush chargingpoint in the street, charging at the roadside. The flat-and-flush design means the pavement is clear of clutter and fully accessible to other pavement users.
The charging points are connected via underground ducts to cabinets, located discreetly up to 100m away, which can send power to 15 charging units at any one time. By taking the technology to the next stage, the company said it will decrease the size of the cabinets, reduce costs and offer a wider range of charging options to customers.
Ian Mackenzie, CEO of Trojan Energy, said: “Trojan Energy was formed with one mission: to ensure everyone benefits from the energy transition. Currently, 10 million people in the UK who park on-street don’t have access to electric vehicle charging. That’s 10 million people that, without Trojan Energy, could be left behind by the energy transition.
“We specialise in EV charging without pavement clutter, and this investment allows us to commercialise further the technology and expand our business, creating more charging points on each street and making the technology accessible to more customers. We will create new jobs and move the UK towards net-zero at a fair price for all.”
Based in Aberdeenshire in the northeast of Scotland, Trojan Energy has grown its workforce from its founding team of four last year to a team of 12. It plans to increase the team to around 20 by creating new roles including engineering positions, project managers and customer service leads.
The company was launched in 2016 to create a system that offers an equal opportunity for EV drivers without a driveway to charge up their vehicles near home, without inconveniencing other pavement users.
It aims to provide immediate, cheap, green energy at up to 22kW via charge points in hubs of 15, or single units powered by the home, to address the lack of EV charging infrastructure in the urban environment with cost-effective systems.
