ChargePoint Partners with Uber to Power the Future of Urban Air Transportation

Campbell, Calif. (USA) – April 26, 2017 – ChargePoint, the world’s largest electric vehicle (EV) charging network, today at the Uber Elevate Summit announced a charging partnership with Uber Elevate to support a global vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) transportation network. ChargePoint will develop the world’s first charging solutions for electric VTOL vehicles, enabling these aircraft to make more trips, serve more passengers and transform the way people get around the cities of tomorrow. The partnership marks a pivotal moment in the history of electric mobility and a major shift in the future of transportation.

As populations grow, traffic congestion stresses drivers, creates pollution and decreases productivity. eVTOL aircraft can get people where they need to go faster, reducing congestion and commute times. However, these vehicles need an ultra-fast way to charge between trips in order to serve as many people as possible and achieve the goals of decreasing traffic, pollution and stress for everyone.

“At ChargePoint, we are committed to getting everyone behind the wheel of an EV and keeping all types of EVs charged, no matter whether they roll, fly or float,” said Pasquale Romano, President and CEO, ChargePoint, Inc. “Pairing Uber’s VTOL transportation network with nearly a decade of experience and charging expertise will take both transportation and charging to the next level. We are confident that we will deliver a future-proof fast charging solution that will be a vital piece of this next generation mobility solution.”

The first and only company to design, develop and manufacture a complete range of convenient solutions for home, workplace, fleet, public and highway charging, ChargePoint has demonstrated unparalleled engineering expertise in EV charging. Cutting-edge charging solutions for eVTOL vehicles mark the logical next step in preparing for the all-electric future of transportation. The power demands of on-demand eVTOL create unique charging challenges: eVTOL vehicles need to make frequent short trips, but will have limited time to charge between trips while loading passengers. They will endure hundreds of charging cycles in their lifetime and require massive amounts of power for vertical takeoff and landing. Without the right charging infrastructure in place, eVTOL cannot become a viable form of transportation.

To meet the unprecedented charging demands of eVTOL aircraft, ChargePoint will build on its intelligent ChargePoint Express Plus platform, announced earlier this year. The modular design of the Express Plus system will enable rapid growth and unlimited scalability across the eVTOL charging network, while best-in-class software solutions will empower site operators to manage energy consumption and minimize impact on existing electrical infrastructure. To ensure eVTOL vehicles can perform well for the long term, ChargePoint will use a breakthrough approach that extends proprietary liquid cooling technology to the battery pack through charging cables, keeping vehicles ready for service while prolonging battery life.

“Uber is looking to the air as the next logical place to deliver on-demand transportation,” said Nikhil Goel, Head of Product for Advanced Programs at Uber. “We knew the eVTOL vehicles we bring to drivers would need to stay charged in order to serve as many drivers as possible, so we went directly to the leading EV charging provider to find the solution. We are confident this partnership will accelerate the availability of on-demand urban air transit and be a catalyst in making our cities more enjoyable to live in and easier to get around.”

As companies like Uber continue to release innovative electric transportation options worldwide, ChargePoint’s proven experience in building a global charging network will play a crucial role in supporting safe, convenient and reliable electric transportation for people in cities around the world.

The Uber Elevate Summit took place April 25-27, 2017 in Dallas, Texas. Designed to build awareness about the Elevate mission, provide details of the ecosystem and bring together stakeholders to help make the vision of the initiative a reality, the conference features leaders and technology experts from various industries. For more information about the Uber Elevate Summit, visit: https://www.uber.com/info/elevate/summit/.

About ChargePoint

ChargePoint is the largest and most open electric vehicle (EV) charging network in the world, with more than 34,500 independently owned charging spots across 7,000 sites that are easy for EV drivers to find and use at home, at work, around town and on the road. Leading EV hardware makers and other partners rely on the ChargePoint network to make charging station details available in mobile apps, online and in navigation systems for popular EVs. ChargePoint drivers have completed more than 23.7 million charging sessions, saving upwards of 23.4 million gallons of gasoline and driving more than 560 million gas-free miles.

For more information, visit www.chargepoint.com or contact the Media Relations team at media@chargepoint.com.