In the week that ESA BIC is receiving new applications, the incubation program also has to say goodbye to one of its ‘graduating’ incubatees. Social Charging is leaving the program with a large network of clients and a business model with a lot of potential for further growth.
The idea for Social Charging was born when co-founder Gertjan Geurts bought a new electric car and struggled to find free charging points. His solution: an app that lets users coordinate with other EV drivers. “Usually you get a car with a new job; I got a business with my new car,” Geurts jokes.
The idea won several prizes in the field of smart mobility and after Geurts teamed up with Gerwin Hop, they were soon granted contracts from several large Dutch cities. Users can easily find nearby charging points, automatically check in through their charging card, and chat with other drivers or join a queue when no free charging points are available.
Today, Social Charging is collaborating closely with charging partners and has signed several large companies as clients. Companies with a large employee pool can use Social Charging to make sure that the charging points on their private parking lots are utilized more efficiently.
And co-founder Geurts is already looking for new opportunities. One potential business avenue is to promote the use of green energy, by allowing EV drivers to indicate if they prefer to charge quickly or greenly.
