Voltpost: Overcoming Manufacturing Challenges & EV Charging
Hello Jeff, please introduce yourself and your role.
"I am the CEO and Co-Founder of Voltpost, the lamppost electric vehicle (EV) charging company. I lead the Voltpost team on our mission to decarbonise mobility by democratising charging access.
"I’ve been working in technology in New York for about 20 years now. Prior to Voltpost, I was Director of Innovation at Samsung. In this position, I led a cross-functional team to develop mobile, TV and digital appliance digital products at the intersection of trends and technology. Before Samsung, I led product development of a live streaming 360° video platform. Prior to that, I was a senior producer at The Daily, the first mobile publication at News Corp. Over my career, I have produced products and content with WarnerMedia, IBM, BBC Worldwide, Dell, Mashable, Giphy, Johnson & Johnson and many other brands."
What is Voltpost?
"Voltpost retrofits lampposts into a modular and upgradable Level 2 EV charging platform powered by a mobile app. This first-of-a-kind platform in the U.S. provides people convenient and affordable charging while reducing the cost, timing and footprint of chargers. Unlike other curbside charging solutions, Voltpost can install a charger in minutes, right on an existing public or privately owned lamppost, providing communities with a scalable, equitable solution.
"While Voltpost can serve any EV, the lamppost charging platform proves particularly valuable for urban EV drivers living in multi-unit housing who lack dedicated parking spaces and have nowhere to charge an EV near their home. The ease of installation, which is a fraction of the cost of other solutions with no construction, trenching or extensive permitting processes, helps bring more EV charging to underserved communities, high-density areas and other 'charging deserts'."
What has been the industry response to you repurposing lampposts to EV chargers?
"Overall, response has been incredibly positive as it’s such a pressing challenge that we’re working to solve. Most folks understand the need to move to electric vehicles and electrify mobility. But, EV chargers are not always easy to access and, when they are available, they tend to be clustered in high-income areas. Then, when you find one, there’s the question as to whether or not the charger works at all. Many chargers have fallen by the wayside, installed and never revisited for maintenance or repairs.
"Lower-income communities have been left behind due to past policy and investment decisions. Transportation and infrastructure are often top of the list of challenges they’re facing. At Voltpost, we aim to spur EV adoption and empower people across all communities by providing EV charging both curbside and in parking lots. We’re helping make sure that everyone, regardless of where they live or what they make, is able to reap the benefits of transportation electrification."
As CEO, tell us about how you support and guide your team.
"Successfully supporting and guiding our growing team starts with having a clear shared mission, vision, purpose, values and goals. Each person on our team is united by our shared values to make a positive impact in the race to net-zero transportation. In addition, our team comes together to set annual and quarterly business goals.
"Growing a company in New York City and San Francisco requires effective and regular communication to create alignment. This starts with active listening, rather than jumping to a solution. Each person on the team brings unique skills and perspective to the table and there is value in sharing perspectives to effectively evaluate options when making each key business decision.
"I am incredibly grateful to have truly brilliant, ambitious and passionate people on our team. When you bring together a group of leaders like this, it is vital to empower team members by giving them clear roles and responsibilities. This starts with trusting that each person has the capacity to carry the ball forward and build the company in unique ways. Voltpost is a platform for each person to shape their skills and identify through the inspiring work we do each day.
"As quickly as we are moving to grow the company, it is also important to recognise each person’s contribution and celebrate the wins along the journey. We are building a positive culture with shared values to promote a positive work environment.
- Making Good. We are honest, courageous, and bold. We take risks fueled by integrity, hope and empathy. We embrace failure as learning and take responsibility. We remain respectful, resilient and determined. We put health first and live life to the fullest. For the greater good.
- Charging Forward. We lead by example to create a more sustainable future. We crawl, before we walk, before we run. We think big, act small and move fast. We are ambitious yet humble. We play to win, solve problems and remain frugal. We listen, learn and grow every day.
- Empowering People. We aim to engage, excite and delight people. To exceed expectations. We genuinely care for the people we serve rewarding early adopters and complaints. We pursue quality over quantity. Passion drives our purpose and purpose drives our product.
Tell us more about how U.S. manufacturing grew in March for the first time since September 2022.
"We’re proud to be a U.S. company that builds our chargers here in the U.S. With around 26m EVs travelling the world’s roads today, the EV market has seen incredible progress over the last few years and we expect that to continue as rapid growth in the EV market means a boost in EV charging. We’re poised to be a part of this green manufacturing growth as we begin to deploy EV charging projects this spring and moving forward."
Now that demand is in its early stages of recovery, what does this mean for investors and companies across the manufacturing sector?
"We expect to see continued growth in the manufacturing sector as the demand for climate tech products that are produced in the U.S. continues to build."
Tell us more about the Cohort 5 for Scale For ClimateTech.
"It’s such a great opportunity for Voltpost to be a part of the Cohort 5 for Scale for ClimateTech since this is all about supporting climate tech companies to overcome manufacturing challenges, a critical hurdle in order for solutions to reach scale. Alongside our peers in the cohort, we’ve built a great product and now we are bringing the Voltpost platform to market and focused on deployment. We need support from organisations like Scale for ClimateTech in this crucial phase. Despite the market challenges of the past few years, we have continued to rapidly grow the company – and the best is yet to come."
What are your plans for the next year?
"Voltpost is developing and deploying EV charging projects in major U.S. cities, including New York, Chicago, Detroit and others, this Spring. We are ramping up as deployments across a diverse portfolio of customers in the private, government and utility customer segments. We want to empower people and communities to take climate action by rapidly deploying EV chargers. Our vision is for Voltpost to continue to grow and be a transformative force in the climate movement by making charging as common as lampposts."
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