Ample, an EV charging company you have probably never heard of was founded in 2014 by serial entrepreneurs Khaled Hassounah and John de Souza, just snared a $31 million Series A investment from Shell Ventures, the investment arm of Royal Dutch Shell.
Others which participated in the first round of funding include Moore Strategic Ventures, Repsol Energy Ventures, Hemi Ventures, and TriRec.
What’s so special about Ample?
It claims to have invented an “economical, rapidly deployable, and widely accessible platform that delivers a full charge to any electric car in minutes.” Ample says it uses autonomous robotics and smart battery technology to accomplish this rather remarkable feat, but is light on details.
If Ample can fully recharge a Nissan LEAF, Chevy Bolt, or Tesla in minutes, that would be quite a feat. Is it true? Shell Ventures seems to think so.
The push to invest in EV charging infrastructure by major corporations indicates people in the world of commerce believe the EV revolution is real. Managing the charging infrastructure will offer significant opportunities to profit from that growth as more and more electric cars take to the road worldwide.
Reference- Shell PR, Cleantechnica, Fleet Europe