Reloaded: BluWave-ai Signs Agreement to Help Middle East Taxi Service Manage Electric Vehicle Fleet

An Ottawa cleantech startup that helps utility companies optimize the amount of power in their grids hopes a new deal with a Middle Eastern taxi service will fuel a breakthrough in electric vehicles by full expansion.

BluWave-ai said this week that it has started working with Dubai Taxi to help the company anticipate demand and ensure its growing fleet of electric taxis are fully charged and ready to go when customers call.

About 200 of the company’s more than 5,000 vehicles are electric Tesla, and Dubai Taxi plans to continue phasing out gasoline and diesel taxis as part of its goal of achieving zero carbon emissions by 2050.

BluWave Founder and CEO Devashish Paul said his company is using its artificial intelligence platform to analyze Dubai Taxi ridership data and get a clearer picture of the ebb and flow of demand for the service. .

Since charging an electric vehicle takes longer than filling a car with gasoline, taxi services should anticipate when taxis will not be needed for calls and use that downtime. to recharge their batteries.

“Taxis often wait for fares. They could then bill, ”Paul explained, adding“ you should know that there will be no tariffs to start billing ”.

The time factor, coupled with the limited stock of charging stations, means that electric vehicle fleet managers are increasingly looking for all the benefits they can find to maximize vehicle use.

“By using live artificial intelligence systems to decide when vehicles can be dynamically loaded and shipped, we see a way to better monetize our investment in our Tesla and EV taxi fleets,” said Deputy General Manager of Dubai Taxi, Ammar Albraiki, in a statement.

Paul said BluWave’s AI-powered simulator may provide “a much more optimal approach to real-time charging and real-time pricing.”

The Ottawa company is now feeding data into the system so the AI ​​knows what to look for when the platform goes live. Paul did not give details of the contract, saying only that he hopes it turns into a long-term deal.

Meanwhile, BluWave has signed deals with several other electric vehicle fleet operators, including New York City’s United Taxi Management and Dallas-based MV Transportation, which provides corporate shuttles, student transportation and transportation. other services to more than 110 million passengers per year.

Utility customers

The company’s growing electric vehicle customer base also includes Alaska Airlines, which operates hundreds of electric shuttles at airports across the United States.

The move into the EV space is a relatively recent development for BluWave, which was founded four years ago to help utility companies manage their power grids.

The company’s solution leverages various sensors on a city’s power sources to monitor and forecast down-to-the-minute energy needs to help utilities use their resources more efficiently and avoid costly penalties. Its customers include Tata Power, India’s largest integrated electricity company.

While Paul says the company is still looking to expand its list of domestic customers, he said the company’s future prosperity depends on building its brand internationally.

“During the pandemic, we had to go where people are already rolling out stuff,” he said. “You don’t see a lot of electric buses or electric taxis in Ottawa. Canada is a little behind the rest of the world.

BluWave, which raised $ 3.9 million in seed funding early last year, is now seeking a new round of multi-million dollar venture capital investment and is also considering going public through a reverse takeover as a way to fund its growth agenda.

“It potentially allows us to really build and develop a Canadian world champion,” Paul told Techopia this summer, adding that he expects the startup to double its size once the funding is secured. “It’s kind of our goal, it’s really to build something substantial in Ottawa.