On Thursday, Florida energy tech startup Ecolution announced that it is partnering with Levo, the mobility joint venture of EV company Nuuve and private real assets investor Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners to launch the first smart city to achieve net-zero carbon emissions. Ecolution plans to deploy its patented Module Active Response System (MARS) proof-of-concept in Greenville, South Carolina, followed by a roll-out of its technology in Minneapolis-St-Paul, Minnesota in 2022.
Ecolution’s MARS technology harvests kinetic energy from moving train cars and truck trailers, generating affordable clean electricity which is downloaded into a micro-grid at the train station, at buildings in the city, or placed directly into the central electric grid. This mobilized kinetic energy would also be sourced to charge electric school buses. There are approximately 5,000 school buses and 1,000 municipal and mass transit buses in the Minneapolis-St. Paul greater area which could transition to zero emission electric in the future.
Through a dedicated project joint venture which may be funded by Levo, Ecolution plans to supply St. Paul and the Twin Cities area in Minnesota with electric vehicles and electric vehicle charging stations powered by its rail-to-grid technology.
“Harnessing the power of clean energy is critical to building a sustainable future for our city,” said Mayor Melvin Carter. “As we continue this vital work, we look forward to the opportunity to welcome Ecolution into our community.”
“Trains consume a great deal of energy. Our technology recycles that energy, and in the process lowers electricity costs and carbon emissions,” said Johanne Medina Then, CEO and co-founder of Ecolution. “This transformative process is now becoming reality with the support of our engineering partners, Day & Zimmermann and KTM Engineering in South Carolina.”
Ecolution recently executed a non-binding letter of intent with Levo whereby Ecolution would seek up to $30 million of capital from Levo to fund the purchase of electric buses in phase one of the Minnesota project. Ecolution is currently in the process of establishing a headquarters in St. Paul.
“Levo is committed to reducing CO2 emissions by leveraging technology and providing an affordable, simple approach to electrification. We manage the entire, end-to-end process for our customers so they can electrify quickly and confidently,” said Maggie Clancy, chief commercial officer of Levo. “Partnering with Ecolution helps us fulfill our mission in a new, innovative way, and we look forward to working closely with the Ecolution Power Company and the City of St. Paul to achieve their goals.”
“All roads to achieving net-zero-carbon emissions must travel through the transportation sector,” said Craig Bouchard, co-founder & executive chairman of Ecolution. “This partnership establishes a blueprint for how a major metropolitan area can achieve the net-zero-carbon goal.”
