Houston EV charging station startup gets ready to roll out services across the country

revving up for growth

In the coming weeks, REVS plans to set up EV charging stations at properties in Texas and California. Photo courtesy of REVS

A Houston startup is revving up the region's — and the country's — supply of charging stations for electric vehicles.

The company, Refuel Electric Vehicle Solutions (REVS), recently installed its first two charging stations. They're at two properties in Houston: the Briar Forest Lofts apartment complex, located in the Energy Corridor, and Lakeview RV Resort, located at North Holmes and Hiram Clarke roads.

REVS plans to roll out its offering — consulting, installation, and management services for electric vehicle (EV) charging stations — to multifamily and commercial real estate properties across the U.S. Those properties include apartment complexes, office buildings, hotels, and shopping centers.

In the coming weeks, REVS plans to set up EV charging stations at properties in Texas and California.

Customers of REVS can take advantage of revenue-sharing and marketing arrangements, as well as green or carbon credits.

Commercial real estate veteran David Aaronson, president and CEO of REVS, and son Mike Aaronson, head of operations, founded the company to address what they say is a growing need for EV charging stations in the commercial real estate and sustainability sectors.

Miami Beach, Florida-based Blink Charging Co. makes the EV charging stations installed by REVS. Blink, which is publicly traded, recently raised $232 million in equity to fuel its growth.

As EVs "become more prevalent, it is imperative that commercial real estate and multifamily owners and operators realize that their assets will provide the future infrastructure for charging these vehicles," David Aaronson says in a news release.

One forecast predicts the global market for EV charging stations will surpass $248.2 billion by 2030. Another report anticipates the number of EV charging stations around the world will grow from more than 2.1 million in 2020 to nearly 30.8 million by 2027.

In the U.S., the number of EVs is poised to take off. A study by The Brattle Group, a consulting firm in Boston, forecasts the number of EVs in this country will jump from 1.5 million in 2020 to between 10 million and 35 million by 2030.

The study goes on to say that an infrastructure investment of $75 billion to $125 billion would be required to accommodate 20 million EVs on U.S. roads by 2030. Those dollar figures include the addition of 1 million to 2 million EV charging stations.

In North America, an estimated 80 percent of EV charging happens at home, but experts expect the share of charging done at office buildings and other places to increase.

"When it comes to electric vehicles, commercial real estate owners and operators face one fundamental question: Do they wait for a tidal wave of EVs on the road to add charging stations to new and existing buildings, or get ahead of that tsunami?" Commercial Real Estate Executiveobserved last year. "The answer increasingly is if they dawdle, they run the risk of finding themselves behind the times."

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Houston bio-based materials founder rebrands, evolves future-focused sustainability startup

HOUSTON INNOVATORS PODCAST EPISODE 255

At first, Zimri T. Hinshaw just wanted to design a sustainable, vegan jacket inspired by bikers he saw in Tokyo. Now, he's running a bio-based materials company with two product lines and is ready to disrupt the fashion and automotive industries.

Hinshaw founded Rheom Materials (née Bucha Bio) in 2020, but a lot has changed since then. He moved the company from New York to Houston, built out a facility in Houston's East End Maker Hub, and rebranded to reflect the company's newest phase and extended product lines, deriving from dozens of different ingredients, including algae, seaweed, corn, other fruits and vegetables, and more.

"As a company, we pivoted our technology from growing kombucha sheets to grinding up bacteria nanocellulose from kombucha into our products and then we moved away from that entirely," Hinshaw says on the Houston Innovators Podcast. "Today, we're designing different materials that are more sustainable, and the inputs are varied."

Now, in addition to Rheom's leather-like alternative, Shorai, the company has a plastic-like material, Benree, that's 100 percent bio based.

"The scope of what we were doing — both on what raw materials we were using and what we were creating just kept expanding and growing," Hinshaw says.

With that major evolution past just kombucha-based textiles, it was time for a new name, ideated by the company's technical team. "Rheom" is the combination of "rheology" — the study of how polymers flow — and "form."

Rheom has also built a state-of-the-art chemicals testing lab at its new facility after moving into it early last year.

"We've got a ton of capabilities now — and we've been growing those since the beginning," Hinshaw says. "Now we have all this testing equipment — things that pull materials apart, things that test the flexibility of materials."

Next up, Rheom, which is backed by Houston-based New Climate Ventures, among other VCs, will raise a series A funding round to continue supporting its growth.

10+ can't-miss Houston business and innovation events for October

WHERE TO BE

From networking meetups to pitch competitions, October is lined with opportunities for Houston innovators.

Here's a roundup of events you won't want to miss out on so mark your calendars and register accordingly.

Note: This post might be updated to add more events.

Additionally, mark your calendars for November 14 for the annual Houston Innovation Awards.

October 3 — Texas Venture Fest: Houston Edition

More than 10 cities simultaneously host this statewide phenomenon, as Texans rally to see innovation flourish. Hear from leaders in impact investing, climate tech startups, and sports tech entrepreneurs. This year's event registration asks for your favorite investor, startup, and community leader for the Texan's Choice Awards— the "People's Choice Awards" for statewide innovation.

This event is Thursday, October 3, from 8:30 am to 8 pm at the Niels Esperson Building. Click here to register.

October 4 — 15th Annual Yatsu Day Symposium

This year’s symposium, “Reviving Hope: AI Innovations and Emerging Technologies in Stroke Recovery,” will unpack life-changing research into emerging stroke recovery technology and methods. This comprehensive program will explore critical topics such as artificial intelligence in healthcare, cognitive recovery post-stroke, stroke rehabilitation and recovery, tele-health, pediatric stroke recovery, and more.

This event is Friday, October 4, from 8 am to 4 pm at the Cooley Center. Click here to register.

October 9 — Future of Global Energy Conference

This premier event convenes industry leaders, policymakers, innovators, and academics to explore Houston's pivotal role in addressing the dual challenge of meeting growing energy demands while reducing carbon emissions. This conference delves into Houston's unique position to lead in this effort, driving innovation, collaboration, and investment towards a sustainable, low-carbon future.

This event is Wednesday, October 9, from 8:15 am to 5:30 pm at Hilton Americas. Click here to register.

October 9 — Houston Methodist & Ion Digital Innovation Reverse Pitch Info Session

Innovators, engineers, students, start-ups, developers, experts, and community members alike can take part in Houston Methodist and Ion's first reverse pitch event. During this session, attendees will hear from Houston Methodist leaders about the problem statement, goals & objectives, program guidelines and timeframe to develop a unique digital solution to help advance the healthcare industry into the future.

This event is Wednesday, October 9, from 4 to 6 pm at the Ion. Click here to register.

October 10 — Fall 2024 TIEEP Energy Forum

The mission of the Texas Industrial Energy Efficiency Program (TIEEP) is to provide thought-leadership, sharing ideas, technologies, opportunities and timely information to Texas industries on ever-improving energy intensity, reduced environmental impact, resilience, and enhanced social and economic development. In this forum experts and attendees will discuss how the cost of decarbonization can be lowered, by examining both technical and financial strategies, as the industrial sector strives to meet increasingly aggressive goals.

This event is Thursday, October 10, from 4 to 6 pm at University of St. Thomas Center for Science and Health Professionals. Click here to register.

October 14-15 — IMPACT 2024: Cognite’s AI and Industrial Data Conference

This global data and AI conference will bring together digital-first innovators and leaders across energy, manufacturing, and power and renewables, from around the world and will showcase real-world success stories, case studies, and state-of-the-art digital transformation strategies. The focus will be on the latest industrial Data and AI trends, hands-on practitioner sessions, proven success sharing, and peer networking.

This event begins Sunday, October 13, from 6 to 10 pm at Norris Conference Center. Click here to register and for the full schedule of events.

October 16 — Houston Methodist Clinician Speaker Series - Dr. Jonathan Rogg

Head to the Houston Methodist Tech Hub at Ion for another clinician speaker series presentation by Dr. Jonathan Rogg.

Jonathan Rogg, MD, MBA is an Emergency Physician, Vice President and Incoming Chief Quality Officer at Houston Methodist Hospital. Dr. Rogg will speak about emergency room operations from a clinical and administrative lens and the innovations being implemented in this unique hospital setting.

This event is Wednesday, October 16, from 4:45 to 6 pm at the Ion. Click here to register.

October 19 — Energy Day

Energy Day is Houston’s largest annual free family festival showcasing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Energy Day has nearly 70 interactive demonstrations and exhibits that teach students and their families about the various forms of energy through STEM fields, along with efficiency, conservation, and other related STEM industries.

This event is Saturday, October 19, from 11 am to 3 pm at Sam Houston Park. Click here to register.

October 22 — The Greentown Labs Climatetech Summit 2024

Greentown Labs invites you, your colleagues, and all the climate champions in your life to step into their incubators for a day of hands-on exploration with our 200+ startups and their climatetech solutions; keynotes and sessions featuring leaders across climatetech, finance, policy, and equity; and networking with key climate-action trailblazers.

This event is Tuesday, October 22, from 8 am to 7 pm at Greentown Labs. Click here to register.

October 23 — TiE Women Houston Showcase

TiE Global is a nonprofit venture devoted to entrepreneurs in all industries, at all stages, from incubation, throughout the entrepreneurial lifecycle. Meet this years TiE Women Houston finalists, program co-leads, and community partners. There will be panels, pitches, awards, and networking.

This event is Wednesday, October 23, from 4 to 6 pm at the Ion. Click here to register.

October 28 — October Odyssey: Start Ups in Space

The final event in TMC's October Odyssey speaker series will feature innovative discussions at the intersection of space and healthcare. Hear from the visionary founders of TMC Innovation startups as they share how space has played a pivotal role in their entrepreneurial journeys. Moderated by Emily Reiser, Ph.D., Strategy and New Ventures at TMC, this engaging session will explore how these startups are revolutionizing healthcare on Earth and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in space.

This event is Monday, October 28, from 9 to 10:30 am at TMC Helix Park. Click here to register.

Houston PE firm scores $725M to launch new business unit to invest in decarbonization

seeing green

Houston-based Ara Partners, a private equity firm that focuses on industrial decarbonization investments, is receiving up to $725 million from a Tennessee-based family office to launch an energy decarbonization unit.

HF Capital, the Knoxville, Tennessee-based investment arm of the Haslam family, made the multimillion-dollar commitment to set up Ara Energy Decarbonization. The new business will work toward reducing carbon emissions at ethanol plants, natural gas power plants, and other traditional energy assets.

The Haslam family founded Pilot Co., North America’s largest transportation fuel business and chain of travel centers. Shameek Konar, former CEO of Pilot, has been tapped to lead Ara Energy Decarbonization.

“It is an uncomfortable truth that highly pollutive energy sources are going to play an essential role in delivering an energy transition over the next several decades,” Charles Cherington, co-founder and managing partner of Ara, says in a news release. “We can ignore these staggering carbon emissions, or we can apply our proven methods and financing expertise to decarbonize the conventional energy value chain.”

The energy sector accounts for more than 75 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

“The world’s energy demands are increasing and complex, and renewable power needs time and support for it to fulfill rising global energy demand. Ara’s … skillset, portfolio network, and decarbonization management knowledge [are] perfectly positioned to attack the carbon-intensive energy sector,” Konar says.

Ara Partners closed its third private equity fund in December 2023 with over $2.8 billion in new commitments. As of June 30, 2024, Ara Partners had about $6.3 billion of assets under management.

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This article originally ran on EnergyCapital.

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