BUFFALO, N.Y (WKBW) — As fuel prices continue to soar around the country, SparkCharge is busy pumping out its mobile electric car chargers that are made right in Buffalo.
"SparkCharge is exploding right now," said Jason Reiter, SparkCharge's Plant Manager.
The charger, called The Roadie, is made up of stackable batteries that plug right into an electric vehicle.
According to an AAA study, an electric car can save you about $600, compared to a car that fills up with fuel.
While Roadies aren't available to the public, they are sold to companies that can charge their fleets anytime and anywhere.
"SparkCharge really plays a huge part in this movement," said Reiter. "It's being able to help people adopt to this technology quicker, so they can get away from these ever escalating gas prices."
The company started as an idea in a Syracuse University dorm room, by founder Joshua Aviv in 2007. The company has since gone on to win investments in a 43North business plan competition and the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator. The company even was featured on ABC's 'Shark Tank' in 2020. Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner invested 10% in the company together.
SparkCharge also has an app called Currently. It's only available right now in Dallas, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Users can schedule a charge to get them to the next charging station or where they need to go.
AAA also uses it in the same way for their Roadside Assistance Program, according to Bryan Jajkowski of AAA of Western and Central NY.
Jajkowski said electric vehicles continue to pop up on the roads, but it's slowly becoming popular. He said more charging infrastructures will help the industry grow in WNY, but for now it's not as accessible as local gas stations. AAA said drivers who participated in a study also expressed range anxiety over where to fill up. SparkCharge is trying to help that.
Jajkowski also said along with charging up, repairs on a car's electric components need to be more convenient for the industry to grow even more.
"Very few repairs shops are comfortable working on electric vehicles," said Jajkowski. "At this point if you need any work on an electric vehicle you are probably better off going to the dealership you bought it from.
