An ambition to revolutionise electric vehicle charging in Scotland lit a spark in two entrepreneurs causing a move from London to Dundee.
After a combined 35 years in the railway industry, Jamie Duffy and Seiki Payne moved to electric vehicles (EV) and started Tronius in March 2021.
The entrepreneurs aim to help Scots on their journey to electrification, not just on the roads, but also at home.
By helping individuals map out their needs, Jamie and Seiki hope to make it a smooth transition and reduce waste.
Managing director Seiki says: “Initially our focus was on EV charging and getting EVs into the hands of as many people as possible.
“Since then, we’ve been thinking a bit grander and looking more holistically at how people use energy.
“The endpoint is everything is going to be electric.
“We want to understand the goals of each person or organisation and use that.
“We want to make sure they’re choosing the right product at the right time.”
Tronius’ unique portable EV charger
To help businesses understand their EV charging needs, Tronius has built the Highlander Pod.
The portable shipping container with six EV charging points can be dropped off anywhere and connected to a power supply with one cable.
Seiki believes the portable solution will help businesses understand their needs for chargers in the future.
“Every holiday park in the UK is going to have an influx of EVs pretty soon.The first question they’re going ask is ‘where can I plug in?’.
“They can rent the Highlander Pod and by the end they’ve got all the data of which cars are coming, when they’re charging and which charge rates they’re achieving.
“Out of that information you can decide how many chargers to install and how much power supply you’re going to need.”
With the data from the charger, Tronius can create a tailored plan that allows for scalability if more chargers are needed.
The firm also has plans to take the Highlander Pod to large events such as festivals and Highland Games.
Geared up for growth
With an office set up at the Michelin Scotland Innovation Parc in Dundee, Tronius plans to manufacture the portable charger at the premises.
It doesn’t do installs of EV chargers yet, but plans to take that on in the future.
The co-founders aim to have a team of around 15 employees within the next year.
“We’re right at the start of an exponential growth in electric vehicles and electric vehicle infrastructure,” says Seiki.
“It’s going to get to a point where we’re growing so fast it’s going to be hard to keep up because the demand is going to be so strong.
“I think we’re at the quiet bit just before things get ridiculously crazy.
“When it kicks off I don’t know, but I think it’s going to be pretty soon.”
