Brandenburg Kapital invests in innovative electric mobility

ME Energy closes a seed financing round for EUR 2 million and wins the Berlin-Brandenburg Business Plan Competition (BPW)


Potsdam, 29 August 2019 Founded in Potsdam, ME Energy develops and sells fast-charging columns that generate their own electricity. This grid-independent charging infrastructure does not require any complex and expensive connections to the electricity grid. A new, carbon-neutral biofuel technology is used here to generate power while providing a high charging performance. The stations can charge for a range of 200 kilometres in ten minutes. Conventional charging stations currently require e-car drivers to wait several hours to charge this kind of range.

Managing Director of ME Energy, Alexander Sohl, reports: "We want to help combat range anxiety which has been such a central part of public debate on e-mobility up to now.” Many motorists are still hesitant about buying an electric car since charging stations in Europe are few and far between and also very slow. This new solution is an important new development in the advancement of electric driving. “The stations are 80 percent cheaper than grid-connected charging stations and reduce the payback period from over 30 years to just four," according to Mr Sohl. The charging stations are therefore economically attractive for a broad range of customers: petrol stations, supermarkets, fleet operators, restaurants, hotels or real estate companies. Summing up, the Managing Director adds: "A charging infrastructure can now finally be created precisely where it is needed and not where electricity grid capacities are available. ME Energy also brings electric charging stations to regions with weaker infrastructure, thereby increasing the density of the charging station network."

With this concept, ME Energy won first prize in all three phases of this year's Berlin-Brandenburg Business Plan Competition (BPW). Since the end of June 2019, the start-up has also been part of the portfolio of Brandenburg Kapital GmbH, the holding company of Brandenburg’s business development bank ILB. The completed seed financing round with two business angels, subsidies from ILB and venture capital adds up to EUR 2 million and will enable investments in the small series and market entry. Production of the charging columns is already underway at the Aerospace Technology Centre (ZLUR) in Wildau, Brandenburg.

Dr. Torsten Fiegler, Investment Manager at Brandenburg Kapital: "ME Energy's charging stations enable short payback periods for operators, relieve the load on the medium-voltage grid and, above all, are a fast solution for electric cars in urban and rural areas. This convinced us to support ME Energy in its corporate development."

About ME Energy - Liquid Electricity GmbH

The company was founded in 2019 by Alexander Sohl and Holger-Inès Adler. ME Energy develops and markets a new-generation, fast-charging infrastructure that generates its own carbon-neutral electricity. The system can charge for a range of 200 kilometres in just ten minutes. ME Energy's solution is 80 percent cheaper than current charging stations and enables charging network operators, supermarkets or companies to offer a previously unaffordable service, i.e. fast charging. Founded in February 2019, the company now has seven employees who are working together to bring the product to market maturity. The market launch is set to take place in the fourth quarter of 2020.

About Brandenburg Kapital GmbH/ Investitionsbank des Landes Brandenburg

Investitionsbank des Landes Brandenburg (ILB) manages various investment funds that finance growth and innovation orientated enterprises with their registered office and/or a facility in Brandenburg. The funds for Brandenburg Kapital’s Early Phase and Growth Fund, which was set up on behalf of Brandenburg’s Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, are currently funded by the European Regional Development Fund and by ILB's own funds. ILB's investment activities to date have helped 215 companies grow by around EUR 235 million. Around 8,400 modern jobs have now been created or secured. The funds managed by ILB cover the entire spectrum from venture capital financing in the start-up and early growth phase to mezzanine financing for established medium-sized companies. In addition, private investors have so far invested more than EUR 450 million in companies. More information: www.brandenburg-kapital.de

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Petra Quehl Project Coordinator