Today we met with Avraham Edelstein, Sparkion’s VP R&D and Elad Halperin, Sparkion’s VP Marketing
The Climate Journey
Avraham, an electrical engineer, started his career at Ormat, designing and developing geothermal power plants. While at Ormat, he developed an interest in energy storage and later joined Storedot, a company focused on developing chemistry for electric vehicle batteries. At Storedot, Avraham was responsible for system development, including thermal management, battery management systems, and integration with different OEMs. His experience has given him a unique perspective on the future of energy storage and electric vehicles.
Elad Halperin, VP Marketing for Sparkion, has worked extensively in the software industry, in such domains as machine learning and predictive analytics. Prior to joining Sparkion, he led marketing for Odysii, a Fortive-owned company (NYS: FTV), specializing in real-time targeted customer solutions for mobility providers. Prior to Odysii, he has led software sales for Oracle and Aviv Solutions in Israel. He first got into the software industry, having founded his own start-up in customized e-learning solutions which was sold to the Yael Software Group.
Sparkion
Founded in 2019, Sparkion is a provider of cost-effective, reliable, AI-driven energy storage. Drawing on the grid and available renewables, Sparkion delivers consistent power to EV-sites, when and where they need it, helping charge point operators reduce costs and become energy resilient. Its proprietary software maximizes the use of all DER’s (distributed energy resources) on-site, helping fleet operators, fueling stations and charge point operators, optimize energy use and increase site ROI.
Sparkion’s technology also enables the re-purposing of second-life batteries, which are about to flood the market. Sparkion’s unique offering provides immunity to batteries variations at different states, therefore enables effective use of second life cells and maximize the return on investment.
We asked Avraham and Elad a series of questions.
Q: What’s the story behind Sparkion?
Elad: Sparkion was created to address the challenge of dealing with the massive amounts of EV batteries that will become decommissioned in the next decade. Sparkion is working on creating technology that will enable a circular economy by transitioning EV batteries into an energy storage system (ESS) that will charge new EVs. This will help reduce the carbon footprint and extend the lifetime of materials while reducing the amount of material that needs to be used.
Avraham: Usually, batteries are taken out of use when they are at 80%, and there is still a lot of potential in these batteries that can be used instead of throwing them away. Sparkion has also developed the SparkCore energy management system (EMS), which aims to integrate energy storage systems and EV charging sites with minimal effort. The system will allocate energy according to real-time measurement and consider factors such as the condition of the charger, the electric vehicle, site conditions, renewable resources, and the grid.
Q: How did the acquisition by Vontier affect Sparkion?
Avraham: Being acquired by Vontier has been beneficial for Sparkion, as we now have access to multiple partners who share similar goals and can help with the growth of the company.
Elad: Vontier has a vision of bringing mobility and e-mobility solutions to every corner of the globe and has a history of growing companies in the mobility field. Additionally, Vontier recently acquired Driivz, which is a leader of back office and billing solutions for EVs. Vontier’s acquisition has allowed us to offer more holistic solutions to their customer base.
Q: Where will Sparkion be in 5 years?
Avraham: Sparkion's goal is to bring smart energy management solutions that integrate physical energy storage with software in order to connect the dots and bring smart and cost-efficient energy solutions to EV charging sites. We want to make it easy for EV charging site owners to provide energy efficiently and economically by building a one-stop-shop solution that ties all the dots together. Additionally, in the future, we expect to see more situations where sites are selling energy back to the grid with their own surplus energy (including form on-site renewables), and we want to be at the center point of managing that for all stakeholders.
Q: What are the main difficulties/barriers you are facing?
Avraham: One major challenge was entering the US market with full compliance on the certification side, as there was a lack of professional guidance in Israel. However, we overcame this by finding experts who helped with the process. We also found that the lack of standardization in communication protocols in the renewable energy industry is a challenge that needs to be addressed.
Elad: Another main challenge was figuring out exactly what customers need as the EV market is relatively new. So, for example, we have created a planning tool to help customers understand exactly what their new energy needs will be and what type of energy storage they may need.
Q: How would you describe your clients' motivations?
Avraham: Cost and efficiency are definitely the initial drivers for companies to invest in renewable energy, but there is also a growing trend of government regulations and subsidies that are pushing companies towards achieving net-zero carbon emissions. There’s also the issue of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) goals and how companies are trying to align with them. Some companies may not have an alternative to investing in renewable energy due to the lack of available energy sources in their region, and there is also growing competition in the industry, which is driving companies to provide better services to their customers.
Q: What makes your team a super team?
Avraham: What makes our team super is the diverse background and expertise of each team member. We have people with knowledge and experience from various verticals in the energy sector and in the mobility sector. Each person brings a unique perspective and skill set that completes the overall picture needed for the company to be successful.
Q: If you had one tip to give to other climate tech entrepreneurs, what would it be?
Avraham: Have patience, have a strong vision and look for money incentives that tie into practical sectors. It's important to bring a solution that can partner with others and focus on tackling a specific problem instead of trying to control the entire energy sector. It's also important to do something important and add value to the entire energy value chain.