Rocsys unveils robotic robotaxi charging system
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Rocsys' robotic charging system can manage 10 robotaxis at once. Image courtesy of Rocsys
Rocsys unveiled a robotic, multi-bay charging system Wednesday that can manage up to 10 robotaxis at once.
Why it matters: As robotaxis proliferate, infrastructure — including charging — could become a critical bottleneck for efficient large-scale fleet operations, making automation a no-brainer.
State of play: Rocsys' system, currently in pilot deployment, will begin large-scale rollout in 2027 with an unnamed robotaxi partner, says Crijn Bouman, CEO and co-founder of the company headquartered in The Netherlands and Portland, Ore.
- Over the next five years, Rocsys plans to support thousands of robotaxi charging bays across North America and Europe.
- To support that expansion, the company also announced a $13 million Series A extension led by Capricorn Partners, with participation from Scania Invest and others, bringing total funding raised to date to $56 million.
How it works: The overhead rail-mounted system uses a long, flexible robotic arm to plug and unplug robotaxis, relieving workers of the chore of managing heavy cables.
- At scale, in a depot with 50 parking bays, the Rocsys technology can improve labor efficiency by as much as 75% and deliver up to $1.7 million in annual savings, the company says.
What's next: The overhead design frees up space for workers to do other jobs, like cleaning and inspection while cars are being charged.
- But longer term, Rocsys also plans to automate these activities, Bouman tells Axios.
What they're saying: Automated depots are "table stakes" says Ming Maa, co-founder and CEO of Moove AV.
- Terrawatt Infrastructure co-founder and CEO Neha Palmer agrees.
- "It is pretty amazing. You see these vehicles out there driving themselves, and then they come into the depot, and you have a human charging them, plugging them in."
- "The technology is there," she says of automated charging. "It's not very complicated to open the flap and then plug it in. And so certainly that will be something that you will see pretty ubiquitous, I think, fairly soon."
