SAN FRANCISCO – Volta Industries, Inc., an industry leader in commerce-centric electric vehicle (“EV”) charging networks, which has entered into a definitive agreement for a business combination with Tortoise Acquisition Corp. II, announced the launch of its PredictEV™ product, a machine learning and artificial intelligence (“AI”) solution for infrastructure planning, with a multi-year commitment from Southern Company, the second largest utility company in the United States. The PredictEV™ product was created to support Volta Charging’s commerce-centric, electric vehicle charging network and is now available to corporate, public agency, government, consulting and utility organizations, like Southern Company, planning to meet the coming demand for EV charging infrastructure development.
Founded on the premise that the electrification of mobility is likely to be a transformational shift, Volta Charging builds and operates a nationwide EV charging network that has among the best utilization per station in the EV charging industry for the United States. Centered around capturing new spending habits expected to result from the shift to electric vehicles, Volta Charging seeks to transform the fueling industry by building open-network charging stations in locations where drivers already spend their time and money, including grocery stores, pharmacies and other retail locations.
Southern Company, which serves more than 4.3 million electric power customers in Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi, expects to use the product to guide its plans to meet rising EV demand and to create new EV product offerings for its customers. This commitment expands upon Volta’s existing collaboration with Southern Company’s subsidiary, Alabama Power, to support data-driven EV infrastructure planning in its service territory.
“Data and AI influence every aspect of Volta’s business — from driver experience, to media strategy, to network development,” said Praveen Mandal, Chief Technology Officer at Volta Charging. “We are excited to share our data-driven insights and foresights with partners like Southern Company that are as passionate about driving the EV market forward as we are. These partnerships have the capacity to transform the decision making that underpins our joint mission of creating a carbon-free transportation future.”
Using advanced AI and analytics, the PredictEV™ product aggregates disparate data sets to turn them into actionable insights for EV stakeholders. The proprietary, patented-pending product analyzes local mobility, demographic, corporate, and site-specific data at scale to identify key planning drivers such as suitable vehicle charging locations, the right mix of charging infrastructure (Level 2 v. DC Fast Charging), and expected EV adoption in a particular geography. Volta’s PredictEV™ product is now available to a variety of EV stakeholders, including corporations, state and local governments, Departments of Transportation, electric power utilities, and other EV stakeholders who are responding to the increase in EV adoption and working to support transportation electrification within their jurisdictions.
“Southern Company aims to be a leader in electric transportation solutions because it is good for businesses, communities, and the customers we serve,” said Chris Cummiskey, Executive Vice President, Chief Commercial Officer and Customer Solutions Officer at Southern Company. “Volta’s PredictEV™ product allows us to inform and advise our customers on the right EV charging options for their needs, and to continue building the fueling network of the future for our customers.”
Prior to its official launch, Volta’s PredictEV™ product has already received recognition from the marketplace, including being named a Finalist in the Energy category of Fast Company’s 2021 World Changing Ideas Awards, as well as a Stevie Award winner. In addition, Volta Charging previously announced its strategic partnership with StreetLight Data, a leader in big data analytics for mobility, to use their combined analytics for the intelligent deployment of EV infrastructure by leveraging the PredictEV™ product.
