How PopWheels helped a food cart ditch generators for e-bike batteries

Summary

Food carts are a staple of New York City dining, dispensing everything from dosa and doner kebabs to dogs and dim sum in short order. But no matter how enticing the aroma of a cart’s food, the smelly gas generators that keep the lights on threaten to put customers off their meals. Cart owners and customers may not have to suck on fumes much longer. A Brooklyn-based startup is testing the use of its e-bike batteries to power food carts, starting with La Chona Mexican on the corner of 30th and Broadway in Manhattan. “This really started out as a lark last summer,” David Hammer, co-founder and CEO of PopWheels, told TechCrunch. “I’m an ex-Googler from the early days, and this felt like a classic, old-school 20% project.” Normally, PopWheels battery packs are zipping around the city strapped to food delivery bikes. The team soon realized that connecting them to food carts was an avenue worth pursuing. “Are e-bike packs the perfect energy type to be powering food carts? Maybe, maybe not,” Hammer said. “I would argue it doesn’t matter. What matters is, can you solve distribution and charging?” If a food cart needs more power, the owner can swap the battery packs midday.Image Credits:PopWheels PopWheels currently operates 30 charging cabinets around Manhattan, which serve gig workers riding e-bikes, most of whom use either Arrow or Whizz models. That’s resulted in a “de facto decentralized fleet,” Hammer said, allowing the company to stock just a few different types of batteries to serve hundreds of customers. Many delivery workers ride into Manhattan from the farther reaches of the city. It’s a trip that can burn a significant portion of their charge, and many workers need two batteries to get through a full day. In response, bodegas started offering e-bike charging services, for which delivery workers typically pay $100 per month. When factoring in battery wear and tear, the total cost nears $2,000 per year, Hammer said. Techcrunch event San Francisco | October 13-15, 20...