"We Don’t Require Much Space, Energy or Money to get Started" - HummingbirdEV's CEO, Rakesh Koneru

HummingbirdEV was founded in 2015 and has developed a broad portfolio of complete vehicles, electric drivetrain systems, control software, bi-directional charging systems, modular batteries including battery management systems, and more.

The California-based company's technology has been successfully deployed in more than 500 commercial vehicles including trucks, buses, tractors, and mining vehicles, as well as other applications.

"From fleet operators seeking efficiency gains on their road to electrification to vehicle OEMs striving for competitive advantages, upfitters requiring adaptable solutions, and startups poised to disrupt the market, our products cater to a spectrum of needs," Rakesh Koneru, HummingbirdRV's CEO, tells Auto Futures.

"Our proven electric drivetrain systems, batteries, chassis platform, software, and bi-directional charging solutions elevate performance expectations for commercial electric vehicles while ensuring a lower total cost of ownership. With extended range and enhanced payload capabilities, our zero-emission trucks travel farther and carry more, eliminating any doubt that electric vehicles can replace gas-powered alternatives in all scenarios," explains Koneru.

He believes legacy vehicle OEMs are struggling to make commercial EVs competitive with diesel due to supply chains and high production costs. 

"One solution will not work for all applications, so there is an increased need for modular vehicle platforms in order to tap into mass commercialization. HummingbirdEV’s technology enables a plug and play solution to any OEM, thus increasing their market potential and allowing them to be agile while minimizing their R&D costs."

Its charging solutions also maximize efficiency for businesses and the grid, bringing power to vehicles (V2V) and sending power back to the grid when vehicles are parked.

Producing Electric Vehicles Quickly

HummingbirdEV's platform can be scaled for various last-mile and mid-mile vehicle applications, including zero-emission refrigerated trucks, service trucks, walk-in vans, port vehicles, and autonomous and delivery trucks.

The company's commitment to developing microfactories also allows it to reduce the time to market, and make vehicle production more profitable and environmentally sound. 

"Instead of building a large, multi-billion dollar factory hard tooled for one specific vehicle model, we can set up shop in an existing commercial property near a customer and start producing vehicles they need quickly - we don’t require much space, energy or money to get started, which are the key issues that have plagued EV production to date," says Koneru.

"We’re minimizing costs and our environmental footprint with this approach, ensuring progress and profitability don't come at the expense of our planet," he adds.

Driving International Expansion

Hummingbird EV recently announced plans to establish a microfactory facility in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It will produce zero-emission commercial vehicles designed to accelerate adoption of sustainable transportation in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Southeast Asia, and India.

"HummingbirdEV sees the UAE as an ideal gateway for zero-emission vehicle adoption and trade due to the country’s ambitious sustainability targets, world-class infrastructure systems, strong intellectual property rights, access to institutional capital, and strategic geographic location. Our new microfactory will enable us to deliver zero-emission commercial vehicles for an existing e-commerce customer in the region," says Koneru.

"The UAE’s free trade agreements with Southeast Asia, India and surrounding MENA markets will drive further expansion of our customer base on a global scale at a faster pace," he adds.

Looking ahead, HummingbirdEV is set to use its latest funding round to accelerate the mass commercialisation of its technologies.

"We are also expanding our business through increased hiring, new sales and marketing efforts, and the expedited roll-out of multiple next-generation product development programs. Hummingbird also recently opened a Series A Preferred Stock financing round for up to $15 million, which would be used to launch and certify a complete range of next generation commercial electric vehicles, set up small volume production of our vehicles in the U.S. and deliver on customer commitments," concludes Koneru.