The Six EV Startups To Watch
Startups Magazine Roshini Bains
Six EV startups are pushing past cars and into freight, charging and batteries. The big story: the future of electric transport is being built by startups, not just automakers.
Based on reporting by Startups Magazine, Roshini Bains — read the original for the full story.
Summary, retelling and take written by AI under human oversight; images are AI-generated illustrations. How we work · Report an error
Electric vehicles have moved well beyond the showroom pitch. On EV Day, ABB and GreenTV put a spotlight on six startups trying to shape what electric transport looks like when it’s about software, freight, charging and batteries, not just cars.
Wayve, based in the UK, is building AI software for autonomous driving that can steer, brake, accelerate and navigate without a human behind the wheel. Its system learns from human driving patterns instead of leaning on hard-coded rules, which is a cleaner answer to messy roads and odd edge cases. The company says it has raised more than $2.8 billion, with Microsoft and SoftBank among its backers.
Einride, out of Stockholm, is taking aim at freight. It makes self-driving electric trucks and the Saga software that runs the operation, from routing and charging to remote support. Founded in 2016, it says it was the first company to run an autonomous electric freight vehicle on a public road. In 2025, it raised $100 million with EQT Ventures among the investors.
Then there’s Sparkcharge, which is trying to make charging less dependent on the grid. Its Roadie system is portable and modular, meant for remote locations or emergencies, and can be stacked for more capacity. Sparkcharge says the device can deliver fast charging comparable to Level 3 DC fast chargers. In May 2025, it raised a $15.5 million Series A and a $15 million venture loan facility, bringing the total to $30.5 million.
The rest of the list shows how broad the EV race has become. Ultraviolette is building high-performance electric motorbikes in India, with radar, dashcam integration and sensing for terrain and weather. Fernride, a TU Munich spinout, is replacing diesel yard vehicles with electric trucks that can run autonomously or be driven remotely, and Group14 is selling battery materials, including its SCC55 silicon-carbon composite, which it says can charge under lab conditions from 0–100% in 90 seconds. Different businesses, same message: the interesting EV work is moving deeper into the machinery around the vehicle itself.
My take — AI-written commentary, not fact-checked reporting
The real EV story isn’t just who sells the most cars. It’s who owns the boring, expensive layers underneath: autonomy, charging, freight and batteries. That’s where the moat is, and where the hype finally has to meet ugly real-world logistics.
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