The Rodenburg Twins are Revolutionizing the Trailer Industry with an All-Electric Platform

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Today at a glance:

• Introducing Wild Energy

• Why do we need this now?

• How you can help them!

- Angelica💜

Featured Startup: Wild Energy

Today’s climate startup feature isWild Energy. Wild’s vision is to revolutionize the trailer industry with innovative self-propelled, all-electric trailer platform.

Wild Energy Fast Facts

How was Wild Energy Born?

Riley’s (CEO) twin brother and him both spent time in the electric truck industry, Rivian Automotive and Bollinger Motors, and noticed how terrible towing trailers with electric vehicles was and how these electric truck companies did not have a good solution. They also saw how vital it was that battery technology was brought in-house and developed by the e-mobility company.

Headquarters

Los Angeles, California

Technology

Wild’s vision is to make it economically viable for every trailer to be equipped with a motor and battery. They’ve developed their technology in-house, with the main focus being their unique Tow Detection System (TDS) and custom wildONE Battery Pack.

The TDS enables us to accurately measure the trailer's speed without relying on a connection to the towing vehicle. This system is a combination of specially designed hardware, software, and algorithms.

Their battery pack is highly manufacturable and allows us to target a battery pack cost that's approximately 30% lower than any other option available, which is crucial as the battery constitutes 40% of their expenses.

Founders

The co-founders of Wild are identical twin brothers Riley and Justin Rodenburg. Originally from Boulder, Colorado, they both attended Carnegie Mellon University and both majoring in electrical and computer engineering.

While working at electric truck companies, they saw the challenges of towing with electric trucks, emphasizing the need for precise battery technology. With this knowledge, they developed a towing solution for electric trucks, incorporating a cutting-edge battery pack and setting a new industry standard.

• Justin Rodenburg worked at Rivian Automotive from 2017 to 2020

• He played a pivotal role in developing the electronics for Rivian's custom battery pack

• He had the unique opportunity of witnessing the battery's development from concept to a fully realized solution that exists in their trucks

  

  Riley Rodenburg - Co-founder

• Riley Rodenburg worked at Nike as a software engineer before joining Bollinger Motors—a Detroit-based electric truck and SUV startup

• At Bollinger Motors, he contributed to the development of electrical systems and the creation of an off-the-shelf battery pack

Why Now?

Wild is entering the trailer industry, starting with camper trailers. The problem arises when towing with an electric vehicle, where you can lose up to 2/3 of your range. Wild believes in an electric future and aims to provide a solution for towing. They plan to be the first to enable electric vehicle owners to tow without affecting their range.

Market Opportunity

The trailer industry is a $100 billion market. Wild aims to lead the market with the first self-propelled, all-electric trailer, starting pilot production in 2024. Lightship and Range Energy are their main competitors. Lightship is creating a new camper trailer, while Range Energy focuses on the semi-truck trailer market, which we hope to enter eventually. Our target audience is electric vehicle owners and fleet managers who want extended towing capabilities, leading to potential savings on gas and electricity costs. Our biggest challenge is securing funding. The demand for our product is clear; the key is how quickly we can develop the platform and start production.

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