Munich Startup: What problem does Ecog solve?
Jörg Heuer, CEO and co-founder of Ecog: Ecog is a global IP and technology company working on rapidly expanding sustainable charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. With our charging controllers, reference designs, and software, we enable companies to bring products and services to market quickly and scale them profitably.
Munich Startup: How has your solution evolved since the founding?
Jörg Heuer: As a spinoff from Siemens AG, Ecog was founded in 2017 as part of the Techstars Mobility Accelerator with support from Siemens and Next47 in Detroit. From the start, our goal was to set new standards in electric vehicle charging and drive forward the mobility transition. Shortly after, we relocated to Munich. This was mainly due to the rapid development of the electric mobility market in Europe.
Since then, things have moved quickly: In 2018, Ecog was accepted into the accelerator in Oslo, and in 2019, the Universal Core, which is based on patented technologies and specialized operating systems, was introduced on Siemens charging stations.
The challenges of electric mobility, particularly the reliability of the charging process, prompted us to launch the world’s first global reliability index for charging stations, the Ecog Charging Reliability Index, in 2023. The Ecog CRI provides insights into critical factors affecting charging efficiency.
This year, together with Infineon, we developed a reference architecture for bidirectional wallboxes. We see great potential for bidirectional charging as part of the energy transition.
“Last year, Ecog grew four times faster than the market”
Munich Startup: What were your biggest successes so far?
Jörg Heuer: In 2022, we achieved a 15 percent market share in DC chargers for electric vehicles in the EU and are thus market leaders. Two other major successes in 2023 were our market entry into India and the publication of the Ecog CRI. With this index, we are setting new benchmarks for verifying the reliability of electric cars during charging. Currently, every fourth charging process is faulty. So you see – the demand is there.
We are particularly proud this year of the opening of our Detroit location, which received 1.5 million US dollars in support from the State of Michigan, and into which we are investing more than 14 million US dollars ourselves.
Our operating system now runs on 40 different charger series, from wallboxes to megawatt chargers, and we currently count more than 20 major customers, including Siemens and one of the world’s largest gas station equipment suppliers.
Last year, Ecog grew four times faster than the market, and we are really proud that our commitment and innovation are being recognized: We were listed among Deloitte’s Top 50 companies in 2022 and 2023, and we recently received the German Innovation Prize award.
Munich Startup: And what challenges have you faced?
Jörg Heuer: A major problem is the expansion of the power grid and its speed. The infrastructure focused on internal combustion engines urgently needs an update. The infrastructure industry is still divided: many players want to help shape the expansion. What is particularly important, however, is the highest possible interoperability – meaning all cars can actually be charged – so that the charging network is attractive for all electric vehicles. Because only with a good charging network does the motivation to switch to electric vehicles increase.
We also view economic developments in Germany with concern. The switch to electric vehicles has recently stalled. This urgently needs to change so we can achieve the mobility transition.
Catalyst for charging infrastructure
Munich Startup: What learnings could you take away as a founding team?
Jörg Heuer: Together with Johannes Hund and Manuel Heckmann, I founded Ecog, drawing on our extensive experience in electric mobility. I worked at Siemens in telecommunications and network infrastructure, Johannes in IoT, and Manuel from venture capital – this is how we pooled our expertise in Ecog. It was extremely exciting for us that while we had to think like a startup, we also understood the corporate world well, which allowed us to serve our market. To drive innovation in infrastructure, you must above all support each other within the industry. That’s why we see ourselves as a catalyst for charging infrastructure.
Munich Startup: What role did the Munich ecosystem play on your journey?
Jörg Heuer: Munich is already being called Silicon Valley for IoT – as an international scaleup, we can only agree with that; we feel very comfortable at this technology hub. Additionally, the major automotive manufacturers in the area offer good cooperation opportunities, which also drive the latest technologies. But we benefit not only from the strong economy but also from Bavarian policy, which strongly supports the location. In the future, we would also like to pilot charging in Munich, and the city now wants to simplify the setup of charging infrastructure.
Munich Startup: What is the vision for your company?
Jörg Heuer: Actually, our name captures the vision perfectly: ‘Ecog’ is composed of the words ecological, ecosystem, and energy, and it illustrates our goal of shaping the charging infrastructure and power grid expansion of the future while making both more integrated, sustainable, and profitable.
