Blog 3: Dockcharged Beta Update: The Journey, The Progress, and What's Next

Blog 3: Dockcharged Beta Update: The Journey, The Progress, and What's Next

Dear Dockcharged community,

It has been a while since our last update, and we know you've been patiently waiting for the Dockcharged Beta. Your support means the world to us, and we want to reassure you that our team is passionately working on delivering a high-quality, well-thought-out solution to your electric car charging needs.

First, let's take a moment to recap what makes Dockcharged unique: our system charges at Level 2 speeds but requires no dedicated parking spot, no expensive installation of 220V, and just needs a standard 110V wall outlet. We use batteries and smart software to harvest and store energy while you're away, then rapidly charge your car when you return.

Now, we'd like to take you on a journey through our development process, share our recent challenges and achievements, and give you an idea of what's next.
Our journey began with a detailed CAD design of the Dockcharged system, focusing on functionality, portability, and aesthetics. With your valuable feedback on size and weight, we refined our design to ensure an optimal user experience.

After finalizing the design, we moved on to the actual build. This process involved creating a life-like rendering of the beta version, ensuring every detail was perfect before moving on to the next step.

The battery prototype was our next milestone, and we made sure it was efficient and reliable, ready to meet the demands of daily use.

Once the pieces were in place, we successfully charged a Nissan Leaf using Dockcharged, proving our concept and demonstrating the effectiveness of our solution. We think we can make them even smaller after building the first unit.

However, like any startup, we've faced our share of challenges. Chinese New Year and some setbacks with parts from China caused delays. We also had a co-founder leave the project, but we were fortunate to bring Chris Kang on board. Chris is a talented software engineer with experience in data science and has worked on projects like GrubHub food delivery. As a Tesla driver and a major foodie, he's a great fit for our team.

Now, let's dive into our current progress:

Complete:

  • Electronics and battery assembly for the first unit

In Progress:

  • Assembling the second unit (waiting on parts)

  • Rewriting software (almost done, expecting completion within a month)

Next Steps:

  • Durability testing of software and hardware

  • Building 10 additional units (prioritizing summer interviewees)

About the Beta Test: For one month, we'll provide our beta testers with Dockcharged units. Each week, we'll send a short survey to gather your thoughts. At the end of the month, we'll ask for a more in-depth survey. If you don't find Dockcharged valuable, we'll take it back, no questions asked. If you love it, you can continue using it for a low monthly rate (to be determined). This will help us truly gauge the value of our product.

We want to thank you once again for your patience and support. We're just a couple of months away from releasing the Dockcharged Beta units, and we can't wait to revolutionize the electric car charging experience together.
Stay charged,
Doug, Javier, Chris - The Dockcharged Team
Back to blog