DC:DC hybrid solar to EV optimizer distributor raises $7 million in funding

Enteligent Inc., a developer of DC to DC solar optimization modules and solar EV charging station systems, closed a $7 million growth funding round from NOVA, an affiliate of global building materials company Saint-Gobain and Taronga Ventures, among other early-stage investors.

Enteligent enables solar and EV users to shift daily energy consumption habits. The company’s proprietary solar optimization technology uses a rapid shutdown safety capability that optimizes the local delivery and use of solar generation and provides monitoring to maintain maximum solar production.

In the EV category, Enteligent reports that its EV charger takes DC electricity directly from solar with dramatically more usable energy, leading to significant cost savings per kW. The charger is an ideal solution for residential, commercial, and industrial customers who want to maximize renewable energy output.

Currently, EVs are primarily charged overnight using, in most cases, the fossil fuel-powered grid. The proliferation of EVs is straining the grid’s ability to handle the exponential growth in energy demand.  The company’s solar EV chargers expedite a fundamental shift from the daily peak power curve, often refered to as the ‘duck curve’ to provide daily solar-based, daytime charging, eliminating DC to AC to DC power conversions, resulting in up to 25% in energy savings.

“Our vision is to deliver technology that solves the near-term electrification challenges stemming from the EV revolution—ubiquitous daytime EV charging, everywhere you park, with efficient use of clean, on-site generated solar electricity,” said Sean Burke, founder and chief executive officer of Enteligent.

Enteligent NMax RSD + M900A1/A2 Optimizer:

The company’s NMax product is a solar PV module-level monitoring system that has tested at 99.8% pass-through efficiency in full sun. The module is plug and play with its rapid shutdown feature, requiring no network set-up using solid-state design that requires 30% fewer components. The NMax has a 25-year manufacturer warranty. At 80V per input, the module supports 900 watts of power, or 450 W per input in the A2 model. A beefier B1 model is also tested at 100V input. The A1 module measures 4.4 inches x 4.6 inches, while the A2 measures 4.4 inches x 5.1 inches, weighing 1.54 to 1.66 pounds respectively. The module is tested to operate in -40 degrees F to 185 degrees F environments, and sells for $65 to $70 (before tax) on the company’s website.

EV fast charger

Enteligent’s DC fast charger is the first fast charger powered directly from the sun, the company says, making it three times faster than Level 2 AC chargers and without power components such as rectifiers, at a fraction of the cost of traditional DC chargers on the market.

The EV charger operates at 200V to 500V output for CCS Combo EV connectors, providing 15 kW of power over a 25-foot cable. Using stringed PV modules at 15 kW plus 15 kW of batteries, when combined with 9.6 kW of AC power saved from having to convert to DC, the charger providers a steady 24.6 kW of power output over a 400V system, which is 3x faster than a traditional AC charger system.

The company anticipates shipping its first EV chargers in late Q2 2023.

NMax RSS transmitter

The company’s rapid-shutdown system transmitter generates a ‘permission to operate’ signal for rapid shutdown of PV to EV charging systems. The transmitter is compatible with the other NMax modules as well as other SunSpec brand devices. The unit features bidirectional powerline communication using rooftop MLPE, which other inverter companies like Tigo Energy also use. The Enteligent transmitter features a coupled transformer design that is DIN rail for inverter configurable and weatherproof-rated at IP-68 for external wall-mount box set up. The transmitter is available in voltage configurations of 600V(dc) or 1,000V(dc), with each unit providing the ability to string 4 solar inputs. The transmitter box measures 10.2 inches x 6.3 inches x 3.9 inches depth, with its DIN rail box measuring at 3.8 inches x 1.8 inches x 1.6 inches depth.

Founded in 2020, Enteligent is based in Morgan Hill, Calif., and including the round from NOVA and Taronga, has raised over $7.8 million in early-stage funding to date.  Prior to starting Enteligent, founder and CEO Sean Burke was president of Kerrata Lighting, an LED lighting company, for four years.  His past experience involves arificial intelligence, machine learning, self-learning, and IoT control computing technologies, and he has held roles at AMD Radeon, Nortek and Flextronics.

Enteligent has more than 20 employees based out of its California corporate research, marketing and engineering headquarters, with an additional team of engineers in Hong Kong.