in the driver seat

Houston renewable energy co. rolls out new EV program

Octopus Energy announced its new program to help make the move to electric vehicle driving easier and more affordable for Texas residents. Photo via Getty Images

A Houston-based renewable energy provider has announced a new program to get more electric vehicle drivers on Texas roads.

Octopus Electric Vehicles, a new initiative from Houston-based Octopus Energy Group, announced its DriveFree leasing program to help make the move to electric vehicle driving easier and more affordable for Texas residents.

“DriveFree gives you the freedom to drive without worrying about the cost of filling the tank or unexpected maintenance expenses,” Octopus EV US Co-Lead Nathan Wyeth says in a news release. “With the ‘electric fuel’ for daily driving included, DriveFree is the complete package to make EVs work for Texas drivers looking to lower their driving costs without locking themselves in.”

DriveFree will include the lease of a top-quality pre-owned car with all maintenance covered. Part of this coverage includes unlimited home charging on Octopus Energy’s home energy plan.

According to Octopus Energy Group, Texas drivers will save an average of over $1,000 per year by switching from a gas car to an EV with potential to save even more depending on the previous gas vehicle make and model. Houstonians will be able to select an EV and DriveFree plan at OctopusEV.us, get approved online, and schedule delivery by an Octopus EV Specialist.

The program will cover all maintenance and tires through a mobile mechanic service to a customer’s home or office. Leasing plans range from one to four years with mileage plans up to 25,000 miles/year, and 4 brands to choose from.

In a report by SmartAsset, Texas was No. 41 of states with the most electric vehicle chargers. Last year, the city of Houston approved $281,000 funding for the expansion of free electric vehicle rideshare services in communities that are considered underserved by utilizing services like RYDE and Evolve Houston in December. DriveFree is now in the mix in helping Texas get more involved in the mix.

“With DriveFree, we wanted to address all the concerns people have about switching to electric vehicles,” Octopus EV US Co-Lead Chris George says in the news release. “For the millions of Houstonians commuting to work, driving electric can be a money saver today. For the first time, the more miles you drive, the more your savings will be!”

Octopus Electric Vehicles is part of the U.K.’s Octopus Energy Group, which first launched Octopus Energy US in Texas in 2020 after its acquisition of Evolve Energy.

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A View From HETI

The company is known for its Orbital AI platform, which is tailored for the energy sector. Photo via solutions.kbr.com

London-based AI firm Applied Computing has announced a $20 million Series A round and a new office in Houston.

The new Bayou City office is Applied Computing’s first in the United States and part of its North American expansion. The company is known for its Orbital AI platform, which is tailored for energy operations.

The funding round was led by Houston-based KBR Inc., with participation from San Francisco-based Databricks Ventures. KBR’s investment was first announced in March.

KBR and Applied Computing have also entered into a multi-year agreement to deliver exclusive AI products for the energy sector. KBR already has integrated Orbital into its INSITE 3.0 platform for energy projects, and is also using the product for ammonia production.

Applied Computing’s Orbital platform combines physics-grounded intelligence with models across chemical engineering, time-series forecasting and language, according to the company. The system analyzes sensor readings and can recognize a facility’s equipment constraints and operator activity. The platform can also allow technicians to run simulations of how a change to a facility could affect the rest of its operations.

According to TechCrunch, Applied Computing will use the $20 million to further explore projects and deployments with the energy sector, hire engineering and research positions, and continue to expand internationally, potentially into the Middle East.

The company is also working on deals with a major U.S. stream operator, TechCrunch reports. And Applied Computing shared on LinkedIn that it plans to announce its first partnership with a major European oil company in the coming weeks.

“Yesterday we showed Orbital live in deployments at our demo day at the Energy Institute in London,” Callum Adamson, CEO and co-founder of Applied Computing, posted on LinkedIn on July 16. “Today, we're announcing the capital to scale it globally as well as the launch of our new offices in Houston and Bangalore. In the weeks following, there will be more announcements on our progress, partnerships and deployments.”

The company opened its Bangalore offices in December.

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This article originally appeared on our sister site, InnovationMap.com.

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