FreeWire Technologies

FreeWire Technologies, founded in 2014 and headquartered in Oakland/Newark, California, was a pioneering manufacturer of battery-integrated ultrafast electric vehicle (EV) charging stations and energy management solutions. The company's flagship product, the Boost Charger, used proprietary integrated battery and power conversion technology to deliver up to 200 kW of DC fast charging without requiring costly or time-consuming grid upgrades. By storing energy onboard and drawing from existing low-voltage utility service, FreeWire's chargers could be deployed at locations traditionally unable to support fast charging - including gas stations, retail sites, fleet depots, and commercial properties - making it a highly flexible and infrastructure-light solution.

FreeWire's technology was commercially validated through hundreds of real-world deployments with Fortune 100 companies, commercial and utility customers, fleet operators, and retail locations across the U.S. The company also partnered with bp pulse to deploy its Boost Charger across the UK. Its product line included the Boost Charger Pro (200 kW ultrafast charging with integrated battery storage) and Boost Power Pro (a 200 kW bidirectional charger capable of grid services and energy optimization), positioning FreeWire at the intersection of EV infrastructure and distributed energy resources.

Despite raising significant venture capital and demonstrating strong technology, FreeWire ceased operations in 2024 due to operational and manufacturing challenges - a fate shared by several early-stage clean energy hardware companies navigating the difficult path to scaled production. Its core intellectual property was subsequently acquired by OptiGrid, which hired key engineering talent to continue advancing battery-integrated fast charging for fleet applications. FreeWire's legacy is significant: it validated that onboard energy storage can overcome grid and infrastructure constraints, a concept that remains central to solving one of the biggest bottlenecks in U.S. EV charging deployment.