Hands-free electric vehicle (EV) charging startup Rocsys today launched the world’s first integrated platform to power 24/7 hands-free charging for autonomous mobility.
I spoke to Crijn Bouman, co-founder and CEO of Rocsys to find out more.
Bouman has been in the EV space for about 20 years. After graduating from Delft, he founded Epyon, Europe’s first EV fast-charging company, later acquired by ABB, where it became the ABB Charging Group.
Following the acquisition, he stayed on to build out a global business. In his last year at ABB Charging Group, he visited a robotic startup in San Francisco. They had an indoor test track where autonomous vehicles drove around and parked themselves. But then a person had to walk over and plug them in. He recalled:
“I was completely awestruck seeing autonomous vehicles for the first time, but I wondered, 'Why don't you automate that too?'
Someone there told me their management said the only focus was to get vehicles ready for the road — everything else would come later.”
The idea stuck. A year later, he left ABB, met some people working in robotics, and founded Rocsys.
Why driverless vehicles need autonomous charging
Vehicles are becoming driverless, but infrastructure is still built for humans. There's a huge gap.
Current charging systems are built on the outdated assumption that a human operator should always be present. Manual charging is time-consuming, labour-intensive, error-prone, and incompatible with the scalability that autonomous fleets demand.
A manual charging process negates the benefits of otherwise autonomous systems by introducing a human bottleneck.
Bouman contends that to reach a driverless future, the infrastructure needs to be designed for driverless vehicles.
“We fill that gap, and the first application is charging. We use a combination of robotics, AI, computer vision, and software. It's a hardware-enabled software business — the hardware is important, but it’s all about computer vision, AI, and controls. People sometimes call it 'embodied AI' or 'physical AI.'”
The Rocsys Platform includes four key components:
- Rocsys Steward – An advanced automatic connection device powered by computer vision and machine learning. It autonomously detects vehicle arrival, opens the charging port, plugs in safely, charges, and unplugs — all without human intervention. It’s compatible with all standard connectors and existing multi-brand infrastructure.
- Rocsys API – Enables integration with IT systems such as Terminal Operating Systems (TOS) and Fleet Management Systems (FMS), providing operators with total control and visibility over charging in the context of wider logistics or mobility operations.
- Rocsys Portal – A operational dashboard providing real-time data-driven insights into charging activities, enabling operators to optimise performance and unlock efficiencies in autonomous workflows.
- Rocsys Proactive Care – A 24/7 support service offering remote performance monitoring, computer vision performance updates, remote troubleshooting, and proactive maintenance to ensure uninterrupted operations, especially in challenging environments like ports and logistics hubs.
Ports, logistics, and robotaxis: where Rocsys wins
To gain traction in the crowded EV charging market, Rocysys is very intentional about the markets it targets: port terminals and logistics yards, where automated vehicles are already being deployed, and there's a real problem to solve.
Designed to meet the demands of 24/7 autonomous operations, especially in rugged environments like ports where manual charging is a hidden bottleneck.
The Rocsys Platform ensures vehicles are always charged, connected, and ready when operators need them. It unlocks greater efficiency, safety, and scalability for the world’s leading port operators, logistics companies, and robotaxi brands.
Bouman detailed:
“Passenger cars are more of a 'nice-to-have' use case — it's not critical. In professional fleets, though, automation is a 'must-have.' So we focus on real, painful problems in professional settings.
We basically ensure the vehicle is correctly connected to a normal charger. So the charging speed depends on the charger itself."
Rocsys automates high-speed charging — like 400kW, 10-minute fast charges — is possible with its system, which is an advantage over wireless charging.
Further, reliability is also critical. According to Bouman:
“In fleet environments, if someone forgets to plug in or damages a connector, it costs real money. A vehicle not charged on time in a port, for example, can be extremely costly."
Rocsys works with customers in the robotaxi, logistics, and ports sectors, including operators like APM Terminals MVII, the number 2 port terminal operator in the world, leading autonomous vehicle solution providers like EasyMile and embotech and vehicle OEMs like Hyster, DAF, and Autocar.
Significantly,the Rocsys Platform offers seamless integration with existing vehicle and infrastructure setups without the need for a wholesale retrofit and delivers unmatched compatibility across all vehicle types and charging brands.
From hype to business reality
Autonomous vehicles have been in development for over 20 years. Five or six years ago, there was a lot of hype. Then disappointment — too much overpromise, too little real-world success.
According to Bouman, the conversation has shifted from 'Will it work?' to 'Will the business case work?'
The port automation market is projected to exceed $15.5 billion by 2032.
Waymo is completing around 200,000 paid rides a week in the US. Baidu's Apollo Go service has been at the forefront, with approximately 1.1 million rides in the fourth quarter of 2024, and is expected to achieve profitability this year.
In trucking, Fernride and Einride are going from strength to strength, as well as defencetech applications like ARX Robotics.
Rocsys will present the Rocsys Platform and future innovations to the Rocsys Steward at ACT Expo from April 28 to 30 at Booth #6514.
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