San Francisco’s Treasure Island is becoming a real-world test site for a new approach to EV charging: robots that drive to parked cars and plug them in.
Mountain View-based energy technology startup EnerRenew has launched a pilot for X-Caddie, an autonomous EV charging robot designed to move through parking lots, locate a vehicle and deliver power without requiring a driver to wait at a fixed charging station. The robot is roughly the size of a small refrigerator and carries its own onboard battery pack.
The pilot began in late March and is aimed at testing whether mobile charging can help dense urban neighborhoods add EV support without the delays, permitting challenges and grid upgrades often associated with traditional fast-charging infrastructure.
How the X-Caddie EV Charging Robot Works
The concept is built around on-demand charging. A driver parks their EV, opens an app and summons the robot to the vehicle. From there, X-Caddie is designed to navigate through the parking area using sensors, position itself near the car and extend a charging arm to connect to the EV’s port.
The goal is to remove one of the biggest frustrations of public EV charging: having to find an available charging stall and wait for access. Instead of building a fixed charger for every parking space, EnerRenew’s model treats charging as a mobile service that can be deployed where demand exists.
NBC Bay Area reported that the robot is being tested on Treasure Island and that the company hopes to roll out additional test sites. Mark Yang of EnerRenew said the system is intended to avoid some of the utility upgrades and permitting hurdles tied to installing fixed charging infrastructure.
Why Treasure Island Is a Test Case for Mobile EV Charging
Treasure Island is a fitting location for the pilot because the San Francisco neighborhood is still developing its charging network. As more residents, visitors and businesses move into the area, EV demand is expected to grow.
EnerRenew Chief Technology Officer Grady Zhu told the San Francisco Chronicle that fixed EV charging can be difficult to approve, especially for fast chargers, because utilities may need to expand capacity to support high-powered equipment. The company argues that mobile battery-based robots could reduce some of that pressure by allowing charging capacity to be distributed more flexibly.
That does not mean robotic charging will replace conventional charging stations. But it could serve as a supplemental model for apartment buildings, mixed-use districts, office campuses, event venues and neighborhoods where parking demand is high but electrical infrastructure is harder to upgrade quickly.
EnerRenew Plans More Bay Area Pilot Sites
EnerRenew was founded in 2023 by Susan Xu and Gary Yang and originally operated under the name WindQuiet before expanding into renewable energy microgrids, robotics and AI. The company is currently based in Mountain View, with robot development taking place in Saratoga, according to the Chronicle.
The company built its first X-Caddie prototype two years ago and plans to launch 10 pilot sites across the Bay Area in the coming months. About half of those sites are expected to be in San Francisco.
The startup is also reportedly raising its first funding round as it looks to scale the technology. Pricing and broader commercial availability have not yet been announced.
Mobile Charging Could Help Cities Expand EV Access
The X-Caddie pilot comes as cities face a practical problem: EV adoption is rising, but charging access remains uneven. Homeowners with garages can often install Level 2 chargers, but renters, apartment residents and urban drivers frequently depend on public or shared charging options.
That gap is especially important in dense cities, where every new charging station can require coordination among property owners, utilities, regulators and construction teams. Mobile charging robots offer a different route by separating charging access from fixed parking spaces.
The technology still has to prove itself in daily use. EnerRenew will need to show that the robots can navigate safely, charge vehicles reliably, operate at useful speeds and fit into normal parking behavior. User adoption will also matter. Drivers must be willing to trust a robot to find their vehicle and connect to it properly.
What the San Francisco Pilot Means
San Francisco’s Treasure Island pilot is an early test of whether autonomous charging can become a practical part of urban EV infrastructure. If the model works, mobile chargers could give cities and property operators another way to support electric vehicles without waiting for every parking lot or garage to be rebuilt around fixed charging stations.
For now, X-Caddie remains a pilot technology. But its arrival on Treasure Island points to a broader shift in EV infrastructure: charging may not always depend on the driver going to the charger. In some settings, the charger may come to the driver.
