Meet Matt Teske | Founder/CEO – Chargeway

We had the good fortune of connecting with Matt Teske and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Matt, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
My decision to found Chargeway was based on my own experiences with electric vehicle (EV) ownership. My wife and I purchased our first EV 9 years ago and discovered how difficult it was to both find and also understand different charging options away from home.

I have spent over 20 years working on marketing and communication strategies within the automotive industry, so I felt I fully understood how to get into EV ownership. What I learned was that EVs are not about buying a new type of car, but more so about buying a new type of fuel. All drivers are familiar with how to use gasoline. It is very universal no matter what car or truck you choose. Using electricity as a fuel however is very specific to the EV you purchase and the station you choose to use, which will dictate your “fill up time”. You have to be able to easily navigate different plug types and power levels to ensure you are getting the charging experience that is best for your needs.

There is a lot to learn when it comes to EV charging, much of it being very technical, so I realized that in order to help the public feel comfortable and happy with switching to an EV for their transportation needs the charging experience needed to be as easy to understand as using “Regular” for gas. This led to creating the basis for Chargeway using simple colors for plug types and simple numbers for power levels to visualize different charging options for all EVs and all stations, allowing drivers a fast way to search for and choose the charging option they need. From there we developed our software and mobile app that includes a station finder, charge time estimator and trip planner that works throughout North America for any EV and any driver.

Overall I understand how change can be intimidating, so I want to help all people, from all walks of life, enjoy switching to an EV by easily answering the questions I know they will have: Which stations do I use with my EV? How long does charging take a different stations? Where can I travel to with confidence?

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
What I am most excited about for the work we are doing at Chargeway is that we have created a solution to positively impact how society moves that will work universally, for everyone, everywhere.

There are very large challenges facing the world today, especially climate change and how we all use energy in our lives. These challenges can seem daunting to most people, mainly because we all have a lot to manage in our personal lives. In order for society to quickly transition to cleaner, more sustainable energy options, everyone individually needs to easily understand and enjoy how this transition will impact their life in a positive way.

To bring Chargeway from an idea to where it is today as a software platform and mobile app has required a great deal of work, as well as patience knowing that we understood a challenge about consumer psychology and communication that many large companies still don’t see as their challenge to address.

The world of transportation is changing quickly, but that does not necessarily mean that it will be easy. The auto sector pivoting from relying on oil/gas companies as their “fuel partner” to electricity is a monumental shift for this industry. It is a reimagining of their core competencies, culture, as well as the public’s understanding of how cars/trucks benefit life. Also, the electric utility industry is having to reimagine itself as a partner to the auto sector and a competitor to oil/gas companies.

How to communicate intersection for the shift in these two industries is what we have captured with Chargeway. We understood this problem through both personal experience as well as looking at the marketplace in a holistic fashion, as opposed to through the lens of a single entity. Translating the value of this to other stakeholders in both the auto and energy industries has required patience, but we knew we had the right approach. As the EV market continues to mature, and it is still in its infancy, more real-world moments point to the need for our simple solution to visualize how EV charging works, which is very exciting.

Often in the world of business and tech today investors and the public are looking for “quick wins”. But how the world and transportation will transition to clean energy is complex, requiring a very comprehensive understanding of how it all connects. Our goal at Chargeway is to translate all of the engineering complexity that make electric vehicles possible into personalized experiences that are easy to enjoy. Through this approach we can help more people make the transition to cleaner transportation options and have a positive impact on society as a whole.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Being based in Portland, OR, I would plan a day trip to either the coast or wine country, using Chargeway to find different spots where we could fill up not only our EV, but our day with memorable experiences. That is the best way to show people how switching to an electric vehicle can be effortless: reveal how charging can be included into various moments in your life effortlessly.

The same holds true in Arizona where we are actively working with various partners including SRP and APS, to help more Arizonans see how an EV can work for their lifestyle. Personally, if I was to plan a trip in Arizona, I would take a drive to the Grand Canyon as I have never had the opportunity to see it in person. Our team has visited a variety of locations in Arizona where we have labeled EV charging stations with Chargeway’s color/number system, which is a big part of how we help people see and experience charging. We offer not only our mobile and software solutions, but also realize the importance of making that experience tangible.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
If there is one person I would like to give a shoutout to for my story it is my father, Anthony Teske.

I have always been a “car guy” and I found myself modifying and wrenching on cars at a young age. I loved all aspect of cars, especially design and performance. One afternoon while working on my first car I had during high school my father and I were talking about the car industry. I was under the car, tightening a clamp for a turbo kit that I had recently installed. I was excited about this upgrade because it was going to transform the performance of my car.

As my father and I were discussing this he, an engineer, casually said, “You know, whoever makes the best battery in your lifetime is going to win.” I slid out from under my car, a little confused asking, “What do you mean?”

He continued, “The best energy dense battery that can both discharge and charge efficiently will simply need to be attached to an electric motor. For performance that will be better than anything gas engines will ever offer.”

It was such a simple moment, but it forever stuck with me. And as my life progressed my interest and passion for cars remained, but so did my focus on the environment and the impact the transportation sector has on the health of the planet. As I began to understand more about the possibility of mass market EVs I saw that I could combine these two passions of mine. To this day I do not think that I would have been able to see this professional opportunity the same way without that moment I shared with my father.

Website: www.chargeway.net

Instagram: www.instagram.com/chargeway

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/chargeway

Twitter: www.twitter.com/chargeway

Facebook: www.facebook.com/chargeway

Youtube: www.youtube.com/@chargeway

Image Credits
All images by Chargeway Inc.