Swap Robotics, Inc The maker of electric lawnmowers and snow removal robots, TechCrunch today detailed how it makes sustainable outdoor work equipment on the disruptive startup battlefield. For the next few years, 95% of the startup’s focus will be on optimizing robotic lawnmowers on 1,000+ acre utility scale solar farms. The company’s second focus is sidewalk snow plowing.
The startup was founded in October 2019 by CEO Tim Lichty, CTO Mohammad H. Ahmed, Spencer Kshesinski, lead in mechanical design, and Adonis Mansour, lead in electrical design. Lichty, Kshesinski and Mansour all attended the University of Waterloo together and then got to know Ahmed during his freshman year. The team originally planned to develop a robotic mowing solution for sports fields, but continued to hear from poets that mowing 1,000+ acre utility-scale solar installations was a challenging task that could use a modern solution.
Tim Lichty, CEO of Swap Robotics on the TechCrunch Startup Battlefield at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco on October 18, 2022. Image Credits: Haje Kamps / TechCrunch
The team decided that their mission would be to create a solution to sustainably cut grass in a controlled environment. Swap Robotics realized that cutting solar plants comes with its own challenges, as it requires a special cutting surface to get under the solar panels, and realized that a robotic solution would solve the problem.
“There are two main challenges when cutting plants in solar farms right now,” Lichty told TechCrunch in an interview. “The way it’s done is unsustainable. It’s powered by petrol or diesel powered equipment, so obviously there’s a big carbon footprint there. There is also a higher cost of petrol and diesel itself. The equipment is also running in dry land, so there are more equipment breakdowns and costs associated with that. Since we are running 100% electric, it is more sustainable. There are also a few rooms, so it doesn’t break down very often.
Image Credits: Change robotics
Robots have hydraulics that make the running noise and ice-breaking attachments cry. The attachments have a “quick swap” system to make them easy and quick to swap, hence the name Swap Robotics. The robots’ batteries can be swapped out in five minutes, allowing for nearly 24/7 operation. The robots can also hold more than 1,000 pounds.
In the year Within 60 days of launching the robots in mid-2022, Swap Robotics has signed more than $9 million worth of deals to cut solar plants.
Swap Robotics claims to have developed the world’s first 100% electric mowing deck to access grass and plants under solar panels. The company claims to have developed the world’s first 100% electric “rough cut” deck that easily cuts vegetation up to two inches in diameter.
Lichty said Swap Robotics currently has several robots in operation in Texas, but could not say which companies are using the robots. The startup is releasing 10 new robots and has ordered supplies for the next 10 robots. The company expects additional sales in the future due to the new relationship with SOLV Energy.
As for the company’s business model, Swap Robotics charges per acre. Lichty says the model is convenient because customers are already familiar with paying per acre for grass cutting done by humans. The cost per hectare may vary depending on factors such as site size, frequency of mowing and terrain. The startup’s goal is to provide customers with savings of 15% to 20% compared to their current cutting costs.
Image Credits: Change robotics
The startup announced that it has received an investment from SOLV Energy, the largest utility-scale solar building company in the United States, but could not disclose the amount. Lichty said the funding is part of a pre-Series A round it plans to close at the end of October. A large portion of the investment goes into commercializing the startup’s robots. The company plans to ramp up operations to deploy dozens of robots. In addition, some investment units are used for capital expenditures.
Prior to this investment, Swap Robotics had raised $3 million from angel investors and SOSV in the three years since launch. The funding was used to commercialize Swap Robotics’ first round of a dozen robots. The investment was also used for software, mechanical and electrical development.
Transform robotics at the TechCrunch Startup Battlefield at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco on October 18, 2022. Image Credits: Haje Kamps / TechCrunch
Swap Robotics plans to have a large Series A round in 2023.
“Long-term, we want Swap Robotics to be the go-to outdoor robotics platform for work,” said Lichty. We’ve developed a form factor that’s compact, ultra-strong and robust, and has a built-in hydraulic system for dozens of different use cases. I think this makes it a suitable platform for serious use cases, especially if they can be topical at times.
Lichty reiterated that the startup’s main focus will be mostly on solar plants, and that potential for additional use cases is part of its long-term vision. As for what those use cases might look like, Lichty suggested the robots could be used for street sweeping or reforestation.
