Swap Robotics Secures $7 Million USD to Make Outdoor Work Equipment 100% Electric

Swap Robotics has secured $7 million USD in seed funding to automate solar vegetation management with 100% electric autonomous robots. This round was led by SOLV Energy with participation from USA’s largest solar vegetation cutters, angel investors and SOSV’s HAX. 

Solar power has the potential to dominate the world’s power grid, effectively being the cheapest renewable energy source, but there are still many barriers preventing rapid adoption. Barriers include the cost of solar vegetation maintenance, unsustainable equipment, and labor shortages. In fact, the largest expense of running a solar utility farm is maintaining the vegetation according to leading solar O&M providers. It is common for grass to grow over solar panels, preventing it from capturing sunlight. Solutions to date, like contracting sheep as landscapers or using diesel-powered lawn mowers, have been largely unsustainable and inefficient. Solar vegetation also requires a special cutting deck that can navigate drivelines and I-Beams, which limit typical equipment operation. Together with the challenges of performing these tasks manually in extreme temperatures, these factors contribute to the long-standing labor shortage in the solar vegetation management industry and therefore risk slowing the adoption of renewable energy.

Swap has built a customizable, autonomous robotic solution for solar vegetation management. The robots are 100% electric—with batteries that can be swapped in five minutes, allowing for near 24/7 operability—and contain an in-house hydraulics platform that can easily “swap” attachments for various activities. The modular design of the robot allows for new use-cases to accommodate dozens of different attachments and payloads. Swap operates a “Robotics-as-a-Service” model, enabling reduced operational expenses, increased performance, and clear pricing. 

According to Swap Robotics CEO Tim Lichti, “The global solar vegetation cuts market alone is expected to reach $50 billion by 2040. We’re thrilled to be partnered with USA’s largest utility-scale solar builders and largest solar vegetation cutters to help make solar energy more affordable for decades to come. On a 20-year perspective, our outdoor work robotics platform has the ability to unlock dozens of use-cases beyond solar, making the combined total addressable market over $1 trillion.” 

During the initial run, Swap pre-maps each site in order to determine the most efficient, safest path through the project area. After outlining the area, the robots can run their routes autonomously with remote supervision. Swap’s robots are designed to traverse variable terrain with cutting decks suited to tackle thick grass and woody vegetation that can reach up to two inches in diameter, resulting in the world's first, 100% electric "rough cut" cutting deck that can penetrate thick vegetation.

Swap is transforming the legacy outdoor work equipment space, which has long been stagnant. The industry is taking note: within 60 days of launching its robots, Swap Robotics had over $9 million in signed agreements, even before any sales agreements with SOLV Energy were signed.

“The solar industry is gearing up for huge investment resulting from the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act. Driving the development of innovative technology is essential to optimizing our capabilities and preparing our workforce for the influx of new projects in a growing number of states,” said George Hershman, CEO of SOLV Energy. “While a partnership with Swap Robotics will allow us to better serve our clients, even more importantly, it supports our people here at SOLV Energy, providing them with additional tools to do their work more efficiently and in safer work environments.” 

While solar vegetation management is the large majority of the company’s focus, Swap robots are also being deployed commercially for snow plowing.

Swap Robotics will use the funding to expand its team, and ramp-up solar cutting operations by partnering with some of the largest solar utility organizations. 

Swap Robotics | https://www.swaprobotics.com/