![]() Analysis by TAF has found that Kite’s model - which will decrease the number of vehicle trips and construction of parking stalls - has the potential to reduce 200,000 tonnes of carbon in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area over the next 20 years. Knibutat also says that the model will have a significant impact in reducing carbon emissions. I don’t have to go 10 blocks for some kind of public transit. “Say, I’m in my condo or apartment and I decide to take a trip. “There’s a convenience aspect to it,” he says. “They had already demonstrated, through working with developers, that this model works,” Knibutat says, adding that he liked Kite’s centralized model. Speaking to Electric Autonomy, Kristian Knibutat, vice-president of impact investing at TAF, says the decision to fund Kite was made easier with its track record of successfully partnering with developers. We just have to operationalize what we have signed on paper and then expand to additional markets.” “We don’t have to go look for the business,” Macwilliam says. Macwilliam says the new funding will help Kite fulfill contracts that it signed in more Canadian cities into 2024. Kite has already partnered with over 50 developers in four Canadian markets: Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and Vancouver. “If you do the math and remove 400 spaces at $100,000 per space, that’s $40 million in savings per project.” “We’ve had certain developers remove entire levels of parking,” Macwilliam says. ![]() A single parking stall, based off digging and infrastructure costs, can cost up to $100,000, according to Macwilliam. Developers, meanwhile, reduce their costs by building smaller parking garages. “There’s nothing much more convenient than booking something, going down your elevator, and there it is,” Macwilliam says. Kite works by allowing tenants to book an EV, e-bike, or e-scooter in their building through an app. Macwilliam imagined the centralized service would increase affordability for families and real estate developers and reduce carbon emissions. “I thought there would be serious advantages if you centralized it and put it into the buildings themselves.” “There was a different way to approach this,” he says. Macwilliam, who previously worked for Nissan and Magna, visited his colleagues in California and was inspired to start a similar business by flipping the model on its head. That group focused on having e-bikes and scooters available to everyone in the public, he said. He met a group of people who were launching e-bike and scooter rental services in California. Six years ago, Macwilliam was completing an MBA at the University of Pennsylvania. The other $2.5 million comes from Good & Well, a boutique Toronto impact investment firm, and Enlighted Building Technologies, a California-based company specializing in carbon reduction and renewable energy. Three members of the Low Carbon Cities Canada (元C) network - the Atmospheric Fund (TAF), Alberta Ecotrust Foundation, and Greater Montreal Climate Fund - have committed $1 million to this funding round. “There is so much demand that we can’t keep up with.” “My reaction was a combination of relief, gratitude, and excitement,” says Scott Macwilliam, Kite’s founder, in an interview with Electric Autonomy, adding that the investments will give the company 12 to 18 months of runway to scale up the business. Kite partners with real estate developers to install EVs, e-bikes and e-scooters in multi-unit residences. Five organizations are investing $3.5 million in the four-year-old startup. Kite Mobility, a Toronto-based “electric mobility as an amenity” platform with a novel focus on multi-family residential buildings, has landed significant funding to fuel its near-term growth. The funding will help the mobility sharing service tackle the twin goals of electrifying transportation and reducing carbon emissions from buildings Kite Mobility raises $3.5 million to grow its electric mobility platform for multi-family buildings
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