REPS raises $23.6M for road energy tech

REPS, a startup developing technology to generate electricity from road traffic, announced it has raised $23.6 million in equity financing. The funds will be used to scale the company's Road Energy Production System (REPS), which converts the motion and pressure of vehicles into usable electrical energy.

Turning Roads into Power Plants

The core of REPS's technology is a patented system installed directly into existing road infrastructure. It harvests kinetic energy from vehicles, particularly effective in areas where cars and trucks naturally slow down, like entrances, curves, and loading zones. This approach targets high-traffic locations such as ports, logistics hubs, and industrial sites.

Alfons Huber, Founder and CEO of REPS, stated, "Roads are everywhere. Traffic is everywhere. What was previously wasted energy can now be transformed into clean electricity through REPS." The company claims its converter is significantly more efficient than existing alternatives and operates independently of weather conditions.

Recovering Wasted Energy

Unlike conventional renewable energy sources that focus on new generation, REPS aims to recapture energy already being lost. The company estimates that the energy wasted by road traffic globally could theoretically meet around 5% of global electricity demand. This falls under the umbrella of energy harvesting technology, which converts mechanical impulses into electricity. REPS believes its innovation addresses historical efficiency and durability issues that have hindered the sector.

This significant cleantech funding comes at a crucial time for the industry.

Proof in the Field

The first commercial REPS system has been operational at the Port of Hamburg since November 2025. In six months, it has processed over 115,000 trucks, generating more than 6,700 kWh of electricity. This pilot project has spurred significant international interest, with REPS engaging with over 90 parties in the port industry across multiple continents.

Internal projections suggest that deploying 230 systems at the Port of Hamburg could yield approximately 10 GWh annually, enough to power 2,800 homes and offset nearly 10% of port traffic's CO₂ emissions, with an ROI under four years.

On a city scale, REPS estimates that 64,000 systems in a city like Dubai could recover 3.2 TWh per year, meeting over 10% of the city's energy consumption.

Justin Karnbach, CEO of Hamburger Container Service GmbH, noted the system's seamless integration: "The installation at our facility demonstrates the potential of REPS: where vehicles have to brake anyway, clean energy is recovered and can be used directly where we need it. Without any interference with traffic and without additional space."

Jens Maier, CEO HPA and President of the International Association of Ports and Harbors, added: "We can't wait to see REPS in action - not just in the Port of Hamburg, but throughout the city and far beyond, all over the world."

From Academia to Scale

REPS was founded by Alfons Huber, who spent six years developing the technology after leaving his physics degree, defending his inventor rights against universities. This dedication led to what the company calls the world's first operational road power plant.

"We spent six years developing the technology. Now the scaling phase begins," Huber said. "The strong demand from ports and logistics operators worldwide confirms the need for our solution, and with this financing round we can now scale at the speed required by the energy transition."

Future Ambitions

Beyond roads, REPS envisions its technology as a foundation for a broader energy-harvesting platform. The goal is to transform high-traffic infrastructure into decentralized power assets, making captured wasted energy economically viable on a large scale.

Elisabeth Zehetner, State Secretary for Energy, Startups and Tourism, emphasized the significance of such innovations: "Start-ups are no longer a side topic, they are the innovation lab of our economy. This is where technologies like REPS from Austria are created."