Feb 13, 2026 - Business

New Eastern Market EV charger taps old grid

Joe Guillen

ElectricFish co-founders Leonardo Mattiazzi, left, and Anurag Kamal at Eastern Market. Photo: Joe Guillen/Axios

A startup participating in Detroit's Sustainable Cities Challenge is testing if fast electric vehicle charging can work in older urban grids without costly upgrades.

Why it matters: ElectricFish says its approach allows fast charging to be deployed using existing connections, avoiding utility upgrades that can slow electrification by adding permitting time and cost.

State of play: The company installed a high-speed EV charger at Eastern Market that draws power slowly from the grid, stores it in large batteries and dispenses it to vehicles in short bursts.

The charger can deliver up to 400 kilowatts while drawing just 30 kilowatts from the grid, company officials tell Axios.

Zoom in: At Eastern Market, the charger has been operating for several months, connecting to passenger vehicles, rideshare drivers and test vehicles.

What they're saying: The charger can add significant range in minutes, comparing the experience to refueling a gas-powered vehicle, co-founder and CEO Anurag Kamal tells Axios.

What's next: ElectricFish is reaching out to local gas stations to deploy their units, Kamal says.

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New Eastern Market EV charger taps old grid

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