The genesis of E2 Ingeniería lies with its founders, Dr. Enrique Espina, Dr. Matías Díaz, and Dante Carrasco, at the E2 Tech Research Center. It was within this environment that the team pinpointed a significant shortcoming in the electric vehicle charging infrastructure: its limited capacity, inefficiency, and absence of sophisticated management features. In response, they engineered electric chargers equipped with integrated energy management technology, enabling optimized utilization of the electrical grid.
Chilean-Designed Technology
E2 Ingeniería stands out due to its comprehensive strategy. They develop power electronics and energy efficiency algorithms but also prioritize conceptual design. The company’s design team has forged an aesthetic reflecting the region’s identity, basing their electric charger’s form on the Chilean manta ray, an animal that uses electrical impulses for movement. Co-founder Dante Carrasco notes, “Our charger not only prioritizes energy efficiency, but also incorporates a design language that reflects our regional identity.”
Furthermore, E2 Ingeniería is advancing Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) alternatives. This system facilitates bidirectional energy flow, allowing pure electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles to supply electricity to the grid when connected and not actively being driven.
A significant hurdle for electromobility in Chile is the current state of its power grids, which, as E2 Ingeniería’s CEO warns, are not prepared for mass EV adoption. E2 Ingeniería addresses this by incorporating intelligent systems into its chargers, allowing for the networked management of multiple units and thus optimizing energy consumption.
From Lab to Market
E2 Ingeniería’s roots trace back to USACH’s E2 Tech laboratory, where its founders first developed power electronics technologies for energy efficiency and sustainability. The journey from lab to market wasn’t straightforward; the project began with early prototypes in 2019, and the company formally spun off in 2022.
“We paved the way together with the university organization,” explains Dr. Enrique Espina, Professor in USACH’s Department of Electrical Engineering. “We received support from the early stages to patent our ideas and then turn them into a business venture. There was no clear path to forming a company from the university, but together with its innovation mechanisms, we managed to break new ground.” This critical transition was bolstered by USACH’s Technology Management Directorate (DGT), which provided intellectual property protection, and the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Directorate (DINEM), which fostered commercial capabilities through its Exponencial program.
E2 Ingeniería is currently in the commercialization phase, supported by Innovo, USACH’s business incubator. Key challenges ahead include identifying strategic customers and securing distribution partnerships to expand its reach across the national market.
The company has already achieved significant milestones: its alternating current (AC) charger is now certified under international standards, and it has been featured in the CORFO Sé Santiago Smart City program’s catalog of solutions. Furthermore, E2 Ingeniería is actively developing two new technologies: a direct current (DC) charger and a bidirectional system (V2X).
Academic Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Beyond core technology, E2 Ingeniería commits to a focused niche: energy management in electromobility. This involves developing solutions across electrical energy, sustainability, and the reuse of electric vehicle battery components.
Beyond the product, a deeper motivation drives E2 Ingeniería: to leverage university innovation for real, sustainable societal impact. The team firmly believes that academic innovation isn’t just possible, but essential.
“In the laboratory, we developed technology, including microcontrollers for energy efficiency,” explains Dr. Matías Díaz, also a researcher at the University of Santiago, Chile. “Aligned with this, we saw the electromobility market expanding and realized that existing products didn’t meet all the requirements for long-term efficiency or sustainability. Many powerful ideas exist in laboratories, but few reach the market. We wanted to close that gap and demonstrate that entrepreneurship is indeed possible within academia.”
To learn more about E2 Ingeniería, visit www.e2ingenieria.cl