New business venture creating jobs for unemployed oilfield workers

CALGARY, Alberta – A new business venture in Calgary has out-of-work oil and gas workers lining up for work.  The business, registered as EcoChargers Inc. with Alberta registries, is a mobile electric car charging service.

The founder of EcoChargers, Ricky Grammlott, started the company to put some food on the table and gas in his Harley.  He started the small business concept with his personal truck, a camping generator, and a few extension cords.  The company has now grown to 16 trucks converted to gen stations and several contractors using either bed-mounted or towable generators.

“When I got downsized at The Mac, I had to do something to pay for my gear.  I was thinking of ways I could use my truck to make a little cashola, seeing as I had over $100 grand into it already.  I tossed my Honda genny in the back and went to help a buddies wife charge her Prius.  After that, they paid me $20.  And thats when it hit me.  Now I use that 760 horsepower Cummins to turn the built in 15,000KW gen-set in the bed of my truck.  I can charge 10 cars at once off my custom made tailgate.  At 3600 RPM, this truck never skips a beat charging those little bastards.”

The system Ricky is using in his company’s fleet vehicles is simple.  A dial controls the RPM of the motor while the generator creates power, distributed out the rear of the truck via conventional cords.  While it may seem like a useless endeavour, all of EcoChargers units are busy for 8 to 10 hours a day in downtown Calgary.  The business is getting so popular in fact, even the Premier commented about it during a break in negotiations our east.

“I think this is a great use of our unemployed skilled workforce. Keep them busy and keep them working, we need the taxes and they need the distraction from what we are really trying to do here.  And using those big ugly trucks to charge cute little cars.  Even better!  I love it, and it will go a long way to creating a carbon neutral Alberta that some of us want.” – Rachael Notley

According to Ricky, EcoChargers has monthly contracts available now for $250 per month, and each ‘truck charge station’ can charge 10-12 cars every 6 hours, maybe a total of 20 a day.  This is working out for great revenue for Ricky and his friends, as they already had the vehicles and the generators were borrowed from an industrial machine warehouse in Ft. Mac until they can afford to buy their own.  I know I’m proud of them, and if I had a car that used a battery for more than a radio, I’d be charging up with the boys every day.