New York City’s food carts might be saying goodbye to loud, smelly gas generators. A Brooklyn startup called PopWheels is testing a new way to power these carts using e-bike batteries. They kicked off at La Chona Mexican food cart, located at 30th and Broadway in Manhattan. After raising $2.3 million in seed funding last year, PopWheels is gearing up for a busy summer rollout, aiming to change how thousands of street vendors operate.
PopWheels is tapping into a hidden opportunity. It originally built a battery swapping network for food delivery workers. Now, they see a chance to fix one of New York City’s long-standing nuisances—the noisy gas generators that keep food carts running.
“This began as a fun project last summer,” said David Hammer, the CEO and co-founder. Once a Google employee, he found excitement in experimenting with energy solutions. What started as a hobby has turned into a business poised to reshape the street food scene in the city.
Recently, PopWheels successfully powered La Chona for an entire day using just four e-bike batteries. This test marks a significant step toward eliminating the noise and fumes that customers face while enjoying their meals. Food cart owners were eager to join in after witnessing the demonstration. Hammer noted, “I had multiple owners come up to me, asking, ‘Wait, there’s no noise with this? How can I get involved?'”
PopWheels isn’t completely new to the game. The company already has 30 charging stations across Manhattan. These stations serve gig workers who ride e-bikes for food delivery. Hammer describes this setup as a “de facto decentralized fleet,” where a large number of customers can easily swap batteries from a small selection. Delivery workers pay about $75 a month for unlimited swaps, which is cheaper than the $100 monthly fee that many bodegas charge for similar services.
The switch to PopWheels’ system could be equally beneficial for food cart owners. Currently, they spend about $10 daily on gas to power their equipment. With four PopWheels batteries, they could receive the same amount of energy at a similar price while avoiding the noise, emissions, and maintenance issues that come with gas generators. If more power is needed during a shift, owners can easily swap out batteries at any of the PopWheels stations.
According to a recent study, about 80% of city residents support cleaner air initiatives, indicating a growing awareness and demand for greener solutions. The trends in urban mobility are clear: the future looks electric. Solutions like PopWheels are not just innovating how we power food carts; they’re setting higher standards for sustainability in urban environments.
For more insightful information about sustainability in urban settings, you can check out this report from the Environmental Protection Agency.
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