Detroit City Challenge

Automotus helps cities reduce emissions, safety hazards, and traffic with AI cameras that automate curb management.

A full-service fleet management company that helps its customers save time and money while enabling a more sustainable future. From placing vehicle orders, to tracking maintenance & fuel/charging spend, to identifying suitable replacement vehicles – BizFleets‘ proprietary software system is there every step of the way, identifying tangible opportunities for cost savings, emissions reductions, and operational improvements. The Detroit-based team is comprised of entrepreneurs, automotive experts, and technology leaders that have a proven track record of delivering valuable solutions in the automotive industry.

The solution: Aggregate vehicle data from multiple sources (including telematics, maintenance shops, fuel providers, etc) into a single system from which company stakeholders can evaluate the use of their vehicles and learn what actions they can take to increase efficiency and sustainability.

Civilized Cycles is a Detroit-based design and engineering firm that builds light electric vehicles for commercial cargo transportation.

The solution: Civilized Cycles offers a cleaner, safer, and cheaper way to move goods. Its electric cargo bikes can replace gas-powered vehicles at Eastern Market and deliver produce to local businesses, reducing pollution and costs.

A sustainability-focused company leveraging technology to transform food waste into valuable raw materials for various industries. Aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Ecosphere Organics develops eco-friendly supply chain solutions. One of its key innovations is modular, on-site waste conversion units tailored for food production locations, such as restaurants and markets. These units process waste directly at the source, cutting down on transportation and fossil fuel use. Ecosphere Organics also integrates a real-time data that will optimise logistics, track waste volumes, and deliver actionable insights to businesses. The company’s mission is to provide a scalable, sustainable solution that advances waste reduction, emissions control, and circular economy practices.

The solution: On-site organic waste conversion units at key food production locations in Eastern Market, converting food waste into valuable materials while collecting real-time data to optimise waste logistics and reduce fossil fuel consumption.

An all-minority founded company building energy infrastructure to accelerate a resilient EV transition. ElectricFish‘s flexible microgrid solution, the award-winning 350squared, quickly enables fast EV charging and emergency power resources at grid-constrained sites in weeks instead of years.

The solution: Battery-integrated fast EV charger which works with a site’s existing power to be installed in weeks instead of years. The charger would charge electric freight up to 100 miles in 10 minutes, minimise peak energy costs, and provide backup energy for on-site Eastern Market facilities.

A sustainable logistics company. Through its freight mobility-as-a-service platform, Eddy, Emissionless Inc connects shippers to truck drivers, and drivers to a shared fleet of 100% electric trucks. Emissionless Inc automates, simplifies, and streamlines the shipping process, and makes all-electric freight mobility solutions accessible to all.

The solution: Zero-emissions freight hub tailored to the unique needs of Detroit’s Eastern Market and the business who operate there.

Interplai is a forward-thinking logistics platform dedicated to revolutionising last-mile delivery through the integration of sophisticated routing software and advanced robotic delivery systems.

The solution: Route optimisation software enables collaborative logistics for the operators of Detroit’s Eastern Market by combining partial loads into full truckloads, reducing fuel costs, CO2 emissions, and operational inefficiencies.

A pioneering company focused on creating advanced Autonomous Charging-as-a-Service (CaaS) solutions tailored for electric vehicle (EV) fleets. Joule Labs leverages cutting-edge automation, robotics, and artificial intelligence, Joule Labs’ mission is to deliver flexible and scalable automated EV charging systems and services, meeting the needs of autonomous and conventional EV fleet operators. The company has successfully deployed a patent-pending mobile charging system designed to provide on-demand charging without the need for dedicated parking spaces or extensive infrastructure. With a leadership and technology team from Cisco and expertise in building and operating large-scale distributed mission-critical and autonomous systems, Joule Labs is committed to supporting sustainable transportation through innovative, efficient, automated mobile and fixed EV charging networks.

The solution: Joule Labs’ Autonomous Mobile Charging System (MAVs) provides on-demand, autonomous mobile charging for electric vehicles and delivery fleets, using a network of distributed charging hubs (DOCKs) to reduce operational downtime, enhance fleet efficiency, and minimise carbon emissions.

A Swiss clean-tech startup advancing sustainable energy with its Ammonia-to-Hydrogen Generation System (AHGS). This innovative system enables clean, on-demand hydrogen production, ideal for powering fuel-cell solutions at construction sites, remote heavy industries, and other off-grid applications. Led by Aris Maroonian, Neology’s expert team is dedicated to providing versatile ammonia-based hydrogen solutions that also support small-scale hydrogen refuelling stations, meeting crucial needs in off-grid power generation and mobility applications.

The solution: Neology’s Ammonia-to-Hydrogen Generation System (AHGS) provides a compact, on-site hydrogen production solution for small-scale refuelling stations, using ammonia as a clean hydrogen carrier to locally supply 99.97% pure hydrogen for zero-emission vehicles, reducing reliance on centralised hydrogen distribution networks.

An innovation and impact accelerator focused on moving public and private organisations’ initiatives forward. Sitting at the junction of research, technology, and human-centred design, Orange Sparkle Ball creates organisation and community-focused innovation programs, runs data-driven pilots to demonstrate proof of the future state, creates multi-faceted communication strategies to stakeholders, and develops environments that support progress toward key metrics or key performance indicators (KPIs). Experience with government, industry, technology startups, public/private partnerships, and academia allow Orange Sparkle Ball to provide a full ecosystem approach to customised solutions.

The solution: Data-driven micrologistics platform to organise first and last mile freight logistics in and out of the market – and utilise autonomous ground robots, intermediate electric vehicles, and other mobility innovations to reduce duplicative miles, idling time, and empty or under capacity miles.