New York City food carts might finally ditch their noisy, smelly gas generators. Brooklyn-based startup PopWheels is testing its e-bike battery swapping network to power food carts, starting with La Chona Mexican on 30th and Broadway in Manhattan. The company, which raised $2.3 million in seed funding last year, plans an aggressive summer rollout that could transform how thousands of street vendors operate across the city.
PopWheels just cracked open a new market hiding in plain sight. The Brooklyn startup, which built a battery swapping network for food delivery workers, realized its infrastructure could solve one of New York City's most persistent street-level annoyances - the rumbling gas generators that power food carts.
"This really started out as a lark last summer," CEO and co-founder David Hammer told TechCrunch. "I'm an ex-Googler from the early days, and this felt like a classic, old-school 20% project." But what began as an experiment has evolved into a full-blown business opportunity that could reshape New York's street food economy.
The company successfully powered La Chona Mexican food cart for a full day last week using four e-bike battery packs, marking the first real-world test of technology that could eliminate the noise and fumes customers endure while waiting for their dosas and doner kebabs. Food cart owners who witnessed the demonstration immediately wanted in. "I had multiple food cart owners come up to me and say, 'Wait, there's no noise with this cart. What are you guys doing? Can I get this?'" Hammer said.
PopWheels isn't starting from scratch. The company already operates 30 charging cabinets across Manhattan, serving gig workers who ride Arrow and Whizz e-bikes for food delivery platforms. That infrastructure created what Hammer calls a "de facto decentralized fleet" - hundreds of customers cycling through a standardized system that stocks just a few battery types. The company charges delivery workers $75 monthly for unlimited battery swaps, undercutting the $100 per month that bodegas typically charge for charging services.
The economics for food carts look just as compelling. Cart owners currently spend around $10 daily on gas to run generators that power lights and small appliances. Four PopWheels batteries delivering five kilowatt-hours would cost roughly the same through a subscription model, while eliminating the generator's noise, emissions, and maintenance headaches. If a cart needs more power mid-shift, owners can swap batteries at any of PopWheels' stations throughout Manhattan.
