A new, 3B gallon ethanol market: Me Energy takes top prize at Radicle Corn Value Chain Challenge

In California, Germany’s Me Energy took the million dollar first prize in the year-long Radicle Corn Value Chain Challenge. The finals were held in San Francisco as a part of ABLC Next.

ME energy’s technology

Me energy has developed unique technology enabling Rapid Chargers that generate climate-friendly electricity from low-cost ethanol. me energy’s portable, rapid chargers, powered by renewable energy such as corn ethanol, can also create a new use for corn.  The stations do not require a connection to the power grid because they generate their own electricity from sustainable ethanol.

The ME Energy game-changing story

It has the potential to be a game-changing market opportunity for ethanol, using the superior energy density of ethanol compared to battery storage to drive fast charging and a resilient supply of energy. Each ME unit can charge a vehicle in 15 minutes or less, no matter the grid connections or conditions. The standard unit contains 2,000 liters (550 gallons) of ethanol when full and supports more than 100 charges. Typically, the ethanol supply is topped up every one to two weeks depending on usage patterns.

The buyers are those making the transition towards electric vehicles and away from combustion engines, though combustion is the means by which ethanol is converted to power. So, it’s a counterweight to the reduction in ethanol demand that may come from the EV transition. 

Users include emergency service organizations that need 24/7/365 uptime for vehicles — such as hospitals, fire and police vehicle fleets. Also, fleet owners who need resilient or remote charging (where the grid goes down or is not available at all). Also, fleet owners seeking affordable fast-charging on a service provider basis who need to maximize uptime, such as bus and trucking fleets.

In a pitch presentation at the Radicle Challenge, CEO Alexander Sohl suggested that, in time, new demand could rise to as much as 1.1 bushels of corn, representing 3.2 billion gallons of ethanol.

The other finalists

Second prize of $500,000 went to US-based Lakril Technologies.  Låkril’s bifunctional catalyst enables the efficient conversion of corn ethanol into bio-based acrylics, offering a sustainable alternative to traditional petrochemical methods. This innovation leverages renewable corn resources to produce acrylics, reducing carbon emissions and aligning with the growing demand for eco-friendly chemical production solutions.

Other finalists were Catalyxx and New Iriidium. Catalyxx is creating green technology for a better tomorrow. Catalyxx has a unique, proven, and patented green chemistry technology that produces high value long chain linear alcohols from corn ethanol, which serve as crucial intermediate biochemicals to decarbonize the downstream chemical value chain.

New Iridium’s photocatalysis platform empowers the production of low-cost sustainable chemicals, such as acetic acid, from plants and carbon dioxide. While the acetic acid value chain is currently reliant on petroleum, innovations like photocatalysis could enable sustainable production from corn bioethanol.

In total, 132 companies competed in the challenge, 41 percent of them from outside the United States.

The Challenge is supported by Iowa Corn, the National Corm Growers Association, Kansas Corn Commission, Colorado Corn Council, Illinois Corn, Kentucky Corn Promotion Council,  Corn Marketing Program of Michigan, Nebraska Corn Board, Ohio Corn & Wheat, and the South Dakota Corn Utilization Council.

Judges were Neal Gutterson – CTO & Partner at Radicle Growth; Rob Dongoski – Partner & Global Lead, Agrifood, Kearney; Jim Lane – Editor & Publisher, The Daily Digest, and Eric Bowen – RYAM Board of Directors; Strategic Advisor, Terviva.

About the finalists

The Challenge sets out to invest a minimum of US $1.5M in start-up and growth companies worldwide whose innovative technologies and business models create new uses for corn and long-term sustainable demand for corn production. These companies are expected to be developing new uses for corn that result in replacements for fossil fuel-derived materials with plant-derived materials such as sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), drop-in chemicals and plastics, compostable materials, and as yet unidentified products and product categories that could be new areas for corn-derived products to be used.

The Challenge backstory

During the Challenge, Radicle conducted six months of due diligence, culminating in a 15-minute pitch to a panel of judges. Radicle Growth design\ed the Challenge to have the biggest, positive impact in discovering and fostering new uses for corn.

Reaction from the stakeholders

“Corn farmers are efficient and effective in growing corn. Thanks to sustainable farming practices and advanced technology, farmers are growing a surplus of corn that exceeds current demand, negatively impacting our profitability. This is why Iowa Corn along with National Corn Growers Association and fellow corn state organizations have come together to invest in the Radicle Corn Value Chain Challenge sponsored by US Corn Farmers,” stated Mark Mueller, Iowa Corn Growers Association Vice President and a farmer from Waverly, Iowa. “Through the Corn Challenge, innovative ideas for new demand opportunities for corn have been surfaced. I am anxious to learn more about the four finalists and their exciting technologies creating new corn demand which will unlock new revenue streams for corn farmers.”

“We are excited about the diverse opportunities we’ve identified for new demand for corn through the Challenge,” commented Kirk Haney, Managing Partner, Radicle Growth. “Our finalists represent well that diverse set of opportunities to support an emerging bioeconomy, where corn will be a major feedstock as it continues also to produce more sustainably with a reduced carbon intensity.”