Fifty startup companies are at the North American International Auto Show hoping to get more exposure.
One company is showcasing a new way to reuse electric car batteries.
Shiv Rajendran of Totus Power said, "We actually take somebody else's waste and use it to provide electricity to people in developing countries."
That's the mission behind Totus Power.
Shiv, an electrical engineer, has found a way to make electric cars even more green. He takes used electric batteries that would've been throw out and gives them another purpose.
"They are not actually dead, they just don't have the power to run a car, but they are almost as good as new for running tablets, cell phones, laptops, essentially replacing the lead-acid batteries that the majority of the people in developing countries use," he explained.
The battery is predominantly charged using a solar panel, but it does come with a wall plug-in too.
"Essentially instead of having a room full of toxic batteries, they can have something that fits inside a bag."
It is meant to last two to three years.
The brain of the battery is an orange detachable part and could be used on a replacement battery, which would sell for a lower cost.
Right now, Shiv is working with non-profits in developing countries to try out his models. He is also in talks with one automaker to get their old batteries, but he needs more support.
"To provide batteries that they are wasting, they are throwing away, they are paying money to throw away. There is a lot of people in the world who could use those batteries. We are hoping we can get some traction with these car companies here."
Shiv hopes to commercialize his product by 2025,+ but he plans to continue his nonprofit work.
