From Frustration to Innovation: How Two College Friends Started an EV Charging Startup

When Ukrainian software engineer Andrii Boiko bought his first electric vehicle in Kyiv a decade ago, he didn’t expect the hardest part of ownership to be charging it at home. “There were charging stations around the city, but none of them worked the way they should,” he recalls. “The apps were unreliable, payments failed, and managing usage data was nearly impossible.”

That early frustration sparked something more than just personal inconvenience — it became the seed of a startup that now aims to transform the way Americans charge their EVs at home.

Today, Boiko is the co-founder of AEV Charging, a California-based company offering a smart, all-in-one solution for residential EV charging — from hardware selection and installation to incentive optimization and diagnostics. Alongside his longtime friend and business partner Eugene Arutyunyan, Boiko is tackling one of the most overlooked challenges in the EV revolution: making home charging simple, accessible, and cost-effective.

A Problem Hidden in Plain Sight

As EV sales surge globally, many new owners are surprised to discover that their vehicles don’t come equipped with a Level 2 home charger — the faster and more practical option for overnight charging. Instead, they’re left to navigate a complex landscape of more than 300 charger models, figure out installation logistics, and decipher local incentives and rebates.

“For people switching to EVs, the public charging conversation gets all the attention,” says Boiko. “But home is where most charging actually happens — and yet it’s the part that’s been neglected the most.”

A Technical Journey Rooted in Real Experience

Boiko’s entry into the EV industry began in 2014 with the creation of EV Admin, a software tool originally designed to monitor Kyiv’s growing network of public chargers. What started as a simple dashboard evolved into a powerful machine-learning platform that could predict technical failures, optimize energy use, and help station operators manage growing demand.

As EV Admin gained traction, Boiko saw an opportunity to expand its scope. By 2020, his team had successfully launched the platform in Georgia and Armenia, where it became a backbone for managing high-load charging infrastructure. Real-time monitoring, automated maintenance alerts, and usage analytics became standard features — all of which would later inform the next chapter of the company.

A New Chapter in California

Boiko and Arutyunyan, both passionate about sustainable tech since their university days, decided to bring their experience to the U.S., focusing on a part of the EV experience they knew could be better: home charging.

“We saw homeowners struggling with installations, missing out on rebates, and buying the wrong equipment,” says Arutyunyan. “We knew we could fix that.”

Together, they rebranded and expanded the original platform into AEV Charging, a full-service solution designed for the American market — starting with California. The platform provides personalized charger recommendations, handles end-to-end installation, and uses AI-powered tools to monitor charging health and performance. It even automatically checks and applies relevant incentives, helping users save money without lifting a finger.

Building a Smarter, Simpler Future

What sets AEV Charging apart is its holistic approach. While many companies focus on public charging stations or hardware sales, Boiko and Arutyunyan are building an experience — one that removes friction for everyday users while embedding powerful technology in the background.

Boiko’s background in scalable infrastructure and Arutyunyan’s product expertise have made the pair a formidable team. As they expand their footprint in the U.S., their mission remains clear: make EV charging at home as easy as plugging in your phone.

“We started with frustration,” Boiko says. “Now, we’re turning it into innovation — and helping others avoid the same headaches we faced years ago.”

With demand for EVs continuing to rise, AEV Charging is poised to become a key player in America’s clean energy transition — one smart home at a time.

Company Website: https://aevcharging.com