Ailit
Ailit is a YC Fall 2026 (F26) company. Based in San Francisco, CA, USA. Team of 6.
About Ailit
Summary
Ailit builds an electric energy system for North American freight rail. Its first product, Superwagon, is a battery wagon that travels behind existing diesel-electric locomotives and feeds their electric drive motors directly, replacing diesel combustion as the primary power source. When battery packs discharge, crews swap them for charged ones at exchange sites along the route, so the locomotive never needs modification and range is unconstrained.
Business model
Railroads pay per unit of energy consumed, with no upfront equipment purchase, at pricing set below current diesel costs.
Go-to-market
Ailit sells to freight railroad operators and owns the batteries and swap infrastructure itself, entering the market as an energy-as-a-service provider rather than an equipment vendor.
From the Y Combinator listing
Electrifying North American freight rail with swappable batteries.
Ailit is building the electric energy system for North American freight rail. Our first product, Superwagon, is a battery wagon designed to power existing diesel-electric locomotives, allowing railroads to electrify the fleets they already own. Superwagon carries swappable battery packs that supply electricity to the locomotive’s existing electric motors. Discharged packs are exchanged for charged ones along the route and recharged off-board, providing operators with limitless range. We deliver energy as a service, owning and operating the batteries and swapping sites. Railroads pay for energy with no upfront equipment purchase, with pricing set at 20% below today’s diesel cost. Founded in Stockholm by Christian Lind and Emil Tagesson, our team is now based in San Francisco. We’re building our first full-scale prototype and targeting first deployment in summer 2027.
Facts
- Industrials / Industrials -> Energy
- San Francisco, CA, USA
- 6
- Active
- Early
Founders (2)
- Christian Lind
- Emil Tagesson
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