Natalie King Becomes the First Black Woman to Own an Electric Vehicle Charging Company — And She’s Just Getting Started

Her dream is now reality — and it’s powering the future of clean energy.

Natalie King has officially made history as the first Black woman to own and operate an electric vehicle (EV) charger manufacturing company in the United States, according to Forbes. The Detroit-based entrepreneur, attorney, and energy executive is the visionary founder and CEO behind Dunamis Charge, a subsidiary of her clean-energy empire, Dunamis Clean Energy Partners.

King’s journey from the courtroom to the clean-tech industry wasn’t straightforward — but it was driven by resilience, purpose, and a belief that sustainability should include everyone.

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From Law to Light: A Leap of Faith

Before breaking into clean energy, King practiced law and built a strong reputation in corporate and environmental compliance. But in 2007, she felt a calling to pursue something bigger — a purpose that combined her legal expertise with her passion for sustainable energy. Working alongside her then-husband, she co-founded a solar energy firm, but the partnership ended after their marriage dissolved.

“When the marriage dissolved, we dissolved the company,” King told reporters. “I was devastated, but not defeated” (source: Forbes).

Determined to continue, she launched Dunamis Clean Energy Partners in 2012, focusing on energy auditing, utility partnerships, and incentive procurement for commercial clients. Through those audits, she noticed a growing trend — businesses rapidly shifting to LED technology. Sensing opportunity, she began importing LEDs directly from manufacturers overseas, eventually securing a large deal with several Michigan healthcare facilities.

However, when her supplier failed to deliver, the setback hit hard. “I was crushed,” King recalled. Yet, as she often says, “every failure has a hidden blueprint.” A mentor encouraged her to manufacture LEDs domestically — advice that sparked her next big move.

By 2015, King had founded Dunamis Lighting, one of the first Black woman-owned LED manufacturing companies in the Midwest (source: Detroit Free Press).

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A Dream, a Nap, and a New Direction

Years later, a moment of clarity — and faith — changed everything.

“I woke up from an after-church nap, and there was a clear message: The next thing you need to do is electric vehicle recharging manufacturing,” King said in an interview (source: ESSENCE).

She followed her intuition, and Dunamis Charge was born in 2018. King quickly assembled a team of engineers to begin research and development, and by 2019, they were designing the first prototypes. Today, the chargers are in the final stages of certification and federal testing, marking a new milestone for minority-owned innovation in clean energy (source: Bloomberg).

Dunamis Charge now offers three models:

1. DC Fast Charger – recharges vehicles in under 30 minutes and includes a smart advertising screen.

2. Residential Charger – a sleek wall-mounted device that fully charges a car in four to six hours.

3. Commercial Charger – designed for parking garages, retail centers, and municipal spaces.

Each unit is American-made, a detail King emphasizes proudly as part of her commitment to sustainable U.S. manufacturing.

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Building a Greener Detroit

King’s next big step is bringing production home. She plans to open a 50,000-square-foot factory in Detroit this November, beginning with about 30 local assembly workers and technicians, with projections to double the workforce within a year and quadruple it by 2025 (source: CNN Business).

Her goal is not only to advance green infrastructure but also to empower underrepresented communities.

“It means a great deal to me to be the first Black woman-owned EV charger manufacturer in the country,” King said. “But what matters even more is ensuring communities of color are not left out of the opportunities and benefits this industry brings” (source: Forbes).

King has already secured interest from major players like General Motors, with ongoing discussions to make Dunamis Charge a preferred vendor for EV dealerships once certifications are complete. She’s also collaborating with the Michigan Department of Transportation and Environmental Great Lakes Energy on federally funded EV infrastructure rollouts.

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Empowerment, Equity, and Environmental Justice

For King, success is not measured in profit margins but in impact. Her decision to base her first factory in Detroit — a city deeply impacted by both economic decline and environmental injustice — is deliberate.

“That’s why I made it a point to locate the assembly plant here,” she explained. “I want people who are underrepresented and unemployed to learn this technology, feed their families through this technology, and truly advance because of it.”

Her story underscores a growing shift in clean energy — one where innovation meets inclusion. As The Washington Post noted in a recent feature, Black entrepreneurs still represent less than 2% of all clean-energy business owners, making King’s achievement both historic and necessary (source: The Washington Post).

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Powering the Future

As EV adoption surges nationwide, King’s timing couldn’t be better. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that over 2.8 million public and private chargers will be needed by 2030 to support the growing fleet of electric vehicles. Dunamis Charge is positioning itself not just as a manufacturer, but as a movement — one rooted in access, empowerment, and sustainability.

For King, the mission goes beyond business: it’s about rewriting who gets to lead the clean energy revolution.

“I want to create opportunities,” she said. “I want young people — especially young Black girls — to see someone who looks like them leading in this space and know they can do it too.”