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Yoshi Mobility
TypePrivate
Founded2015[1]
Founders
Headquarters
Nashville, Tennessee
,
ServicesVehicle Inspections
Number of employees
67 (2026)[4]
Websiteyoshimobility.com

Yoshi Mobility is a live-video inspection platform for transportation networks based in Nashville, Tennessee.[1][5][6]

The company previously provided mobile fuel delivery, EV charging, and mobile vehicle maintenance and cleaning services to private cars and fleet vehicles,[7][6] including tire inspections, wiper blade replacements, oil changes, car washes, and replacing brake pads.[8]

History

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Yoshi Mobility was founded in 2015[1] in San Francisco, California[9] as a direct-to-consumer mobile fueling service[1][10][11] The company was started by four Harvard[10] students: Bryan Frist (the son of former Tennessee U.S. Senator Bill Frist),[12] Nick Alexander, and David Gobaud, as well as Stanford engineer Dan Hunter.[2] The goal was that customers would "never go to the gas station again."[1]

The company started fueling cars in Palo Alto, California.[10] They focused initially on office parking lots.[13] Yoshi opened a second market in Nashville, Tennessee in 2015,[10][14], expanded to Atlanta, Georgia in 2016,[9][13] and Austin, Texas by 2017.[15] In 2021, Yoshi moved its headquarters to Nashville.[11]

In June 2023, the company noted in a press release that it had completed more than one million services and was active in 15 states.[16] In March 2024, Yoshi also acquired Mobile Auto Concepts Inc. (MACi’s) as its first acquisition, including its tire services and eco-friendly car washes.[7][17][18]

In November 2024, Yoshi pivoted its focus to vehicle inspections with customers such as Uber and Turo, as well as mobile EV charging and preventative maintenance.[19] The company emphasized its commitment to an electric vehicle future by signing a letter of intent to sell its fuel division to Miami-based[20] competitor EzFill[21][22] for $2 million[23] in December 2024.[24][25] They moved exclusively to virtual vehicle inspections in 2025.[26][27] In 2026, Yoshi offered virtual inspections in all 50 U.S. states.[28]

Services

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Fuel Delivery Services (2016 - 2024)

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Yoshi Mobility began as a direct-to-consumer mobile fueling service for gasoline where hazmat-certified technicians[29] fueled individual customer vehicles as well as fleet vehicles in parking lots so drivers did not have to go to the gas station.[1][3] The company partnered with ExxonMobil as its fuel provider.[10]

Hunter designed Yoshi's DOT-certified gasoline tank carried on the back of a Ford Ranger.[2] The trucks used a grounding cable to prevent sparks from static electricity buildup.[30] For compatible vehicles, the service also offered to install a magnetic fuel vault on car fuel doors so that participating customers would not have to remember to leave their gas caps open.[29][30][31]

Yoshi also helped with fuel crises, such as a September 2016 gas shortage in Nashville, Tennessee, where Yoshi provided gas to employees and volunteers caring for 430 hospice patients in 12 counties.[15] Yoshi charged the nonprofit Alive Hospice for the gas, but waived all the fees.[15] Yoshi also worked with HR departments to pump gas for employee working late shifts so they would not have to stop for gas on the way home.[15] In June 2020, General Motors offered Yoshi's services to thousands of its employees in Michigan without the fees.[32]

In 2018, Business Insider and the Washington Post described Yoshi mobility as part of the growing "Uber for gas" movement, along with competitors like Booster Fuels and Filld.[8][31]

Yoshi's app-based service[30] charged around $7 for a single fill up[33] and a $15 per month membership fee for fuel delivery to parked vehicles in 2016[2]. An artificial intelligence bot named "Rachel" helped customers schedule services.[8] Members paid 20 to 25 cents less per gallon than average local prices.[2] Non-members could also request fuel delivery services, but paid 30 cents above the market average.[2] By 2018 the fee was raised to $20 per month[10][31][34] The company told Business Insider their service saved people 33 hours and $240 per year.[31]

Yoshi sold its fuel division to EzFill in December 2024.[35] EzFill purchased 26 trucks from Yoshi and expanded its business into four more U.S. states in December 2024.[25][36]

Tire Services (2016 – 2025)

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In May 2016, Yoshi partnered with Bridgestone Americas Firestone Mobile Tire Installation,[10][37] referring customers whose tires needed replacing due to worn tread and waiving the $80 service fee.[8][37] Bridgestone Americas also made a minority investment in Yoshi in 2022 without disclosing the amount.[38][39][40] Yoshi no longer included mobile maintenance services as one of its solutions on its website in June 2025.[26]

Electric Vehicle Charging (2023 – 2025)

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Yoshi Mobility introduced its electric vehicle charging service in mid-2023.[41] The company's offerings included a mobile generator service of level 3 DC chargers[41] that sat in fleet parking lots and put out up to a megawatt of electricity to charge electric fleet vehicles.[1][41] These chargers could reach multiple vehicles from one location, preventing the challenge of having to park each vehicle at a charging station.[41] Hunter told The EV Report that Yoshi customers were large EV operators owning hundreds of light-duty electric vehicles.[41]

In May 2024, Yoshi announced that it was adding mobile electric superchargers to its services,[1] launching its first 240 kW mobile DC fast chargers[42] on GM BrightDrop Zevo 600 vans.[1] The company stated in Forbes that their superchargers could complete what would normally be a three-and-a-half-hour vehicle charge in only 10 minutes.[1] The mobile superchargers could charge five to seven EVs in one session[1] before recharging themselves in less than one hour.[41] According to Frist, two Yoshi superchargers dispatched to a fleet lot could alternate: one charging vehicles while the other was recharging itself from the grid.[1] Frist told Electek in November 2024 that the company planned to focus on enterprise customers and fleets going forward, providing the infrastructure to charge electric vehicles in places where it had not yet been installed.[42] Yoshi no longer listed EV charging as one of its solutions on its website in December 2025.[27]

Video Inspections (2023 – Present)

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In June 2023, Yoshi Mobility announced a partnership with car-sharing marketplace Turo to provide virtual vehicle inspections to ensure safety and quality.[16] In April 2024, the company also announced a partnership with Flex on-demand movers to assess and onboard tow truck drivers and their trucks,[43] A company press release said this reduced the Flex onboarding process from two weeks to a few days.[43] Yoshi told TireReview in May 2024 that their video inspection services were "growing at an exponential rate" and that their partnerships now included Uber.[7] They said their target customers for video inspections were gig economy drivers who would otherwise have to travel to a service center to get their vehicles inspected, as well as small business owners.[7][44]

Funding

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Yoshi Mobility founders Frist, Alexander, and Hunter were accepted into startup accelerator and venture capital firm Y Combinator's summer 2016 cohort.[10][44][45] In 2018, Yoshi raised $15 million Series A[32] from backers including ExxonMobil and General Motors, among others.[8][34]

The Washington Post reported that this was ExxonMobil's first startup investment.[8] ExxonMobil told VentureBeat that they expected that Yoshi's services would bring in new customers for their fuels and lubricants.[33] The oil and gas company also gained a seat on Yoshi's board of directors.[46][47] In addition to their investment, General Motors also began including Yoshi's services as part of its OnStar package in select cities.[8][33] Additional Series A backers include NFL football player Joe Montana and NBA basketball player Kevin Durant.[8][18]

In 2020, a $23 million investment from General Motors Ventures[32][48] coincided with the company moving its headquarters to Nashville, Tennessee in 2021[39] with the intention of creating 100 new jobs there.[5][11] Bridgestone also made a minority investment in Yoshi in 2022 to expand its own vehicle concierge services.[40] In 2024, Yoshi closed a $26 million Series C[7], from backers General Motors Ventures and Bridgestone Americas among others, bringing its total funding to more than $60 million.[42][49]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Garsten, Ed (May 20, 2024). "Yoshi Mobility Brings Mobile EV Charging To Fleets". Forbes. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "On-Demand Fueling in Tennessee". CSP Daily News. January 22, 2016. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  3. ^ a b "Mobile service startups transform car service, capturing dealership attention". Car Biz Today. 26 March 2024. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  4. ^ "Yoshi - Company Profile". Tracxn. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  5. ^ a b Stinnett, Joel (December 18, 2020). "Yoshi to move headquarters from Silicon Valley to Nashville". Nashville Business Journal. Retrieved 19 June 2026.
  6. ^ a b "Driving the future of mobility". YoshiMobility.com. Yoshi Inc. Retrieved 19 June 2026.
  7. ^ a b c d e Hinton, Christian (May 1, 2024). "Bridgestone invests in Yoshi Mobility to expand into virtual inspection, EV charging". TireReview. Retrieved 18 June 2026.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h Holley, Peter (August 10, 2018). "The latest way busy people are saving time: Hiring someone else to fill up their car with gas". The Washington Post. Retrieved 18 June 2026.
  9. ^ a b Oller, Samantha (April 10, 2018). "On-Demand Fueling Service Expands in Atlanta". CSP. Retrieved 19 June 2026.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h Chowdhry, Amit (March 30, 2018). "Yoshi: The Story Behind The Startup That Brings Car Maintenance To You". Forbes. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  11. ^ a b c "Gas delivery company Yoshi opens headquarters in Nashville". Williamson Herald. June 23, 2021. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
  12. ^ Stinnett, Joel (February 7, 2018). "Startup with Frist family connection lands investments from Kevin Durant, GM and Exxon". Nashville Business Journal. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
  13. ^ a b Newcomer, Eric. "Gas delivery startups want to fill up your car anywhere. Is that allowed?". Bloomberg. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  14. ^ McGee, Jaime (13 November 2015). "Yoshi gas delivery launches in Nashville". The Tennessean. Retrieved June 17, 2026.
  15. ^ a b c d Belanger, Lydia (May 10, 2017). "Keep Moving: How This Gas-Delivery Startup Fuels Communities". Entrepreneur. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
  16. ^ a b "Turo taps Yoshi for nationwide virtual vehicle inspections" (Press release). Nashville, Tennessee: PRNewswire. Turo Inc. June 1, 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2026.
  17. ^ "Yoshi Mobility boosts West Coast presence with acquisition of MACi". Auto Remarketing. March 19, 2024. Retrieved 18 June 2026.
  18. ^ a b Chowdhry, Amit. "Yoshi Mobility Buying Mobile Auto Concepts To Accelerate Service Expansion". Pulse 2.0. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  19. ^ Spira, Jonathan (November 7, 2024). "Yoshi Mobility spins off fossil fuel refueling unit to focus on e-mobility". Charged EV Fleet & Infrastructure News. Retrieved 19 June 2026.
  20. ^ Ross, Nikki (November 4, 2024). "Frist's Yoshi Mobility sells fuel division". Nashville Business Journal. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  21. ^ "Yoshi Mobility Goes Green, Spins Off Fueling Division". Design and Development Today. November 5, 2024. Retrieved 19 June 2026.
  22. ^ "Yoshi Mobility Divests Fuel Division for EV Focus". The EV Report. November 5, 2024. Retrieved 19 June 2026.
  23. ^ "EzFill Holdings, Inc. FORM S-1/A". SEC.gov. United States Securities and Exchange Commission. December 20, 2024.
  24. ^ Portero, Ashley (December 9, 2024). "Yoshi Mobility to sell fuel business for $2 million". Nashville Business Journal. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  25. ^ a b "EzFill buys Yoshi Mobility's fuel division". Bulk Transporter. December 11, 2024. Retrieved 19 June 2026.
  26. ^ a b "Driving Inspection Innovation". YoshiMobility.com. Archived from the original on 2025-06-19. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  27. ^ a b "We keep your vehicles moving". YoshiMobility.com. Archived from the original on 2025-12-01. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  28. ^ "Hassle-free, virtual vehicle inspections for commercial vehicles". YoshiMobility.com. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  29. ^ a b Domanska, Anna (August 16, 2018). "Startup Yoshi will fill your car with gas anywhere it's parked". Industry Leaders. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  30. ^ a b c Jenkins, Gavin (May 20, 2016). "On-Demand Fuel Services Could Make Gas Stations Go Extinct". Vice. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  31. ^ a b c d Kotecki, Peter (August 15, 2018). "An ExxonMobil-backed startup that delivers gas to people's cars is growing across the US". Business Insider. Retrieved 18 June 2026.
  32. ^ a b c Wayland, Michael (December 17, 2020). "GM leads $23 million investment in on-demand vehicle maintenance service Yoshi". CNBC. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
  33. ^ a b c Sawers, Paul (February 7, 2018). "GM and ExxonMobil lead $13.7 million investment in on-demand car care startup Yoshi". VentureBeat. Retrieved 19 June 2026.
  34. ^ a b Gauthier, Michael (February 7, 2018). "GM And ExxonMobil Invest $13.7M In On-Demand Fuel Delivery Service". CarScoops. Retrieved 19 June 2026.
  35. ^ "Yoshi Mobility joins CALSTART to accelerate the advancement of EV charging technologies" (Press release). Nashville, Tennessee. Yoshi Mobility. January 13, 2025. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  36. ^ Ramson, Jeff (December 10, 2024). "EzFill Closes on the Purchase of Yoshi Mobility's Fuel Division" (Press release). Miami, Florida: Globe Newswire. PCG Advisory. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  37. ^ a b McGee, Jaime (May 10, 2016). "Yoshi gas delivery company partners with Firestone". USA Today. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  38. ^ Tess, Lovrak (17 May 2022). "Bridgestone makes strategic investment in Yoshi Mobile Services". Fleet Equipment. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  39. ^ a b Stephen, Elliott (February 25, 2022). "Nashville auto startup lands investment from Bridgestone". NashvillePost. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
  40. ^ a b "Bridgestone Makes Strategic Investment in Yoshi Mobile Services Company" (Press release). Nashville, Tennessee: Bridgestone Americas. February 24, 2022. Retrieved 19 June 2026.
  41. ^ a b c d e f "Yoshi Mobility's Journey: From Fuel Delivery to Mobile EV Charging". The EV Report. June 27, 2024. Retrieved 19 June 2026.
  42. ^ a b c Lewis, Michelle (November 4, 2024). "This 'supercharger on wheels' brings fast charging to you [update]". electek. Retrieved 19 June 2026.
  43. ^ a b "Yoshi Mobility teams up with Flex for digital inspections" (Press release). Nashville, Tennessee: PRNewswire. Yoshi Mobility. May 27, 2026. Retrieved June 18, 2026.
  44. ^ a b "Familiar names backing Yoshi Mobility in $26 million Series C funding". Auto Remarketing. April 10, 2024. Retrieved 19 June 2026.
  45. ^ "Yoshi Mobility". Y Combinator. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
  46. ^ "Exxonmobil Invests In On-Demand Vehicle Care Startup Yoshi Inc". Reuters. February 7, 2018. Retrieved 19 June 2026.
  47. ^ "ExxonMobil Invests in On-Demand Vehicle Care Startup". Fleet News Daily. February 7, 2018. Retrieved 19 June 2026.
  48. ^ Hall, Kalea (December 17, 2020). "GM invests again in Silicon Valley auto services start-up". The Detroit News. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  49. ^ Chowdhry, Amit (April 22, 2024). "Yoshi Mobility To Expand 3 New Business Lines With Series C Round". Pulse 2.0. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
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