![Tesla Supercharger site in Vacaville, California, before expansion [photo: George Parrott]](https://images.hgmsites.net/tmb/tesla-supercharger-site-in-vacaville-california-before-expansion-photo-george-parrott_100614960_t.gif)
Electric-car leadership isn't only about getting the vehicles on the roads. Charging infrastructure, tax incentives, and a passionate fan base for cars that plug in are all important to build a community of electric-vehicle drivers who will spread the word. With two decades of experience, California has a lot of knowledge—and some best... California leads US in electric-car use, planning: here’s what others can learn
Electric-car leadership isn't only about getting the vehicles on the roads. Charging infrastructure, tax incentives, and a passionate fan base for cars that plug in are all important to build a community of electric-vehicle drivers who will spread the word. With two decades of experience, California has a lot of knowledge—and some best... ![Chevrolet Bolt EV being charged outside Go Forth electric-car showroom, Portland [photo: Forth]](https://images.hgmsites.net/tmb/chevrolet-bolt-ev-being-charged-outside-go-forth-electric-car-showroom-portland-photo-forth_100606247_t.gif)
As with any innovation, coverage of plug-in electric cars by mainstream media has been, shall we say, variable. Seven years after the first Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt were delivered to their buyers in December 2010, misconceptions and misinformation abound. Technology is often not a strong suit for business reporters, of course, and plug-in... 
Buyers of electric vehicles in South Korea won't need to consider the pros and cons of charging standards in the near future. The South Korean Agency for Technology and Standards announced in mid-December it would revise the current charging standard in the country to recommend the use of "Combo 1"—also known as the Combined Charging System... 
Remember all those brownouts we experienced last week because everyone plugged in their electric cars? No? Oh right, that didn't happen. It still isn't happening. And it's unlikely to ever happen. That's the conclusion of a study by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), using infrastructure investment data from California's biggest... 
Europeans will soon have the opportunity to enjoy quiet, emission-free, long-distance motoring with far shorter charge times when driving electric cars along Germany's autobahns. The charging network Allego has rolled out its first 175-kilowatt ultra-fast charging stations—dubbed "Ultra E"—at its first location in Kleinosthei, along... 
A couple of weeks ago, we charged a 2018 Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid 15 times within two days. It was part of a contest during a two-day press drive for the car—though we were beaten by the team that charged their Niro a stunning 31 times in little more than 30 hours. But our experience reinforced what many electric car drivers either knew going... ![Renault Fluence ZE charging at Better Place pubic charge spots in Israel [photo: Brian of London]](https://images.hgmsites.net/tmb/renault-fluence-ze-charging-at-better-place-pubic-charge-spots-in-israel-photo-brian-of-london_100396833_t.gif)
It's no surprise the majority of electric-car owners today own their own homes. When you own your property, it's much easier to install a changing station in your garage, car port, or even on the wall of your home by the driveway. You only need to get permission from yourself, and possibly your significant other, on the cost of the job. READ MORE... 
The national EV charging network in China is growing by leaps and bounds, but that expansion has not been as standardized as in the U.S. or Europe. According to an article in October by Electrek, the confusion may get a little bit easier to navigate because Tesla will adopt a two-adapter system for Model S and Model X electric cars to be sold in... 
The $2 billion electric-vehicle infrastructure program funded by Volkswagen as part of its diesel-emission scandal settlement has picked an installer to roll out some of the first phase of its electric-car charging network. Electrify America said on Monday it would contract with the Greenlots charging network for up to 900 stations. They will be... 
The availability of charging stations for electric cars, or lack of it, is often cited as one of the primary reasons holding back widespread adoption. After all, if you're going to spend tens of thousands of dollars on a brand-new automobile, you want to be sure it'll get you where you want to go. Now, an influential figure in the electric-vehicle... 
With Porsche promising ultra-fast charging for its Mission E electric car, Honda isn’t going to let the German automaker keeps its 15 minutes of charging fame. Honda aims to develop cars that can grab enough juice from the grid for 240 kilometers (150 miles) of range in 15 minutes flat. Fifteen-minute charge times are key to bringing... 
It's only fitting that the country making a monumental push for more electric vehicles is getting the world's biggest Tesla Supercharger stations. Tesla's website shows more than 150 Supercharger locations are now operating in China. But its two new locations in Shanghai and Beijing are the largest Supercharger sites in the world: Each is big... 
When the first few thousand electric cars went on sale in California in the mid- to late 1990s, they used various different charging methods, each with its own dedicated charging stations. That proved an impediment to adoption, given the high cost of installing different infrastructure for different makes of car. For lower-rate charging, that... 
While battery-powered semi trucks remains years away for many prominent makers, the German tech company Siemens is experimenting with a well-known source of electric power delivery to make a different kind of electric semi. Much like electric trams or streetcars used by public transit agencies for more than 100 years, the method employs a catenary... 
Amazon, once a humble bookseller, now dips its toes into numerous technology realms. Its next potential act? Perhaps it will be drones that can charge electric cars on the fly. The online retailer and technology company filed an application to patent a drone specifically built for electric-car charging when a charging station isn't nearby. The... ![2015 Nissan Leaf at evGo fast charger at Livingston Mall, Livingston, NJ [photo: John Briggs]](https://images.hgmsites.net/tmb/2015-nissan-leaf-at-evgo-fast-charger-at-livingston-mall-livingston-nj-photo-john-briggs_100558580_t.gif)
One way for electric-car charging networks to make the public charging experience more user-friendly is through the use of smartphone apps to replace the RFID cards that identify members and let them initiate charge sessions. Not only do they provide electric-car drivers a host of capabilities, but they allow drivers to pay for charging sessions... 
A group of automakers in Europe announced on Friday they will launch "Ionity," a network of high-power fast-charging stations to build out the continent's infrastructure for electric-car travel. When it's finished in 2020, Ionity will include 400 charging stations across multiple countries, supporting all electric cars that adhere to the Combined... 
The United States Department of Energy has announced a new funding initiative to accelerate the development of what it calls "Extreme Fast Charging" (XFC) systems. In total, the DoE will award $15 million for the development of electric-car charging systems as well as batteries capable of very fast charging. Each area of interest has specific... 
Before production of the Tesla Model 3 began, company CEO Elon Musk promised Tesla would offer owners some sort of free Supercharger use. Specifically, Musk said, "free long-distance charging is [included]," which led many reservation holders to believe they would receive free Supercharger credits, just as owners outside of the Model S and Model X... 
Activating any given public charging station to recharge an electric car can pose something of a hassle. Yes, plugging it in is simple enough, but public charging infrastructure in the U.S. is run by multiple independent companies—meaning electric-car owners are essentially required to carry multiple access cards to use various stations...