Study: Workplace EV charging could cut need for more power plants

Tesla chargingThorough planning of EV charging station placement, specifically with a greater emphasis on workplace charging, could cut the need for more power plants, according to a new MIT study. Published in the journal Cell Reports Physical Science, the study uses data from New York City and Dallas to counter the narrative that an influx of electric cars...

7-Eleven wants its EV charging network to be among the largest

7-Eleven 7Charge EV fast-charging stationConvenience store chain 7-Eleven has ambitious plans for EV charging. The company on Thursday announced 7Charge, an EV charging network that it aims to make one of the largest in North America. The plan includes DC fast-charging stations at 7-Eleven locations in the U.S. and, eventually, Canada, with access via a proprietary app. While light on...

Biden administration opens $2.5B community EV charging program

Electric Avenue rededication, Portland, July 2015The Biden administration on Tuesday opened applications for the first round of $2.5 billion in funding for EV charging infrastructure under a community grant program. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law enacted in November 2021 includes $7.5 billion to help fund a national EV charging network, with the goal of building 500,000 EV charging stations...

Biden administration opens $2.5B community EV charging program

Electric Avenue rededication, Portland, July 2015The Biden administration on Tuesday opened applications for the first round of $2.5 billion in funding for EV charging infrastructure under a community grant program. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law enacted in November 2021 includes $7.5 billion to help fund a national EV charging network, with the goal of building 500,000 EV charging stations...

Utility proposes huge EV charging network funded by ratepayers

Porsche Taycan chargingMinnesota electrical utility Xcel Energy aims to build a large EV charging network financed by rate hikes, potentially including for customers who don't own an EV. As reported by KSTP.com, Xcel Energy in August sent a proposal to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to build, own, and operate its own network of 730 charging sites by 2026. The...

Is Tesla preparing to offer wireless EV charging?

Model S wireless charging padFrom phones to computing to power tools, cutting the cord has been a mark of progress—and much in the same way, wireless charging for EVs could be a game-changer. With Tesla finally teasing a wireless inductive charging pad within the various forward-looking statements of its Investor Day presentation on Wednesday, consider it game on. Tesla...

Tesla opens some US Superchargers to other EVs, offers CCS retrofit

Tesla CCS Combo 1 AdapterTesla is now letting EVs from other brands charge at some U.S. Supercharger sites, while offering a Combined Charging Standard (CCS) retrofit for its own vehicles. "Select" Superchargers are now open to other EVs, according to a video posted to Twitter. Drivers can find these sites using the Tesla app, which is also needed to start a charging...

Rivian considers cool air fanned under truck for faster charging

2023 Rivian R1SA recent patent filing indicates Rivian is looking to alternative cooling methods as a way to speed up EV fast charging. A patent application published Feb. 14 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) notes that thermal management during charging can take up quite a lot of power. As a solution, it proposes shifting some of the load...

Ford dual-charge-port solution could connect multiple EVs in series

Ford series EV charging patent imageFord has filed a patent application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for a dual-charge-port solution that would allow multiple EVs to charge in series from the same charging station. First spotted by CarBuzz, the system described in the patent application makes use of bidirectional charging capability. But instead of...

Federal charging standards due: Will Tesla open Supercharger network?

Tesla Supercharger station V3, Las VegasTesla will have to open its Supercharger network to EVs from other brands in order to qualify for federal funding, Reuters reported Friday. The Department of Transportation this week is expected to detail standards for EV charging infrastructure to qualify for $7.5 billion set aside in the Biden administration's infrastructure law, which aims to...

Electrify America slaps frequent EV chargers with 15% price hike

2022 Hyundai IONIQ 5 at Electrify America DC fast-charging stationElectrify America plans to raise EV charging prices in March, with frequent users seeing the biggest price hike. Members of the company's Pass+ frequent charging program will see rates increase to $0.36 per kwh, while non-members will pay $0.48 per kwh. Both rates increase by $0.05 kwh, but Pass+ members also pay a $4.00 a month fee (which remains...

Kansas lawmakers want to tax public EV charging

Porsche Taycan chargingA Kansas House bill calls for a tax on public EV charging—but not home charging. The proposed tax of 3 cents per kilowatt would go to a Kansas highway repair fund reliant on revenue, according to the Kansas Reflector, but it could force EV drivers to pay more than other drivers. Any tax on public charging would effectively be "double...

Study: 1,104 new EV fast-charging stations will meet 50-mile interval

Electrify America chargersMeeting federal goals for a national charging network will require 1,104 EV fast-charging stations along major corridors, according to a new Great Plains Institute study. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law set aside $7.5 billion to build a national EV charging network of 500,000 charging sites, with $5 billion of that amount to be distributed to...

TA TravelCenters hosts road-trip EV charging stops, 50 miles apart

Electrify America to install EV fast chargers at TravelCenters of America locationsElectrify America on Monday announced plans to install EV fast-charging stations at TravelCenters of America (TA) locations beginning later this year. An agreement between the two companies calls for approximately 1,000 individual chargers at 200 sites along major highways to be installed over five years, according to an Electrify America press...

Report: GM mulling cylindrical cells for future EVs

2024 Chevrolet Blazer EVIn a potentially significant shift for the Detroit automaker, General Motors is considering cylindrical battery cells for future EVs, according to TheElec, a battery-focused South Korean trade publication. GM has favored pouch cells supplied by South Korean supplier LG Energy Solution, but could switch to the 4680-format cylindrical cells used by...

Ford patents magnetic charging connector: MagSafe for EVs?

Ford magnetic EV charger patent imageFord has filed a patent application for a new type of EV charging connector based on a magnetic coupling. In the application, which was filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) November 1, 2022, Ford describes using magnetic attraction to secure a charging connector with a charge port embedded in a vehicle's bumper. It...

Hertz will funnel thousands of EVs to major US cities—charging, too

Tesla at HertzHertz is beginning the rollout of what the company claims is North America's largest EV rental fleet in Denver, and showing how it plans to continue that rollout nationwide. The company on Thursday announced Hertz Electrifies, a public-private partnership model aimed at bringing EVs to rental customers and rideshare drivers in major cities, along...

Shell buys Volta network and its free EV charging

Volta chargingVolta, a charging company distinguished by its partly free, partly ad-supported EV charging, announced Wednesday that it will be acquired by oil giant Shell. The two companies have signed a "definitive merger agreement" under which Shell will buy Volta in an all-cash transaction that values the charging company at $169 million, according to a...

Study: Pace of US EV adoption requires 8X charger growth by 2030

Mercedes-Benz EV charging networkKeeping up with anticipated U.S. EV sales growth will require a lot more chargers, according to a new S&P Global Mobility study. Even accounting for home charging, which is how most EV drivers currently charge most of the time, the U.S. public charging network will need to quadruple in size between 2022 and 2025, and grow more than eight-fold...

Virtual power plants of GM, Ford EVs could cut “peaker” pollution

2023 Ford F-150 LightningGeneral Motors and Ford have joined a pilot project to use EVs as an alternative energy source for the electricity grid, helping to cut pollution from fossil fuels. Organized by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), the project will network EVs, along with smart thermostats, appliances, and home solar installations and energy-storage arrays, to...