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...