US Choice Hotels will soon add thousands of Tesla chargers

Tesla chargingThe Choice Hotels chain plans to add Tesla EV chargers at locations across the U.S. The company, which runs Radisson, Cambria, Comfort, Country Inn & Suites, and Quality Inn hotels, said in a press release Tuesday that it had reached an agreement with Tesla to add four or more of the automaker's Universal Wall Connector Level 2 chargers at...

Waffle House hosts federal EV fast-chargers, bucks gas-station trend

Rendering of EnviroSpark EV chargers at at Waffle HouseThe first new EV charging site in Tennessee funded through the Biden administration's National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program bucks the trend of co-locating chargers with gas pumps. Installed by Atlanta-based charging infrastructure firm EnviroSpark, the new chargers are being hosted by a Waffle House restaurant in Lakeland...

Daimler, Navistar, Volvo ally for heavy-duty truck charging

Volvo VNR Electric semi truckThree of the largest commercial truck manufacturers have joined forces on charging infrastructure. Daimler Trucks North America, Navistar, and Volvo Group North America on Wednesday announced Powering America's Commercial Transportation (PACT), described in a joint press release as a "coalition focused on education and advocacy for accelerating...

Is Electrify America’s plan weak on charger reliability fixes?

2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E, at Electrify America DC fast-chargerThe California Air Resources Board (CARB) is set to approve Electrify America's proposed plan for its next cycle of charging-network investments. But some in California don't believe the plan does enough to address charger reliability, the Sacramento Bee reports. Electrify America was created as part of the Volkswagen diesel settlement, with VW...

Phone switchboxes could power EV charging, claims UK telecom firm

BT Group pilots EV chargers powered by street cabinetsThe U.K. telecom firm BT Group this week announced a pilot program to add EV charging to street cabinets typically used to house broadband and phone cables. The first such refit has already been completed in Scotland, with more planned in the coming months, according to a BT Group press release (via IEEE Spectrum). The company aims for as many as...

Rural EV charging incentivized in much of the US with Biden guidance

Porsche Taycan chargingThe Biden administration will use a broad legal interpretation to provide tax credits to EV charging projects in a large swath of the country. The Treasury Department on Friday released additional guidance providing more specific information on what projects will qualify for the revived 30C tax credit. Re-enacted under the Inflation Reduction Act...

Bosch and VW unit are automating EV parking and charging together

Volkswagen Cariad and Bosch automated parking and EV chargingAutomotive supplier Bosch and Volkswagen Group subsidiary Cariad are demonstrating tech that allows EVs to park and charge themselves. Announced at CES 2024, Bosch is combining a previously-shown automated parking system with a charging robot that automatically plugs into the vehicle once it's positioned in a parking space. Once it's finished...

Nio ET9 flagship EV debuts super-fast charging and battery swapping

Nio CEO William Li introduces the Nio ET9Chinese automaker Nio recently unveiled its new flagship EV—a large sedan called the ET9. Measuring 209.6 inches long (with a 127.9-inch wheelbase), 79.3 inches long, and 63.7 inches tall, the ET9 is just over a foot longer than a Lucid Air. It's taller as well, but the Lucid is wider. And both cars emphasize fast charging. Nio opts for 925...

Audi and Porsche have a safer mobile charging cable for EV, PHEV models

2024 Audi e-tron GTAudi and Porsche are conducting a recall of 240-volt Level 2 AC charging cables for EVs and plug-in hybrids. The recall covers 93,196 Audi vehicles in the U.S. from model years 2019 to 2024, including the E-Tron and E-Tron Sportback, Q4 E-Tron and Q4 E-Tron Sportback, and E-Tron GT EVs, as well as the Q5 plug-in hybrid. Porsche is recalling 41,345...

DOE: Those with free EV fast-charging plug in for nearly twice as long

2023 Nissan Ariya at EVgo charging stationIt seems EV drivers who get free fast charging are taking full advantage of it. Those that fast charge for free stay plugged in nearly twice as long as those that pay, according to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Analysis of data from 2.4 million charging sessions over a three-year period, from Jun. 30, 2020, to Jun. 30, 2023, showed that the...