US EV fast-charger growth is accelerating, filling in the flyovers

2023 Cadillac Lyriq at EVgo DC fast-charging station.The U.S. now has nearly 8,200 public DC fast-charging stations, filling in gaps on the route map, according to a new Bloomberg report. The number of public fast-chargers increased 7.6% in the first quarter of 2024, fueled by the Biden administration's $5 billion National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program, according to the report...

Study: EV efficiency gains could cut grid demand, save billions

Tesla charging on EVgo networkEVs could end up using a lot of electricity, but efficiency improvements to support them could significantly reduce the need for new grid infrastructure, cut energy usage, and potentially save consumers billions of dollars, according to a new study from research firm EPRI and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). By 2050, charging of...

Voltpost rolls out curbside US EV chargers: Here’s how they look

Voltpost streetside EV chargerCharging company Voltpost is preparing to roll out its lamppost EV chargers in major U.S. metro areas like New York, Chicago, and Detroit. The company on Thursday announced that it had "imminent plans" to deploy its chargers in these areas this spring. The Level 2 chargers are added to existing lampposts, with charging sessions and payment managed...

Why nighttime EV charging is incentivized while daytime is cleaner

Mercedes-Benz EV Charging Hub in Sandy Springs, GeorgiaWhen it comes to overall carbon emissions, EVs are cleaner than internal-combustion cars, but how much cleaner can depend on when they're charged, according to a recent Bloomberg New Energy Finance blog post. A grid more reliant on renewable energy will shrink the carbon footprint of EVs charging from it. Emissions associated with charging can...

Shell is shedding some gas stations in favor of EV charging

Shell logoShell plans to eliminate some of its current gas stations while putting further emphasis on EV charging. "We are upgrading our retail network, with expanded electric vehicle charging and convenience offers, in response to changing customer needs," Shell said in its 2024 Energy Transition Strategy report (via Yahoo! Finance). That includes plans to...

Shell is shedding some gas stations in favor of EV charging

Shell logoShell plans to eliminate some of its current gas stations while putting further emphasis on EV charging. "We are upgrading our retail network, with expanded electric vehicle charging and convenience offers, in response to changing customer needs," Shell said in its 2024 Energy Transition Strategy report (via Yahoo! Finance). That includes plans to...

Rivian adapters arrive in April, enable Tesla Supercharger waypoints

Rivian R1T at Tesla SuperchargerRivian will begin shipping free North American Charging Standard (NACS) adapters to customers in April, giving them access to over 15,000 Tesla Supercharger fast-charging stations across North America, the automaker announced Monday. Compatible Supercharger sites will be added to roughly 16,000 pubic chargers customers already have access to...

BMW aggregates more EV chargers, adding Shell ahead of Tesla

2022 BMW iX xDrive50BMW is relying on Shell Recharge Solutions to offer customers streamlined access to EV charging stations across multiple networks. The automaker on Wednesday announced an agreement with Shell Recharge Solutions that it claims will provide access to more than 100,000 public chargers through the My BMW app. These chargers are not only part of...

Volvo seeks 30% quicker EV charging without battery upgrades

Volvo EV powertrainVolvo is looking to quicken EV charging times by relying on software rather than upgrades to batteries and other hardware. The automaker on Monday announced a partnership with U.K.-based Breathe Battery Technologies to access that company's "algorithm-enabled charging software" with its battery management systems—with the goal of optimizing...

Biden agencies draw roadmap for EV charging along freight corridors

Volvo VNR Electric semi truckThe Biden Administration on Monday sketched out plans for EV charging and hydrogen dispensing along major U.S. freight corridors. The National Zero-Emission Freight Corridor Strategy was developed by the administration's Joint Office of Energy and Transportation with input from the Department of Energy (DOE), Department of Transportation (DOT)...

Study: Some retailers aren’t doing much to support EV charging

Walmart store sign (via Wikimedia)Big-box stores and fast-foot chains offer large parking lots perfect for EV charging, but most lag in offering charging to customers, according to a new Consumer Reports study. Consumer Reports surveyed 270,000 retail locations controlled by 75 major retail and fast-food chains—brands like Costco, Ikea, Walmart, and Target—and found...

Google-backed Gravity claims fastest EV charging in America

Gravity EV charging center in New York CityGravity, a New York-based EV charging startup backed by Google Ventures, claims to be rolling out the fastest chargers in the U.S. The startup's chargers, which as of Monday are available for public use at a single location in New York City, can charge at a peak power rate of 500 kw and add 2,400 miles of range per hour of charging, equivalent to...

Google-backed Gravity claims fastest EV charging in America

Gravity EV charging center in New York CityGravity, a New York-based EV charging startup backed by Google Ventures, claims to be rolling out the fastest chargers in the U.S. The startup's chargers, which as of Monday are available for public use at a single location in New York City, can charge at a peak power rate of 500 kw and add 2,400 miles of range per hour of charging, equivalent to...

Rivian trip planning adds Tesla chargers in March, adapters coming soon

2024 Rivian R1TRivian said Thursday that it will add Tesla Supercharger sites to its in-vehicle trip planner in March, with adapter shipments to owners starting soon after that. This will give Rivian owners access to more than 15,000 Superchargers across North America, the company said on X (formerly Twitter). As of Thursday Tesla had added Rivian to the list of...

Is it fair that EV chargers are allowed where gas stations aren’t?

Jack Colker Union 96 gas station in Beverly Hills, via oobject.comAs EV charging infrastructure expands, lawmakers in the Kentucky legislature have introduced a bill to "protect" gas stations, local television station WKYT reports. House Bill 581 seeks to prevent zoning authorities from treating EV charging differently from gasoline dispensing. That means any location considered suitable for EV charging would...

Study: EV drivers want gas-station perks at charging stops

First Electrify America indoor charging station opens in San FranciscoWhen it comes to charging stations, EV drivers want the same amenities drivers currently get at gas station, a new AutoPacific study found. The AutoPacific EV Consumer Insights Study asked over 7,200 "future EV acceptors," defined by the consulting and market-research firm as "those who either intend to purchase or will consider purchasing an EV...

Stellantis adopts SAE J3400—yes, the Tesla charge port

Dodge Charger Daytona ConceptStellantis is the latest automaker to adopt Tesla's North America Charging Standard (NACS) port for EV fast charging—but the automaker's announcement of it, made Monday, downplayed any connection to Tesla to a point that EV shoppers and longtime Tesla fans alike might find absurd. A Stellantis press release doesn't mention Tesla or NACS at...

Electrify America’s flagship urban EV charging station is indoors

First Electrify America indoor charging station opens in San FranciscoElectrify America on Wednesday unveiled its first indoor charging station, which the charging network says will serve as a template for future sites in urban areas. Located in San Francisco's South Market neighborhood, two blocks from the Bay Bridge, the new "flagship" site has 20 chargers providing up to 350 kw of power, according to Electrify...

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...