How important is fast-charging to sell electric cars? Poll results

Chevrolet Spark EV at CCS fast charging station in San Diego.Those unfamiliar with electric cars often don't know that several different types of battery charging exist. Overnight recharging at home can be done either with 120-volt household current or, for longer-range cars, with a 240-volt charging station installed by the car owner. Then there's DC fast charging, which generally provides an 80-percent...

BMW expands electric-car ChargeNow by EVgo program to 33 states

BMW i3 at DC fast-charging stationTwo days ago, BMW and Nissan announced the latest expansion of their jointly funded DC fast-charging sites for electric cars, which is operated by the EVgo charging network. Those sites now cover more than 50 metropolitan areas in 33 states. This morning, BMW announced that its ChargeNow by EVgo program for owners of its plug-in cars would...

Tesla’s Supercharger pricing: one owner reacts to new fees

Tesla Supercharger site in Newburgh, New York, up and running - June 2015It’s a new era in Teslaworld: the end of unlimited free Supercharging. Starting a few days ago, anybody who orders a new Tesla Model S or Model X will receive an annual allotment of 400 free kilowatt-hours (good for about 1,200 miles). After that, they will have to pay for use of the Supercharging fast-charging network, at prices that vary...

ChargePoint launches Express Plus modular fast-charging hardware

ChargePoint Express Plus modular DC fast-charging system for electric cars, launched at 2017 CESIt's an interesting moment to contemplate the future of DC fast charging for electric cars right now. Electric cars with 200 miles or more of range are starting to hit the market, with half a dozen expected to be in showrooms three years hence. And international standards groups are working to boost fast-charging rates from the 50-kilowatt level...

EVgo breaks ground on DC fast-charging station prepared for up to 350 kW

EVgo DC fast-charging site in Baker, CaliforniaLonger-range electric cars will add flexibility for drivers, but they will also require changes to charging infrastructure. More powerful DC fast-charging stations will be needed in order to charge cars with larger-capacity battery packs in a reasonable amount of time. The EVgo charging network is taking a step in that direction with a new...

2017 Chevy Bolt EV: here’s what can go wrong for electric-car pioneer

2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV, road test, California coastline, Sep 2016The 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV will be on dealership floors within several weeks, cementing its position as the first affordable 200-mile electric car. It will beat planned 200-mile electric cars from BMW, Nissan, Tesla, Volkswagen, and other makers, and that's all to the good for plug-in car advocates. But the Bolt faces numerous hurdles to success...

DC fast-charging in east, west coast corridors done, say VW, BMW

BMW i3 and Volkswagen e-Golf electric cars using Combined Charging System (CCS) DC fast chargingBMW and Volkswagen have finally completed a network of network of public DC fast-charging sites that use the Combined Charging Standard (CCS). In January 2015, the two German carmakers announced a collaboration with network operator ChargePoint to build more stations compatible with CCS—which their electric cars use. Known as the Express...