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Breakthrough EV Battery Patent Could Charge In Minutes And Cross A Continent

  • Huawei has developed solid-state battery tech that could make EVs go further and charger faster.
  • Cells have triple the energy-density of li-ion ones and could theoretically give an 1,800-mile range.
  • Chinese patent application says the new battery pack could be fully recharged in only five minutes.

Unless your daily commute involves chasing down a Cannonball Run record, chances are you’re not rolling around with a 70-gallon (265-liter) fuel cell in your car. Most of us don’t need to knock out 1,860 miles (3,000 km) in one uninterrupted stretch. But according to Huawei , that kind of range might soon be possible in an electric vehicle.

The Chinese tech giant claims its new battery technology could enable a future mid-size EV to cover that distance on a single charge.

Related: BYD’s New 1,000 kW EVs Fill Up As Fast As Gas Cars

Like Toyota, VW, BMW, Stellantis and other big players in the tech and automotive space, Huawei has spent the last few years working on solid state batteries, which most experts agree will bring a step-change in EV usability. And this month Huawei filed a Chinese patent for solid-state battery chemistry that comes with some bold claims.

The cells, whose sulfide electrodes are doped with nitrogen to reduce lifespan-shortening side reactions, have an energy density of 400-500 Wh/kg, the filing says, or triple the figure for current conventional cells. Huawei reckons that would allow a typical midsize sedan to cover 1,860 miles on a single charge. Oh, and that charge – to full, not 80 percent – would  take just five minutes.

The 1,860-mile figure would be based on China’s hopelessly optimistic CLTC calculations, so would probably translate to a 1,300-mile (2,090 km) EPA number. Slightly less spectacular, sure, but still around three times what the rangiest 2025 EVs can deliver on a single charge.

It all sounds incredible, but I have some reservations about it actually happening, and not because I doubt Huawei’s tech. No one buying an EV is going to need to travel that far between charges, especially if that EV can be charged in less than five minutes (being able to do that depends on having the infrastructure, but there’s no doubt that will come). And automakers won’t want to build one, anyway, since associated costs will be, at least at first, quite high.

 Breakthrough EV Battery Patent Could Charge In Minutes And Cross A Continent
Huawei

Even in a future where we can sleep while our car does the driving, we’re still going to need bathroom breaks and to stretch our legs with a quick stroll to keep the DVT at bay. And making an EV with an unnecessarily long range means making an unnecessarily heavy and expensive EV because batteries are heavy and expensive, though Huawei expects prices and weights to fall. As TG notes, even with the clever cells, an 1,860-mile EV would still need a battery pack that weighed as much as a Mitsubishi Mirage.

What’s far more likely is that automakers will use the tech to put smaller, cheaper batteries in their cars that still deliver plenty of range – say 600 miles (1,000 km) – but make those cars lighter, and so more efficient, and also less expensive to build and buy. When automakers can deliver an EV that costs less than a gas car, goes further in one hit and refuels faster, electric cars will really take off, infrastructure willing.

Toyota has already talked of its future EVs having a 750-mile (1,200 km) range and that sounds like more than enough to us. What do you think the optimum range is for a family-sized electric car?

 Breakthrough EV Battery Patent Could Charge In Minutes And Cross A Continent

Source: Car News China

Trump’s Attack On EV Charging Just Suffered A Major Setback

  • Several states have prevailed in a lawsuit against the Trump administration over EV charger funding.
  • Congress approved billions of dollars in funding, but it was eventually paused earlier this year.
  • A preliminary injunction could go into effect next month, but the federal government may appeal.

The Trump administration has suffered another blow, this time from a U.S. District Judge in Washington. She ordered the government to release billions in funding for new electric vehicle charging stations.

In a lengthy ruling, which started off with a reference to a Simpsons episode, the judge noted Congress appropriated $5 billion to fund a National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program to “strategically deploy electric vehicle charging infrastructure and to establish an interconnected network to facilitate data collection, access, and reliability.”

Despite the ruling, several states argued the Trump administration and his Secretary of Transportation decided they “would disregard Congress’s mandate.”

More: Trump Administration Hits Pause On EV Charger Funding

As part of this effort, the Federal Highway Administration rescinded its administrative guidance on the program, revoked state deployment plans, and stopped distributing funds. Sixteen states and the District of Columbia cried foul as the program was approved by Congress during the Biden administration.

They argued the move “represented an unlawful seizure of legislative authority under the separation-of-powers doctrine enshrined in the United States Constitution and an overextension of executive authority beyond what is permitted by law.”

 Trump’s Attack On EV Charging Just Suffered A Major Setback

While that’s the gist of the argument, Judge Tana Lin sided with Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, and Wisconsin. As a result, she ordered a preliminary injunction that prevents the government from suspending or revoking any previously-approved electric vehicle infrastructure deployment plans from the aforementioned states.

The government also can’t withhold previously approved funding. However, the injunction was stayed and won’t go into effect until July 2. That being said, if the government appeals, the injunction won’t take place.

What happens next remains to be seen, but ABC News noted the Trump administration argued that the program was simply paused until new guidance was developed. Regardless, the delays and lawsuits will likely continue to slow the growth of America’s charging network.

 Trump’s Attack On EV Charging Just Suffered A Major Setback

White House

Tesla’s Chargers Just Got Dropped From NJ Turnpike And EV Drivers Could Pay The Price

  • New Jersey canceled Tesla’s charging contract on the Turnpike with little public explanation.
  • Applegreen was selected despite having far fewer charging stations and higher electricity rates.
  • Tesla added 116 off-Turnpike chargers and remains open to negotiations with state officials.

Electric vehicle drivers in New Jersey may want to rethink their charging routines. A major shakeup is underway on the New Jersey Turnpike, and it involves the one company that’s basically synonymous with EV charging.

The state’s Turnpike authority isn’t renewing a contract with Tesla but is instead going to employ chargers from Applegreen. The move could prove more costly and trialsome for New Jersey residents, but Tesla appears ready for anything.

More: Tesla Dumping Unsold Cybertrucks At Mall Parking Lot And The City’s Fed Up

The automaker, rather than the state, actually announced the change on Friday. “The New Jersey Turnpike Authority (“NJTA”) has chosen a sole third-party charging provider to serve the New Jersey Turnpike and is not allowing us to co-locate. As a result, NJTA requested 64 existing Supercharger stalls on the New Jersey Turnpike to not be renewed and be decommissioned,” it said in a statement on X.

A Smaller Network With Higher Prices

It went on to claim that it offered the state “above-market commercial terms” and access for all EVs to keep the contract going. It would’ve built more stations and upgraded existing ones with screens and CCS1 ‘magic docks’ as well. For whatever reason, the state said no and instead went with Applegreen for the foreseeable future. That’s a fascinating decision since Applegreen’s network is almost comically smaller than Tesla’s.

At present, in the USA, it only serves a few states like New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. In New Jersey, it has only a few stations installed. Elon Musk went as far as to posit that “corruption” played a part in the decision. Even after it finishes installing the chargers it plans to put in place, things might be worse off for most drivers.

Sounds like corruption

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 30, 2025

Notably, a little number crunching from InsideEVs suggests that this won’t help consumers. “Superchargers along the NJ Turnpike range from $0.20 to $0.45 per kWh, depending on the time of day. Applegreen, on the other hand, varies from $0.35 to $0.59,” it found.

If those figures hold, drivers could end up paying more to power their cars than they did before. It’s possible the state stands to gain more financially under the new arrangement, though no public statements have been made by the NJTA to confirm or clarify that.

Tesla Already Moving On

All of that said, Tesla says it knew this was a potential outcome and has already supplemented the decommissioning of 64 charging bays with the creation of 116 stalls off of the turnpike. Interestingly, this might not be how the story ends. Tesla says it’s willing to return to the negotiating table should NJ authorities change their tune.

“We are still willing to invest in New Jersey Turnpike sites if the NJTA or Governor Murphy decide to reverse this decision. Otherwise, we will continue expanding the best charging infrastructure off the Turnpike to serve EV drivers in New Jersey,” the automaker said. In a part of the world where charging infrastructure isn’t exactly super-reliable, this could be a step in the wrong direction. Only time will tell. 

 Tesla’s Chargers Just Got Dropped From NJ Turnpike And EV Drivers Could Pay The Price

Porsche Orders UK Dealers To Stop Selling Some Taycans

  • Porsche UK has instructed dealers not to sell some Taycans until a software update is available.
  • Pre-facelift cars suffer from a battery monitoring fault which can’t be fixed until late June.
  • Some existing owners have been visiting dealers every 60 days to have their cars checked over.

Porsche dealers in the UK have been told to hold off from selling some used Taycans while the company works out a software patch for a battery monitoring problem. And for those unlucky enough to already own certain Taycan models, they are being forced to visit their dealer every 60 days to have their cars checked until the update is ready. Porsche told us the new software is currently being tested and should be ready within a few weeks.

Related: Porsche Hit With Class Action Over Taycan Batteries That Could Catch Fire

The story was first reported by Britain’s Car Dealer magazine, whose team had heard from multiple Porsche dealers that they’d been ordered to remove used electric Taycan models from sale until further notice. At least one dealer suggested the edict blocked the sale of every Taycan built between 2019 and 2023. But when we called Porsche a spokesperson told us only a small number of older cars are affected.

“Enhanced battery monitoring software is anticipated to become available for first generation Taycan models towards the end of June,” Porsche said in a statement emailed to Carscoops. “With its imminent arrival, we’ve advised our retail partners not to sell a small, specific batch of first generation Taycan models until the software update is live.”

 Porsche Orders UK Dealers To Stop Selling Some Taycans
Porsche

Last fall Porsche issued a recall campaign for 2019-23 Taycans due to the risk of a short circuit within the cars’ battery modules that could lead to a “thermal event” and eventually a fire in a worst case scenario. Owners were advised not to charge their cars beyond 80 percent to minimise there risk of fire.

As for the owners forced to check-in with their Porsche dealership every 60 days, you just know that however inconvenient it is, there are certainly worse places to while away an afternoon.

 Porsche Orders UK Dealers To Stop Selling Some Taycans

EV Owners May Soon Find There’s Nowhere Left To Plug In

  • Approximately 174,000 new charging points are needed annually to keep up with EV sales.
  • Biden’s administration allocated $5B over five years to expand EV charging infrastructure.
  • US charger installations dropped 21 percent during the first quarter of 2025 alone.

Sales of electric vehicles are on the rise in the United States, but the road ahead for charging infrastructure looks a whole lot bumpier. Despite growing interest in EVs, the pace of building high-speed chargers isn’t just lagging, it’s actively falling behind. Add in looming policy shifts under the Trump administration, and the gap between supply and demand could widen even further.

It’s understood that the number of high-speed EV chargers being installed across the US dropped more than 21% through the first quarter compared to last year. With this in mind, BloombergNEF has cut its expectations for EV installations this year from 360,000 to 285,000 units. The trend doesn’t look promising.

Read: California’s EV Chargers Outnumber Gas Pumps, Yet Only 10% Offer Fast Charging

“If we continue in this direction, BNEF’s outlook for annual US charger installations in 2030 could be adjusted downward by 30% or more,” analyst Ash Wang said, pointing to a possible long-term impact if the current pace doesn’t pick up.

Charger Goals Slipping Into Reverse

Shortly after taking office, President Donald Trump suspended federal funding for EV chargers. Those funds were supposed to be distributed to states through the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program, which allocated $5 billion over five years to install chargers in every state across the country. The aim was to jumpstart installation efforts across the country and prepare the grid for rising EV demand. Without it, momentum has started to slow noticeably.

 EV Owners May Soon Find There’s Nowhere Left To Plug In
Source: S&P Global

According to the Department of Energy, there are currently just over 208,000 public charging ports in the US. On paper, that sounds like progress. But to match projected EV and PHEV sales growth, roughly 174,000 new charging points need to be added every single year. Falling behind now makes catching up later exponentially harder, not to mention, a lot more expensive too.

Investment Stalls as Support Fades

As reported by Bloomberg, S&P Global believes that by halting government support for charging infrastructure they’ll be less private investments in the sector, leading to plug scarcity and negatively impacting EV owners.

“President Biden’s ridiculous EV initiative promised much but delivered nothing, leaving American taxpayers to cover the cost of crony deals that enriched the Democrats’ base,” White House spokesman Harrison Fields said when recently asked about the slowdown in charging infrastructure. “President Trump was elected to dismantle the Green New Scam, and he is fully committed to doing so.”

Politics aside, the numbers show a troubling mismatch. EVs are being sold, but the support network they need isn’t keeping pace. Unless policy and investment align with that growth, infrastructure could become the weakest link in the EV transition.

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Funding, Data and Resiliency Needed for Electric School Bus Success

ANAHEIM, Calif. — What was considered “plug and play” solution years ago, that being fleet electrification, is far more complicated. OEMs, vendors and transportation leaders are highlighting the continued challenges but also the benefits of electric school buses while also promoting collaboration as the industry enters uncharted territory. But continued funding is necessary.

Brad Beauchamp, EV product segment leader for Blue Bird, moderated a related session, “School Bus Sector: Rolling out the New Generation of School Buses,” on April 30 at the Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo that provided the perspectives of two student transporters, a leader of electrification at the nation’s largest school bus contractor, a mechanical engineer, and a smart charging technology provider.

Mike Bullman, director of transportation for the South Carolina Department of Education. described the uniqueness of The Palmetto State, as the DOE owns and maintains all 5,600-plus school buses. Bullman noted the fleet fuel makeup is currently 88 percent diesel, 10 percent propane, and three-and-a-half percent electric. He noted that his operation has taken a multi-pronged approach to alternative fuels with a focus on advancing technology.

He added that the South Carolina state specifications committee will be convening in the this summer, and gasoline will be on the agenda as well. “We feel that fleet diversity is very important as we certainly move into the future,” he said.

The South Carolina fleet travels 78 million miles a year and supports 77 public school districts. Those 78 million miles serve 365,000 students a day using about nine or 10 million gallons of diesel fuel annually and 1.2 million gallons of propane. There are 42 statewide school bus maintenance facilities and a staff of about 375 employees, with an annual budget of $170 million.

“It’s quite a large endeavor,” Bullman shared.

In addition to fuels, Bullman is focused on technology adoption. “We take a safety-first approach, but we want to make sure that technology is in there,” he said, adding that buses have tire pressure monitoring systems, stability control, camera systems, stop arm cameras, student management, GPS tracking. “All of that is part of this comprehensive multi-prong approach,” he added.

He noted that preventative and predictive maintenance are also important. Bullman and his team in South Carolina lead the inspection program offered at STN EXPO conferences.

Bullman’s department also has a statewide routing program and a comprehensive driver training program. “Additional investments in charging and fueling infrastructure is on our list and important to us, long cycle cost analysis for vehicle procurement, and staff training,” he said.

He added that South Carolina will continue to seek additional funding sources, noting that was the main driver for purchasing electric vehicles. In 2021, the state received $1.3 million in grant money to purchase four electric school busses and in 2022 received $6.6 million to purchase 16 EVs and then in 2024 they got another $6.9 million to purchase another 20.

He added that with the EVs, they are seeing cost savings with maintenance and operating costs, it’s the initial cost gap that needs to be bridged. “I personally and professionally believe that the school bus space is an ideal space for an electric vehicle,” he said. “It just fits. You’ve got long dwell times. You’ve got repeatable routes. Certainly, 80 to 90 percent of the routes in South Carolina can be covered quite comfortably with an EV bus.”

Bullman cited the current challenge is uncertainty surrounding federal funding for ESBs — which many in the industry would agree with. He noted that without grants, South Carolina would not have been able to purchase electric, citing the cost gap with diesel. He noted that data collecting will be key and help to convince naysayers that this is the right technology moving forward.

Sam Hill-Cristol, director of strategy and business development for The Mobility House, noted that V2G technology is a way to offset some of those costs. “We’re optimistic about the contributions that V2G revenues can make in the total cost of ownership calculation,” he said.

He noted that while there are ongoing V2G projects across the U.S., it is currently not scalable. He expects V2G to gain more popularity in the years to come.

Meanwhile, Lauren Lynch, senior mechanical engineer with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), noted that the agency focuses on energy systems research and development with an eye on data collection. She said NREL provides data to fleets of school buses to enable fleet managers who are adopting the technologies to better understand their use and performance.

She said the fully funded program is a free service to fleets right now. Going forward, she explained that NREL will provide buses with a data logger that works in conjunction with telematics systems, so it won’t interfere with other data logging taking place on the bus. The data is transferred to NREL, who stores the data and conducts an analysis. Currently, they are working with seven different fleets and aim to collect data for at least 30 days. NREL is also hoping to capture a year after year performance and is coming up on year two working with Beaverton School District near Portland, Oregon.

“It’s been exciting, and we’re expanding our analysis to include a maintenance and cost study,” she shared. “We want to ensure that we provide a value back to the fleets. So, as part of our overall objective, we not only want to provide this analysis to the fleets, where we highlight key insights or maybe identify some areas of opportunity, but we also hope to utilize the data as an aggregated study for the vocation, utilize the data and other tools and models to inform driver developments or address any barriers within the industry.”

She explained that the data shows electric buses are more efficient than other powertrains. They do, she confirmed, have higher capital costs but have resulted in an overall lower dollar-per-mile cost when operating the same routes.

“We’re looking at all powertrains within the fleet to understand the performance of each and identifying areas of opportunity and what’s going well,” she explained, adding that the end-goal is to make the electric school bus data publicly available via the online tool FleetREDI. Currently, the website has data on heavy- and medium-duty findings.

San Marcos Unified School District in California also received about $30 million in grant funds for infrastructure and school buses. “It was very overwhelming,” Executive Director of Transportation Mike Sawyer said.

He noted that the district had 84 old diesel buses, so he started applying for grants — one of them being the Carl Moyer Memorial Air Quality Standards Attainment Program grant in California and the Zero Emission School Bus and Infrastructure Program — and the money kept flowing.

To help him navigate all the funding, he said he reached out to partners, including Engie, which helped San Marcos find inefficiencies in charging infrastructure. Engie helped San Marcos create “one of the biggest” charging infrastructure bus yards. Phase one was completed with 40 EV chargers, six of which are 120 kW, the remainder being 30 kW chargers. Phase two, which is about to break ground, will bring the district to a total of 75 chargers.

The location holds about one megawatt of solar and 1.5 megawatts of battery storage, and it includes a 60kW diesel generator to serve as backup if the power goes out. Sawyer noted SMUSD currently has 33 electric buses on the road.

Providing a Service

Meanwhile, First Student operates over 45,000 school buses across 43 states and eight Canadian provinces. Of those, 450 are electric vehicles.

“EVs, they are providing not only cleaner and quieter rides to school, but these kids are arriving to school calmer,” said Jennifer Harp, the contractor’s vice president of the electric vehicles program, discussing a recent project in rural Westville, Illinois that electrified its entire fleet of 17 school buses with help from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Clean School Bus Program, IRA tax credits, and the Illinois Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust program.

“They had some limited resources,” she said, adding that they were on a lease property and needed an infrastructure solution that would avoid high costs.

She added the company integrated its First Charge, a trenchless, flexible and quick-to-deploy. purpose-built charging hub with that removes the barrier of having to trench locations.

Harp also noted First Student currently deploys 14 First Charge units. It took about nine months to deploy the one operating in Westville.

“If we want to follow Westville’s playbook for electrification success, we really need to remember that continued success in this space requires continued funding incentives from all of our government sectors,” she said. “It also requires that we minimize costly infrastructure as much as possible. Requires partnerships and a willingness to share those learnings. …With the right strategy and infrastructure, school bus electrification is not only possible, it is absolutely practical.”


Related: (STN Podcast E257) The Paths Forward: AI, Clean Energy, Manufacturing Discussed at ACT Expo
Related: Gallery: ACT Expo 2025
Related: Cummins CEO Says Mixed Fuel Approach is Key for Commercial Sector


She noted the conversations on battery-electric adoption at ACT Expo have evolved from the initial belief that it could be a plug-and-play option. “If you’ve been here long enough, you know that it’s not that simple,” she shared. “Fleet electrification takes partnerships, very strong partnerships, high increased project coordination, industry standardization, and, above all else, patience.”

Meanwhile, The Mobility House provides smart charging to fleets to over 2,500 sites globally, 100 of which are location in North America. Hill-Cristol shared that the grand vision is to achieve “zero emission transportation at zero cost,” he said. “We think we can get there in some cases, through the technology that we provide.”

He explained that vehicle grid integration is an umbrella term The Mobility House uses to talk about a suite of use cases that are becoming more common with the next-generation electric school bus projects.

“The days of going to the utility, getting a totally new service, 100 percent paid for, putting in enough capacity for every charger to be on at once, and then just turning it on and not worrying, I think those days are pretty much behind us,” he said, adding that now customers are looking for ways to solve challenges, like vehicle-to-grid, charging off peak and backup power integration.

Hill-Cristol also mentioned off-grid supplemental solutions, which consists of using solar storage or a backup generator to help with capacity challenges and the delay in receiving chargers. All of this is also provided by The Mobility House.

He elaborated that the off-grid solutions can be either a long-term or temporary solution. For instance, some districts are using it as a bridge as they wait for their infrastructure, whereas some districts can solely use it as a charge management system. Other use cases include a micro-gird if districts need additional power on site.

“Depending on where you fall on that spectrum, and the investment that you’re making, I think that would lead you to the conclusion of whether this is a two-to-five-year solution or whether this is going to be something that sticks around,” he said. “Because with the right combination of technologies, you’re also going to get operational cost saving.”

The post Funding, Data and Resiliency Needed for Electric School Bus Success appeared first on School Transportation News.

ChargePoint and Eaton establish industry-first EV charging partnership

By: STN

CAMPBELL, Calif., and CLEVELAND, Ohio, – ChargePoint (NYSE: CHPT), a leading provider of EV charging solutions, and intelligent power management company Eaton, today announced a collaboration to accelerate and simplify the deployment of EV charging infrastructure in the U.S., Canada and Europe. The companies will integrate EV charging and infrastructure solutions, co-developing new technologies to advance bidirectional power flow and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) capabilities—enabling EVs to act as a power source for homes, buildings and more.

Providing a one-stop shop for the EV charging ecosystem, the companies will deliver EV chargers, electrical infrastructure and engineering services as turnkey offerings enabling the electrification of transportation, from vehicles to chargers to the grid. ChargePoint and Eaton will streamline the purchase, design and deployment of EV charging projects, offering joint solutions that will help customers effectively manage site power requirements, optimize infrastructure and enhance reliability at a reduced cost.

“ChargePoint’s partnership with Eaton will deliver innovation that addresses the biggest barriers to electrified transportation,” said Rick Wilmer, CEO of ChargePoint. “Together with Eaton we will create unprecedented value for institutions that deploy EV charging, accelerating electrification, and decarbonizing the planet in parallel.”

With Eaton’s collaboration, ChargePoint now elevates its strategic position as an end-to-end enabler of the EV ecosystem, from grid to vehicle. As EV charging infrastructure matures, core components like chargers and infrastructure must integrate at scale to realize their fullest potential. ChargePoint’s work with Eaton and numerous automotive OEMs will enable the seamless integration chargers, infrastructure and EVs, managed with ease on the ChargePoint cloud software platform.

Paul Ryan, general manager, energy transition at Eaton, said: “Customers rely on Eaton to solve their toughest power management challenges. This game-changing partnership will help do just that for vehicle charging—bringing together trusted power distribution and EV charging solutions to simplify electrification at scale.”

Information regarding available EV charging and infrastructure solutions, which address every charging scenario, including fleet, workplace, commercial real estate, fueling and convenience, multifamily, residential and public transportation charging needs, is available on our website.

ChargePoint and the ChargePoint logo are trademarks of ChargePoint, Inc. in the United States and in jurisdictions throughout the world. All other trademarks, trade names, or service marks used or mentioned herein belong to their respective owners.

About ChargePoint Holdings, Inc.
ChargePoint is creating a new fueling network to move people and goods on electricity. Since 2007, ChargePoint has been committed to making it easy for businesses and drivers to go electric with one of the largest EV charging networks and a comprehensive portfolio of charging solutions. The ChargePoint cloud subscription platform and software-defined charging hardware are designed to include options for every charging scenario from home and multifamily to workplace, parking, hospitality, retail and transport fleets of all types. Today, one ChargePoint account provides access to hundreds of thousands of places to charge in North America and Europe. For more information, visit the ChargePoint pressroom, the ChargePoint Investor Relations site, or contact the ChargePoint North American press office, or Investor Relations.

About Eaton
Eaton is an intelligent power management company dedicated to protecting the environment and improving the quality of life for people everywhere. We make products for the data center, utility, industrial, commercial, machine building, residential, aerospace and mobility markets. We are guided by our commitment to do business right, to operate sustainably and to help our customers manage power ─ today and well into the future. By capitalizing on the global growth trends of electrification and digitalization, we’re helping to solve the world’s most urgent power management challenges and building a more sustainable society for people today and generations to come.

The post ChargePoint and Eaton establish industry-first EV charging partnership appeared first on School Transportation News.

Mercedes Will Fix New CLA EV’s Charging Crisis From Next Year

  • Mercedes has confirmed the CLA will support both 400V and 800V chargers in the States.
  • Initially, the CLA EV will be limited to 800V charging, with future models getting a converter.
  • The new electric sedan will offer two power outputs: 268 hp and 349 hp, the latter with AWD.

Mercedes has made more than a few questionable decisions in recent years, but one of the most baffling had to be limiting the CLA EV to 800V DC fast-charging stations. This drastically restricted were owners could recharge, which is an odd move, to put it mildly, considering a lack of charging infrastructure is often cited as a reason why people won’t buy electric vehicles.

The decision seemed so puzzling that we couldn’t help but ask, what were they thinking? We now have an answer as Mercedes wanted to showcase the CLA’s 320 kW DC fast-charging capability that can deliver up to 202 miles (325 km) of range in just 10 minutes.

More: What Were They Thinking? Mercedes CLA EV Can Only Use 800V DC Fast Chargers

While that’s kind of an explanation, the company has now revealed future U.S. models will be able to charge at both 400V and 800V charging stations.

As a Mercedes-Benz USA spokesperson explained to us, “After the initial limited delivery of cars late this year for demonstration of the CLA’s fast-charging abilities, 2026 US customer orders from early next year will feature a converter and be capable of charging at 400V and faster 800V” stations. They went on to say this means the car will be able to access more than 140,000 charging points across America.

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While the initial messaging was muddied, Mercedes did attempt to explain the thinking behind it. “Public charging point technology varies across the world, and the networks widely available in the U.S. and Europe are different. We’re committed to offering our customers the best experience and believe fast-charging at 800V gives the best and most convenient experience.”

Faster charging speeds are certainly welcome, but drastically reducing where people can charge isn’t. In the end, Mercedes seems to have realized that.

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Spain Plunged Into Darkness But Some EVs Turned The Lights Back On

  • Electric cars could help homeowners keep the lights on during power cuts.
  • Some EV owners in Europe made use of V2H charging during recent outage.
  • Think tank estimates 60% of an EV’s charge could power a home for six days.

Spain and Portugal recently experienced a massive power outage that left tens of millions of residents without electricity for most of the day. Lights out, appliances useless, Wi-Fi routers dead, the works. But for a small number of people, it was business as usual. Ironically, the reason they were able to carry on came down to a decision many might not expect: they bought an electric car.

Multiple EV owners in Spain posted to social media to show how they were leveraging their cars’ batteries to provide power to their houses. Some EVs such as the Hyundai Ioniq 5, have what’s called V2H or vehicle-to-home functionality, which means they can feed their charge into a home’s electrical system.

Related: GM Energy’s Residential Charger Turns Your EV Into A Generator For Your Home

EVs with V2H can essentially function as giant versions of one of those portable power packs many of us rely on to keep our smartphones juiced on days out. Or the battery packs some homeowners with solar panels on their roofs already use to store excess energy harnessed during the day.

Not all electric cars support V2H, even though the technology has been around for years. But according to the UK think tank Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), an average EV with a 71 kWh battery and V2H capability could power a home for nearly six days using just 60 percent of its charge.

“As well as reducing emissions and saving their owners hundreds of pounds in running costs, EVs are also capable of adding resilience to their owners’ homes,” ECIU head of transport Colin Walker said. “More and more EVs are arriving on the market that are capable of returning power to the home. In an unprecedented blackout like the one we just saw in Spain, these EVs will allow people to keep their lights on, their fridges cold and their wireless routers running for days.”

Power Cuts Are More Than Inconvenient

 Spain Plunged Into Darkness But Some EVs Turned The Lights Back On
Credit: GM

Power outages can be frustrating, particularly if you, like me, work from home. They can also get expensive fast if you end up throwing out a freezer full of spoiled food. But more importantly, they can be dangerous. During a power cut that lasted more than a day, my 92-year-old father-in-law suffered third-degree burns when his dressing gown brushed against a candle he had lit in the kitchen.

Four months and multiple skin grafts later, he’s still recovering and it’s sobering to think he might have been spared lengthy hospital stays and permanent scarring if he owned an EV. Provided, that is, he remembered to charge it before the power went out…

 Spain Plunged Into Darkness But Some EVs Turned The Lights Back On
Credit: Hyundai

(Free White Paper) Developing Your Plan for an Electric Bus Fleet

By: STN

Transitioning a fleet of school buses from diesel to electric power can offer dramatic benefits.

eBuses (electric school buses) have the potential to significantly reduce not only noise and air pollution throughout the school district, but also the fleet’s total cost of ownership (TCO). However, the road to electrification requires careful navigation around an assortment of planning pitfalls. Every aspect of the project is complex, from planning and financing to implementation and operations.

For districts that lack the internal resources and expertise to maximize benefits across all these areas, ENGIE North America offers a turnkey eBus solution. ENGIE is the world’s number-one provider of energy services, with decades of experience supporting school districts on sustainable energy initiatives.

Read on to learn how we’re helping K-12 school districts optimize the value of their eBus transition.

Fill out the form below and then check your email for the white paper download link.

The post (Free White Paper) Developing Your Plan for an Electric Bus Fleet appeared first on School Transportation News.

InCharge Energy announces launch of InService maintenance and repair plans to service most EV charger brands at 2025 Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo in Anaheim, CA

By: STN

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — InCharge Energy, the leading provider of end-to-end commercial electric vehicle (EV) charging solutions, today announced the launch of its suite of InService™ maintenance and repair plans and OnDemand service, designed to make electrification even easier for business customers across North America by providing expert service support for nearly any EV charging equipment. InCharge’s industry-leading focus on EV charger-focused service support is designed to address the growing number of businesses with one or more brands of EV chargers on premises with no support in place for maintaining or extending the life of the equipment.

InService solutions provide commercial charging operators across North America with access to highly trained service technicians, predictable payments, and rapid response time, with the industry’s most customizable service and maintenance packages that let customers pay for parts and labor their way. Customers choose the plan that meets their goals and budget, with options that range fully comprehensive coverage to OnDemand repair or maintenance for unexpected issues. This best-in-class service support is designed to ensure customers can maximize operational efficiency for multiple brands of chargers across one or multiple sites, as InCharge’s expert technicians are specifically trained to optimize and extend the life of commercial EV charging equipment.

“When your business invests in a major piece of equipment or an appliance, typically you would also select a robust service agreement for those occasions when it needs maintenance or repair,” said Rich Mohr, CEO of InCharge Energy. “The same is true for EV charging equipment. By choosing an InService plan to support their EV chargers, customers can protect their investment over time to ensure that their equipment continues to run smoothly. InCharge successfully maintains more than 15,000 charging ports networked to our InControl software platform each day, so businesses know they can rely on us to provide the service support they need – even if they have chargers from multiple manufacturers.”

Service and maintenance options – or OnDemand repair – supported by InControl™ Charger Management & Maintenance Software

InService gives customers the operational confidence they need to run a successful EV charging program. Customers can request easy-to-understand OnDemand service anytime, with 24/ 7 customer support at 833-772-4638 and parts and labor pricing.

InService plans include Extended Warranty, Preventative Maintenance (with one or two visits per year), and more comprehensive InService plan variations, with the possibility of further tailoring the support to customer needs. The first offering, InService Standard includes preventative maintenance plus labor coverage and discounted parts. InService Dedicated also provides dedicated expert technicians to support a customer’s operations. Fully comprehensive and customizable, InService Premium also includes active monitoring and remote diagnostics powered by InControl™ Charge Maintenance and Management Software (CMMS), which works alongside any CMS already in place, enabling users to easily request service and facilitating remote identification and repair of up to 75% of EV charger issues.

InService offerings also encompass incremental engineering support or related specialty services, including parts warehousing and supply chain, site assessment, or site restoration services, with the company’s Los Angeles “LASSO” facility providing additional lighting and electrical services and Weights & Measures certification for California-based customers. InCharge Energy’s customizable financial solutions help businesses electrify faster and more affordably, on their terms.

About InCharge Energy
InCharge Energy provides reliable, cost-effective charging and service solutions for North American businesses and organizations of all sizes. Its EV charger service and maintenance offerings, available in every state and province, are designed to support multiple brands of charging equipment. The company also offers a range of customizable financial solutions to meet every business objective and budget, accelerating the path to fleet electrification for auto manufacturers and dealerships, K-12 school districts and higher education, commercial real estate, state and local agencies, and more.

The InCharge team of service experts works remotely to keep chargers operational and dispatches on-staff, highly trained technicians across the continent to facilitate rapid issue resolution. The company’s open-API, OCPP 2.0.1 certified InControl™ is the first commercial charging software to be widely adopted across North America to control costs, manage charging results, and easily request charger service. This AI-powered charger maintenance platform is purpose-built to keep EVs on the roads, empowering businesses with key insights to easily optimize daily operations and minimize total cost of ownership (TCO).

Headquartered in Los Angeles, InCharge has operating facilities in Richmond, Virginia, and Montreal, Quebec. Learn more about InCharge Energy and its services at www.inchargeus.com. You can also follow InCharge on LinkedIn.

The post InCharge Energy announces launch of InService maintenance and repair plans to service most EV charger brands at 2025 Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo in Anaheim, CA appeared first on School Transportation News.

Support for Electric Vehicles

By: newenergy

New Poll: American Voters Support Federal Investments in Electric Vehicles Broad, Bipartisan Support for EV Investments and Incentives that Lower Costs, Expand Access, and Help the U.S. Beat China in the Race for Auto Manufacturing WASHINGTON, D.C. – A new bipartisan national poll conducted by Meeting Street Insights and Hart Research finds broad public support …

The post Support for Electric Vehicles appeared first on Alternative Energy HQ.

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