Daimler Truck has unveiled its European TruckCharge brand, which consolidates in one package the company’s truck charging offerings.  TruckCharge, which is available irrespective of truck brand, is designed for truck fleet operators and industrial companies with their own or an outsourced fleet. TruckCharge will officially launch in September. The brand’s Depot Charging package includes consulting,… Read more…

California-headquartered warehousing and distribution provider Performance Team (a Maersk company) and California-headquartered logistics real estate leasing company Prologis have opened a 9 MW EV truck charging depot in Los Angeles.  The Denker depot joins Performance Team’s other Southern California facilities in Santa Fe Springs and Commerce, which are also equipped with Prologis Mobility charging infrastructure… Read more…

Houston-based renewable energy company Octopus Energy has introduced a home energy program with California-headquartered EV maker Rivian.  All Rivian customers in those parts of Texas where Octopus is an eligible energy provider will be offered a time-of-use energy rate plan with an overnight off-peak discount of up to 50%. “Demand flexibility is the key to… Read more…

German automaker Volkswagen has announced a program to promote entry-level electric mobility by introducing compact EVs to the European market priced at around €20,000. The cars are scheduled to launch in 2027. The company says work is already underway on the Electric Urban Car Family, and Volkswagen’s Brand Group Core is set to offer EVs… Read more…

Australian autonomous technology developer Applied EV has chosen CISSOID‘s new CXT-ICM3SA series of silicon carbide (SiC) inverter control modules (ICMs) for its latest generation of electric motors for autonomous vehicles. CISSOID’s software-powered SiC ICMs designed for the EV market are augmented with onboard programmable hardware, accelerating response times to critical events, off-loading the processor cores… Read more…

US electronics giant Honeywell has introduced its Battery Manufacturing Excellence Platform (Battery MXP), software package, which is designed to optimize the operation of gigafactories by improving battery cell yields and expediting facility startups.  Battery manufacturers’ material scrap rates can be as high as 30% at steady state and even higher during the gigafactory startup process,… Read more…

Clarios, a provider of low-voltage battery solutions, and Altris, a Swedish manufacturer of sodium-ion batteries, have announced a Joint Development Agreement (JDA) for low-voltage mobility applications. Under the new JDA, Altris will focus on developing the sodium-ion cell technology for low-voltage applications, while Clarios will develop Battery Management Systems (BMS) and software to design the… Read more…

California-based EV charging network ChargePoint and Porsche Cars North America (PCNA) have announced an agreement that will give PCNA access to the ChargePoint network in the Porsche Charging Service, increasing the number of North American chargers available to Porsche customers to more than 100,000. The integration is expected to become operative in the fourth quarter… Read more…

Terminal tractor and trailer maker TICO Manufacturing, based in South Carolina, has introduced the next generation of its Pro-Spotter electric terminal tractor, which features additional battery and driveline options from a number of suppliers. The new model builds on TICO’s first-generation electric terminal tractor launched in 2023 from its partnership with Volvo Penta. It offers… Read more…

Battery materials company Sila has raised $375 million in a Series G funding round led by existing investors Sutter Hill Ventures, with participation by new outside investors as well as existing investors Bessemer Venture Partners, Coatue, Perry Creek Capital and others. The funding will secure the completion of the company’s Moses Lake plant in Q1… Read more…

Sponsored by Pickering Interfaces. In the rapidly evolving landscape of electric vehicles, the shift towards 800 V power system architectures is gaining serious momentum. This white paper, “HIL Simulation’s Crucial Role in the 800 V EV Transition,” explores the reasons behind the move to 800 V, the varied challenges this move presents to test professionals,… Read more…

Chinese battery suppliers are making their wares cheaper and faster. Two of the country’s largest battery-makers have announced plans to release EV batteries supporting 6C fast charging this year. CarNewsChina reports that BYD will launch its Blade 2.0 battery in the second half of the year, and CATL will launch its Qilin 2.0 battery by… Read more…

FLO, a Canada-headquartered EV charging network and infrastructure supplier, has secured $136 million in long-term capital, principally from a Series E equity financing led by Export Development Canada.  Other participants were Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec; Investissement Québec, as an agent of the Québec government; Business Development Bank of Canada; Energy Impact Partners;… Read more…

Power management company Eaton has introduced a higher-capacity version of its 48 V DC-DC converter. The new converter has up to 40 A of output current capacity and is intended for installation in on- and off-highway vehicles. It is hardened for use in harsh environments, features an air-cooled design utilizing natural convection, and can operate… Read more…

Q&A with Wildcat President and CEO Mark Gresser. EV battery technology is advancing rapidly—it seems like every few days we read about a scientific breakthrough that will enable safer, cheaper, smaller and more energy-dense batteries. However, the road from the lab to the auto dealership is a long one—it typically takes several years of testing… Read more…

Filtration specialist Donaldson makes a range of battery venting systems—safety systems designed to allow gases to escape from an EV battery pack during an emergency situation. Launched at the recent Battery Show in Germany, the company’s Dual-Stage Jet is a new design that provides enhanced pressure equalization and ingress protection under normal operating conditions to… Read more…

Oregon-based Chargeway came to our attention back in 2017,when it introduced a handy system that uses colors and numbers to identify different types of EV charging plugs in order to make selecting the appropriate EV charger easier for drivers. Now the company has launched its Chargeway Plus connected EV features in North America, allowing EV… Read more…

MOL, a Belgian manufacturer of port handling equipment, and Volvo Penta, a marine and industrial engine manufacturer, have announced a partnership to conduct trials of the RME225, an electric 4X4 RoRo tractor, at the Port of Ghent, in collaboration with the port’s operator, logistics firm DFDS. The three partners aim to demonstrate a move away… Read more…

Polish EV charger manufacturer Ekoenergetyka has signed a $182-million loan agreement with Bank Pekao to finance increased production capacity to meet growing European demand. The company, which has launched a new production line for improved efficiency and product quality, plans to further automate the line by introducing industrial robots for some elements of production. Ekoenergetyka… Read more…

Germany-headquartered EV powertrain manufacturer Hofer Powertrain has started a research project in collaboration with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH Zurich) to develop a three-level gallium nitride (GaN) traction inverter that uses adaptive gate drivers and enables lower switching losses.  The project is supported by funding from Innosuisse, the Swiss Agency of Innovation… Read more…