Fast charging network operator Atlante and shopping center operator Groupe Duval have announced plans to deploy new 130 fast and ultra-fast charging stations as part of their long-term partnership.  The announcement was made as the first site—located in Saint-Chamond in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Central France—was powered on. That site now offers 188 fast charging… Read more…

Omron Electronic Components Europe has announced a new high-capacity DC relay for use in household electricity storage systems, bidirectional EV chargers and UPS systems. The G9K8-F general-purpose relay offers a maximum voltage of 800 VDC and maximum current of 100 A. It is suitable for battery applications within the 15 to 40 kW range and,… Read more…

Xendee, provider of a design and operation platform for distributed energy systems and EV fast charging infrastructure, has released the findings of its 2024 Commercial EV Charging Market Survey, the second in a series of annual research studies. Xendee asked leaders in the EV charging industry about challenges and potential solutions related to commercial EV… Read more…

South Korean steel manufacturer POSCO Holdings and Chinese battery precursor producer CNGR have started construction of nickel and precursor production plants for secondary batteries in Pohang, South Korea. The companies will invest approximately KRW 1.5 trillion ($1.09 billion) to build the plants, and mass production is scheduled to begin in 2026. POSCO CNGR Nickel Solution,… Read more…

Netherlands-based Nexperia’s 650 V, 10 A silicon carbide (SiC) Schottky diode is now automotive-qualified (PSC1065H-Q) and available in real-two-pin (R2P) DPAK (TO-252-2) packaging, making it suitable for various applications in EVs and other automobiles. The diode is designed to address the challenges of demanding high voltage and high current applications including switched-mode power supplies, AC-DC and DC-DC… Read more…

Toyota Motor North America and utility Potomac Electric (Pepco) will collaborate on vehicle-to-grid (V2G) research for EVs. Owned by Exelon, Pepco serves Washington DAC and surrounding communities in Maryland. Toyota and Pepco will conduct the V2G research at Pepco’s Watershed Sustainability Center in Montgomery County, Maryland, using a bidirectional charger. The utility will also work… Read more…

Shell has deployed a self-developed megawatt charger for dual use by both electric trucks and waterborne vessels at the company’s Energy Transition Campus Amsterdam (ETCA), a facility where the oil giant demonstrates current energy technologies. The charging station uses the Megawatt Charging System (MCS), a standard for charging heavy-duty EVs that was developed by CharIN…. Read more…

UK-based electric bulk haulage provider Voltloader has used transport and logistics company Welch Group’s heavy goods vehicle (HGV) charging infrastructure to complete a long-haul delivery, as part of Welch’s push to create a collaborative HGV network across the UK. Voltloader would not have otherwise been able to complete the critical job with an electric HGV… Read more…

Japanese automaker Honda Motor will start sales in Japan of a new commercial mini-EV, the N-VAN e:, in October. The N-VAN e: is a commercial mini-EV model developed by adding EV features to the gasoline-powered N-VAN, such as a power output function and a quiet cabin (and adding a colon to the name). It maintains… Read more…

UK-based battery management software developer Eatron Technologies has introduced a new battery management system-on-chip with US-based edge artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductor company Syntiant for light mobility, industrial and consumer electronics applications. The new AI-BMS-on-chip chip integrates Eatron’s Intelligent Software Layer into Syntiant’s low-power NDP120 Neural Decision Processor. The jointly-developed chip uses the processing power of… Read more…

US-based Navitas Semiconductor has introduced a new portfolio of Gen-3 Fast (G3F) 650 V and 1,200 V silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFETs optimized for fastest switching speed, highest efficiency, and increased power density for applications such as on-board chargers and fast EV chargers. The portfolio range covers industry-standard packages from D2PAK-7 to TO-247-4, designed for demanding,… Read more…

US-based commercial EV manufacturer Mullen Automotive has developed a new battery-powered version of its mobile EV charging truck, based on its Class 3 electric cab chassis truck. The previous version of PowerUP announced in July 2023 used a gasoline Class 5 cab chassis platform and a propane and natural gas power generation unit. Unlike traditional… Read more…

The transition to electric school buses is well underway in California—school districts in the state had ordered over 2,000 electric buses as of late 2023. In May, the Oakland Unified school district announced the conversion of its entire school bus fleet to EVs. (And none too soon—the American Lung Association recently reported that the Bay… Read more…

Audi has unveiled a new all-electric drive architecture that it says offers greater efficiency and noticeably improved performance over its current platforms. The new Premium Platform Electric platform, designed in partnership with fellow Volkswagen Group brand Porsche, is intended to be the foundation of Audi’s EV strategy going forward. In developing PPE, Audi completely redesigned… Read more…

DHL Group has opened an EV Center of Excellence to support EV manufacturers and their logistics networks. The facility, located in Pozzuolo Martesana, near Milan, “will offer solutions for the entire EV supply chain, encompassing everything from component procurement to vehicle delivery to aftermarket logistics support.” The new 10,000-square-meter facility will serve as an inbound and… Read more…

Metals and mining giants BHP and Rio Tinto have announced plans to test large battery-electric haul truck technology in Australia’s Outback. The two companies will collaborate with both Caterpillar and Komatsu to test the latter two’s battery-electric haul trucks in the rugged weather and terrain of the Pilbara, which has an arid and tropical climate… Read more…

A bill aimed at cutting major Chinese battery manufacturers out of the Department of Homeland Security’s supply chain recently advanced in the US House of Representatives. The Decoupling from Foreign Adversarial Battery Dependence Act, which was sponsored by Congressman Carlos Gimenez (R—Florida), has strong bipartisan support and appears likely to pass. The proposed legislation would… Read more…

US-based school transportation provider First Student has received $200 million in rebates from the third round of funding of the EPA’s Clean School Bus Program. The new funding brings First Student’s total program awards to $401 million across the three funding rounds. This round will enable the company to deploy up to an additional 670… Read more…

Sponsored by Piher Sensing Systems. Engineering today is focused on developing better energy storage and fuel cell technologies. These advancements are crucial for progress in renewable energy, electric vehicles, and keeping the power grid stable. Battery Management Systems play a critcal role in monitoring and managing the performance of batteries. They ensure optimal performance by… Read more…