As heavy-duty battery-electric trucks proliferate, the need for qualified repair technicians is growing, and training programs and companies are rushing to adapt. “In the last six months, the demand on the battery-electric side has just been crazy, the amount of growth that we’ve seen,” said Jason Shearer, VP for Service at the Velocity Vehicle Group,… Read more »
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Amperesand’s solid-state transformers could help break electric grid bottlenecks
Here’s a story we hear often: a CPO or fleet operator wants to deploy a large-scale EV charging facility, but the project is delayed for months or years because the local utility is waiting for the necessary transformers to be delivered. (Two out of two subjects of infrastructure articles in our current print issue—XCharge’s Alex… Read more »
Major truck OEMs form PACT to advocate for EV infrastructure development
The pursuit of contradictory goals is a basic fact of human nature, and the commercial truck industry is no exception. Vehicle OEMs are investing large sums to advance the transition to electric vehicles, even as they lobby governments to water down the emissions regulations that are forcing that transition. Advocates of slowing the transition often… Read more »
Mercedes CTO says solid-state batteries may not be necessary
Solid-state battery technology is widely expected to be the next big thing in the EV world, as it promises higher energy density, lower cost and more safety than current Li-ion designs. However, Mercedes Chief Technology Officer Markus Schäfer recently voiced a contrarian view, saying that solid-state batteries “may not be necessary,” thanks to developments in… Read more »
Battery-integrated chargers offer a cure for America’s weak electric infrastructure
Q&A with Alex Urist, Vice President of XCharge North America Battery storage, once considered a nifty additional feature for large-scale charging infrastructure projects, is steadily becoming de rigueur for public and commercial charging deployments of all sizes. Adding batteries to the system offers several benefits: coupled with on-site generation, it allows charging to be offered… Read more »
EnviroSpark has installed over 7,800 charging plugs. Here’s what the company has learned.
EnviroSpark runs its own EV charging network and helps others with installations, including Tesla, Volkswagen and Ford. The parlous state of public charging reliability has emerged as a major roadblock to wider EV adoption, and the entire industry is going through a soul-searching phase, trying to identify the roots of the problems and correct them…. Read more »
Battery cell qualification for EVs: Lucid’s cell specialist discusses the complicated process
Q&A with Lucid’s Battery Cell Technical Specialist Maithri Venkat. When it comes to battery cells for EVs, one size definitely doesn’t fit all. The properties of a particular cell act as constraining factors for every aspect of a vehicle’s design—and not only for vehicle performance parameters such as range and power, but for the development… Read more »
Exclusive: Black Book used EV values to include Recurrent battery-condition data
The biggest question in buying a used EV is whether its battery is any good and how much range is left. We’re a little closer to an answer now. The Black Book used-car valuation service said Tuesday it would incorporate battery-condition data from Recurrent into its used-EV values. That data lets Black Book vary what… Read more »
Video: Qnovo uses BMS software to increase battery lifespan and charging speed
It’s widely believed that frequent DC fast charging stresses a battery, shortening its useful lifetime. However, the long-term effects of frequent fast charging can be mitigated with properly designed charging limits. (Battery data specialist Recurrent recently released the results of a study on the subject.) Can BMS software eliminate this problem and push the limits… Read more »
The real reason Hertz is selling EVs
It’s the kind of headline EV boosters hate, and EV boo-birds trumpet: just two years after announcing that it would buy 100,000 Teslas and a raft of other EVs, rental giant Hertz announced that it would sell 20,000 of its Teslas and replace them with tried-and-true gas-guzzlers (at this writing, the company is offering around… Read more »