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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Firstgreen reports growing US demand for its electric skid steer loaders
Electric skid steer loader manufacturer Firstgreen Industries, headquartered in the Czech Republic, reports North American sales growth: More than 120 of its loaders are operating in the US and Canada, and it sells through nearly 20 dealerships in New York, Washington, Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Ohio and Maryland. Firstgreen entered the American market in 2021 with… Read more »
Firstgreen’s new electric skid steer loader
In the beginning stages of a technological transformation, the new tech tends to conquer the best use cases first. Regular Charged readers will be familiar with EV-friendly applications such as drayage trucks, delivery vans, school buses and suburban yuppies, but here’s one you may not have heard of: skid steer loaders. A skid steer is… 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 »
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 »
Kia EV9 and Volvo EX30: Are they 2024’s most important EVs?
One’s a three-row midsize SUV under $60,000; the other’s a compact hatchback that starts in the mid-30s. Now we’ve driven both. Choosing “best of” or “most important” new cars is always dicey, and doubly so with electric vehicles. New entries are announced virtually every month, and picking the 2025 models that will be most important… Read more »
While others sign whiny letters to the president, Georgia’s largest Ford dealership installs EV chargers and solar panels
For auto dealerships, adding EVs to their offerings requires some effort—and some substantial cash outlay. Automakers including Ford and GM are giving their dealers a choice—make the necessary investments in training and charging infrastructure, or don’t sell EVs. Akins Ford in Winder, Georgia, the largest dealership by volume in the state (as reported by Georgia… Read more »
Range Energy’s smart trailers boost electric truck range
Towing has always been a sore point with EVs—towing a trailer inevitably eats into range, and towing a massive semi-trailer requires a tractor with a massive battery pack. But what if the trailer itself could share the burden? That’s the idea behind Range Energy, which is developing a trailer that’s equipped with a battery pack,… Read more »
What is this EV mandate that auto dealers are kvetching about?
Since the advent of modern EVs, auto dealerships have been seen as an impediment to faster EV adoption—and that image doesn’t appear likely to change any time soon, even though annual US EV sales cracked the one-million mark in 2023. Over 3,800 US auto dealers recently signed on to an open letter to President Joe… Read more »
Ford expands its BlueOval EV charging network
Ford is adding charging providers Francis Energy, Blink and Red E to its BlueOval Charge Network. The addition of more than 10,000 chargers from the three new providers will bring BlueOval’s total to 106,000, including 11,800 fast chargers. The company has also announced that it will provide EV drivers access via an adapter to an… Read more »
