ChargePoint Holdings, one of the largest players in the EV infrastructure field, has gone public through a business combination with Switchback Energy Acquisition. The company now trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol CHPT. In honor of the historic moment, CEO Pasquale Romano got to (virtually) ring the NYSE opening bell. The… Read more »
Author: Charles Morris
Battery developer Enevate raises $81 million in Series E funding round
Enevate, a pioneer in silicon-dominant Li-ion battery tech, has secured $81 million in a Series E funding round led by Fidelity Management & Research. Existing investors Mission Ventures and Infinite Potential Technologies also participated. The latest round brings Enevate’s total funding to $191 million. Enevate will use the investment to significantly expand its pre-production line… Read more »
Volvo to go fully electric by 2030, announces new C40 Recharge EV, online sales
Volvo became the latest automaker to announce a phaseout of fossil-fuel vehicles, and it did so with a stronger statement than GM, Ford and Jaguar have done. No “aspirations,” no plug-in hybrids, no exceptions for profitable models, and no geographic carve-outs: “Volvo Cars is committed to becoming a leader in the fast-growing premium electric car… Read more »
Efacec expands and upgrades its line of smart chargers
Portuguese charger manufacturer Efacec Power Solutions recently presented several new products and upgrades to existing lines. Efacec’s Level 2 Public Charger offers power levels from 11 kVA to 22 kVA, the ability to charge two EVs at once, smart charging features, over-the-air software updates, and optional payment terminal integration. With the latest generation, the company… Read more »
Ford Mustang Mach-E turns heads with its looks, closes the deal with practicality and price
Man, this car is an attention-getter! The Ford Mustang Mach-E has been drawing far more comments and questions from passers-by than any of the dozens of other plug-in vehicles I’ve evaluated, including the Porsche Taycan and several Teslas. As I’ve been driving it around town, at least a dozen people per day have asked me… Read more »
LG to produce Tesla’s new 4680 battery cell at Korean factory
Tesla has recently introduced several battery innovations, including the new tabless 4680 cell, which it is believed to be producing in small quantities on a pilot line at its Fremont plant. However, the California carmaker has no intention of trying to produce all the cells it needs on its own. “The reason Tesla is doing… Read more »
Washington raises the stakes with California, proposing to phase out gas cars by 2030
Washington may soon become the third US state to fix a date for the end of the Oil Age. The state House Transportation Committee has voted 17-12 to advance a bill that would require all light-duty vehicles of model year 2030 and later registered in the state to be electric. The bill will now move… Read more »
JB Straubel’s Redwood Materials inks recycling deal with Nissan’s battery supplier
Redwood Materials, the battery recycling venture founded by former Tesla CTO JB Straubel, has signed an agreement to recycle scrap and defective battery cells for Envision AESC, which manufactures batteries for the Nissan LEAF in Smyrna, Tennessee. Recycling batteries is not only environmentally sound, but it may soon become an economic necessity, as demand for… Read more »
Heavy-duty electric trucks start to appear in fleets
Charged has been reporting on electric trucks for a decade, but the electrification of real-world fleets has been frustratingly slow, and several would-be e-truck builders have gone bust waiting for fleet operators to conduct years-long pilots. Now we’re finally starting to see some large orders. Will 2021 be the year of the electric truck? A… Read more »
Formula E electric racing begins first season as an FIA world championship in Saudi Arabia
Formula E, the urban electric racing series, begins its seventh season, and its first as an official FIA World Championship, on February 26 and 27, with a nighttime double header on the streets of Diriyah, Saudi Arabia. This season’s events will be broadcast live in over 150 countries around the world. Formula E has inked… Read more »
