EVmatch pilots MUD charging solution with two Vermont utilities


The mission of California-based startup EVmatch, a charging solution provider that was profiled in the latest issue of Charged, is to make charging stations more readily available to EV drivers. The company offers two solutions: a peer-to-peer sharing platform that makes private chargers available to the public; and a subnetwork platform, which allows a customer… Read more »

BMW revamps battery materials supply chain, signs supply contract for raw lithium


BMW Group has signed a €540-million contract with China’s Ganfeng Lithium for the supply of raw lithium from mines in Australia. The carmaker has restructured its supply chains for its upcoming fifth generation of battery cells. From 2020 on, it will directly source both lithium and cobalt. The raw materials will then pass on to… Read more »

Dominion Energy selects Thomas Built Jouley for electric school bus initiative


Dominion Energy has selected Thomas Built Buses (TBB) as the provider of 50 electric school buses, which will make up the initial phase of Dominion’s electric school bus replacement program in Virginia. According to TBB, this program represents the largest deployment of electric school buses in the US to date. TBB’s Saf-T-Liner C2 Jouley is… Read more »

Electrify America invests $1.3 million in energy storage program


Electrify America will invest $1.3 million in the Sacramento Municipal Utility District’s (SMUD) Energy StorageShares program, which incentivizes energy storage in grid-stressed locations throughout the city. Through the program, Electrify America will receive recurring credits for the demand reduction needs at its 12 charging stations powered by SMUD in the Sacramento area. “This program will… Read more »

Volkswagen acquires 20% of Chinese battery maker Guoxuan

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Volkswagen plans to acquire 20% of Chinese battery maker Guoxuan, Reuters reports, accelerating the German giant’s foray into China’s growing EV market. At current prices, the 20% stake would be worth about $560 million. Volkswagen is currently the top foreign automaker in China, and has set a goal of selling 1.5 million new energy vehicles… Read more »

Delta-Q introduces new module for its Stackable Charging System to support AC charging


Canadian charger manufacturer Delta-Q has launched its new Vehicle Charge Interface Module (VCIM) to allow its Stackable Charging System to support AC charging stations and two-way communicating electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE). The VCIM allows the Delta-Q chargers to be used with standard EVSE by helping negotiate the AC current limits and communicate the electrical… Read more »

Norway bars Lexus ad for perpetual motion machine


Lexus is up to its old tricks again. The Toyota subsidiary has drawn ridicule from the EV industry in the past for running highly misleading ads touting the superiority of its hybrids over pure EVs – one trashed the BMW i3, and another inexplicably claimed that EV drivers needed to wait around for their vehicles… Read more »

NCC partners with Drive System Design to integrate composite materials into e-drives


England’s National Composites Centre (NCC) is partnering with engineering consultancy Drive System Design (DSD) on a new project to improve the efficiency of integrated e-drives. The 12-month project is partly funded by the UK’s innovation agency, Innovate UK, and will investigate the use of composites to enable both increased power density and a reduction in… Read more »

Hyundai and Kia invest in UK EV startup Arrival, will develop EVs together


Hyundai and Kia plan to invest €100 million ($111 million) in UK-based Arrival, and to work with the EV startup to develop new vehicles. Arrival has sold its electric delivery trucks, which are native EVs – not conversions of ICE vehicles – to the Royal Mail and UPS. “Arrival, Hyundai, and Kia will use Arrival’s… Read more »

ZETTLER launches two new relay series for EV charging


ZETTLER has launched two new relay series designed for Level 2 EV charging. The AZEV116 and AZEV132 relays are made in accordance with the IEC62752 charging standard. The AZEV116 includes: Electrical lifetime: 50,000 switching cycles 16 A, 277 VAC @ 85° C Short-circuit withstand: ≥ 1.02 kA; ≥ 2.5 kA²s The AZEV132 includes: Electrical lifetime:… Read more »