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California Counties Top EV Buyers
According to registration data used as a proxy for sales, there were four counties in the United States with electric vehicle (EV) market penetration above 30% as of December 2022, and all were in California. Santa Clara County topped the list at 35%, followed by Marin County at 34%, and then Alameda and San Mateo Counties at 32% each. Several counties outside of California also had robust EV sales, including Boulder County, Colorado (22%) and San Juan County, Washington (22%). As of the end of 2022, there were 100 counties where EV market penetration was 10% or more.
Air Liquide & Trillium MoU for Hydrogen Fueling in US
Air Liquide and Trillium Energy Solutions have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to pursue the development of the heavy-duty hydrogen fueling market in the U.S. This significant collaboration marks a pivotal milestone in accelerating the decarbonization of the transportation sector while bolstering the hydrogen mobility market.
The partners aim to accelerate the heavy-duty hydrogen transportation ecosystem by focusing on both hydrogen supply and refueling infrastructure. Air Liquide, a world leader in low-carbon and renewable hydrogen production, supply and technologies, will work alongside Trillium Energy Solutions, a member of the Love’s Family of Companies, a leading supplier of sustainable fueling infrastructure in the U.S., to establish the hydrogen refueling infrastructure and fuel supply network vital for the broad adoption of heavy-duty hydrogen truck applications.
This partnership will explore the deployment of an extensive hydrogen retail network, starting with the initial deployment of hydrogen stations along a strategic trucking route. This initiative aims to bolster Truck Original Equipment Manufacturers’ (OEM) efforts to accelerate their vehicle deployments and assist fleet operators in transitioning to low-carbon and zero-emission vehicles. The ambition through this partnership is to initially support the development of 150 tons per day of hydrogen production and the refueling infrastructure capable of supplying more than 2,000 heavy-duty vehicles.
Through this collaboration, Air Liquide and Trillium will combine their strengths in hydrogen production, distribution and fueling infrastructure deployment. Leveraging its 60-year track record in the hydrogen value chain, Air Liquide will contribute its unique expertise in crucial technology facets such as production, liquefaction, transportation, and storage. Trillium will offer its extensive proficiency in operating and managing alternative fueling stations, as well as its nationwide infrastructure footprint to deploy a hydrogen network for retail consumers.
EVgo Credits for HondaLink & Acura EV Apps
-EVgo Inc. (NASDAQ: EVGO) (“EVgo” or the “Company”), one of the nation’s largest public fast charging networks for electric vehicles (EVs), announced a new collaboration with American Honda Motor Co., Inc. that is designed to provide a range of new benefits for Honda and Acura EV drivers, including charging credit, technology integration into the HondaLink and Acura EV apps, and access to EVgo’s nationwide network and its roaming partners. Drivers of qualifying Honda and Acura EV models will be eligible to receive up to $750* in charging credit to use at EVgo chargers around the country.
Honda’s newest EV models are slated for release in North America in early 2024, and drivers will be able to plug in at more than 900 public fast charging locations across EVgo’s nationwide network. Drivers can take advantage of EVgo stations offering up to 350kW fast chargers to power up quickly on the go, and access even more fast charging and Level 2 stations through EVgo’s roaming partners. Through the partnership, by leveraging EVgo Inside™, EVgo’s APIs will be integrated directly into the HondaLink and Acura EV apps, enabling drivers of both brands to register for or link to an existing EVgo account, locate nearby EVgo charging stations, check real-time charger availability, and initiate a charging session within one app.
Qmerit Release White Paper
National Clean Energy Week is marked this week, a comprehensive white paper is being released today that assesses those issues it sees as pivotal to broad electric vehicle (EV) adoption and greater progress toward home and building electrification by 2030. The new paper, Electrification2030, was produced by the Electrification Institute, recently established by Qmerit, North America’s leading installer of home and business EV chargers and other clean energy technologies.
Among the crucial issues the white paper addresses:
- How do we make electrification more affordable?
- How can electrification succeed in the face of shortages of qualified electricians?
- How do we ensure public charging reliability and build public confidence in public charging?
- What is a nano and micro-grid, and how will they underpin the electrification infrastructure?
- What is a Virtual Power Plant (VPP) and why will it be critical to a more robust grid?
The white paper also unveils new, heretofore publicly unreleased, national data from EV Connect pinpointing the specific reasons for public charger failure — further supporting the urgent need for new efforts to boost public charger reliability — and new unreleased Qmerit data on home EV battery and solar installations, disaggregated by U.S. states (see accompanying graphics).
Breaking the usual mold for a white paper, Electrification2030 includes authored perspective pieces from executives at GM Energy, JLL, Schneider Electric and Wheels, and from leading labor market and workforce management expert Haig R. Nalbantian. The perspective pieces, written exclusively for the white paper, tackle a range of pressing EV and clean-energy issues.
“By presenting our point of service-field learnings and insights within this paper, we believe we can contribute positively to the discourse on the very complex EV charging ecosystem. The overarching rationale is to drive the myriad industry stakeholders to embrace a common set of desired outcomes that will enhance the customer experience and address industry weaknesses that are an inevitable growing pain of a nascent industry,” said Qmerit Founder and CEO Tracy K. Price.
“We need less opportunism and more altruism and collaboration across the spectrum of market participants,” Price added. “If we’re to realize substantial progress by 2030 in transitioning to a clean-energy electric grid and a net-zero emission economy, coherence and cohesion must become the norm, ideally free of political and ideological blinders.”
“The stakes are high because, ultimately, we’re all stakeholders for the generations to come.”
StoreDot to Develop Batteries with Volvo
StoreDot, the pioneer of extreme fast charging (XFC) battery technology for electric vehicles, has signed a landmark multi-year agreement with Volvo Cars to develop an optimized battery for next generation Volvo cars.
This collaboration, with experts from Volvo Cars and StoreDot working together, will lead to the development of XFC cells which will be optimized and tailored for Volvo’s future electric vehicle architectures. It’s expected that the first samples will be delivered for testing next year.///
GreenPower Motor Company Inc. (NASDAQ: GP) (TSXV: GPV) (“GreenPower”), a leading manufacturer and distributor of purpose-built, all-electric, zero-emission medium and heavy-duty vehicles serving the cargo and delivery market, shuttle and transit space and school bus sector, today announced the completed delivery of 10 EV Stars for use in the Boston market to provide last mile passenger transportation services.
“The EV Star is the premier all-electric, purpose-built passenger shuttle vehicle on the market today,” said Claus Tritt, Vice President of Medium-Duty and Commercial Vehicle Sales for GreenPower. “Its class leading range and safety ratings combine with its flexibility to meet the demands of various service opportunities in satisfying our customer’s needs.”
GreenPower EV Stars–Becoming Stars in Boston
The GreenPower EV Star is a multi-purpose EV that can be used in a variety of settings including paratransit, employee shuttles, micro transit and vanpool service. It has a range of up to 150 miles and offers dual charging capabilities as a standard feature. The seating layout is customizable to an operator’s needs with multiple configurations and ADA positions. The EV Star is Altoona tested with the highest score of 92.2 in its class. The EV Star chassis is the base chassis for the entire GreenPower EV Star product line.
The EV Stars deployed in Boston have the maximum seating configuration of 20, including the driver, and are equipped with bike racks as the ideal solution for truly integrated transportation. In providing the last mile option for access to and from work, the GreenPower vehicles are meeting the needs of employees through a sustainable service from collection hubs and subway stations.
We Drive Solar to Charge Utrecht
Utrecht is taking the next step in the transition to renewable energy as a result of the partnership between We Drive Solar and MyWheels. The We Drive Solar technology to charge as well as discharge cars bidirectionally will become available to MyWheels’ large fleet of shared cars. This means that Utrecht residents will be the first in the world to experience on a large scale what a ‘neighborhood battery on wheels’ can do.
More than 300 shared cars in Utrecht to be charged using We Drive Solar
By the end of 2023, 300 MyWheels station-based electric shared cars in Utrecht will be connected to We Drive Solar’s charging stations. It is the companies’ ambition to work together to scale that number up substantially in the coming years, including beyond Utrecht. A large number of cars will be bidirectionally controlled, meaning that the car can both charge and discharge and could therefore act as an energy storage facility for the neighborhood. Robin Berg, founder and CEO of We Drive Solar, says: “We are very pleased to partner with MyWheels and The Sharing Group to further accelerate the roll-out of bidirectional charging and demonstrate how it works on a large scale”.
The neighborhood battery on wheels is getting closer
The MyWheels electric sharing cars will become part of the We Drive Solar energy system. The available solar and wind energy is used to charge the shared cars and can be fed back at times when there is a higher demand for sustainable electricity. Shared cars as neighborhood batteries on wheels can play an important role in countering grid congestion and thereby accelerating the energy transition.
Mobility and energy come together in the energy system of the future
The Sharing Group, which includes MyWheels and the energy platform EnergyZero, is investing in a strategy where mobility and energy come together at a neighborhood level, in a local, sustainable and fairer energy system also called a virtual power plant. Henri de Jong, CEO The Sharing Group, says: “We are building The People’s Powerplant – an energy system in which we store the energy we generate ourselves and share it with our locality or neighbors. This is how we accelerate the energy transition and keep it affordable for everyone”. The partnership with We Drive Solar plays an important role in connecting these two worlds. On the one hand, MyWheels electric cars provide shared mobility in the neighborhood as well as acting as a local battery. On the other hand, EnergyZero’s energy platform operates based on dynamic rates. We Drive Solar provides the connecting link. We Drive Solar has years of experience in charging and discharging (shared) cars and is using this knowledge to make the largest electric shared car fleet in the Netherlands accessible as storage capacity for a sustainable electricity supply
EVgo Enhaances Network
EVgo Inc. (NASDAQ: EVGO) (“EVgo” or the “Company”), one of the nation’s largest public fast charging networks for electric vehicles (EVs), announced significant progress in network enhancements made through EVgo ReNew™, its comprehensive maintenance program focused on bolstering reliability and elevating the customer experience. The ReNew program consists of six pillars that outline the Company’s approach to reliability: Resilience, Prevention, Diagnostics, Rapid Response, Analysis, and Continuous Customer Service.
Focusing on overall network performance and the holistic customer experience, EVgo has accomplished the following in the different pillars of the ReNew program:
- Resilience
- ReNewed Equipment: In the first two quarters of the year, EVgo upgraded, replaced, or decommissioned legacy equipment at more than 120 stalls in key markets across the U.S., bringing its cumulative total to over 350 DCFC stalls nationally since the start of 2022.
- Focus on High Power: Nearly all EVgo stations operationalized year to date in 2023 feature high-power 350kW fast chargers to satisfy customer demand and future proof the network.
- Bigger Stations: 95% of all new stations include at least four fast charging stalls, with more than 40% of stations under construction featuring 6+ stalls.
- Streamlined Payment: Added eight new EV models to Autocharge+ in the last year, expanding the program to 30 eligible vehicle models.
- Prevention and Diagnostics
- Preventative Maintenance: Performed annual preventative maintenance and health checks on more than 1,500 stalls since the start of 2022.
- Investment in Diagnostics Capabilities: Implemented new tools that help predict potential issues to inform preventative maintenance cycles.
- Extensive Vehicle Interoperability Testing: In the first half of 2023, the team at the EVgo Innovation Lab performed first-time interoperability testing on 14 EV models. This continued focus on vehicle interoperability testing is critical to ensuring a flawless “handshake” between the vehicle and available charging equipment, and the delivery of a seamless customer experience.
- Rapid Response and Analysis
- Reduced Repair Times by Half: EVgo has cut the average station repair time in half over the last 12 months.
- Advanced Inventory Management: New inventory management system has been established to increase the supply of high-use replacement components, such as charging cables, to further expedite repair timelines.
- Continuous Customer Service
- Increased Customer Care Staffing: As utilization and charging sessions continue to increase on the EVgo network, EVgo made significant additions to its 24/7 EVgo Charging Crew to assist customers with questions about their EV, account status, payment options, charging and more, including staff with bilingual capabilities to enable more widespread service.
- Customer Empathy Program: EVgo created a new customer experience initiative – the EVgo Roadrunners – that replicates real customer scenarios in the field to support the development of solutions for common charging issues.
In addition to its work to enhance network uptime through the ReNew program, EVgo is also now tracking “One & Done” success rates, a measure of a driver’s ability to successfully initiate a charging session on the first attempt. Looking at One & Done rates provides more nuanced insight into the customer experience than a standalone uptime metric and helps EVgo diagnose root causes of unsuccessful charging attempts, whether due to charging equipment, vehicle interoperability, customer education, or other factors. EVgo’s goal is to achieve One & Done success rates of over 95% by the end of 2023, and already improved six percentage points over the first six months of the year through its investments in ReNew.
“We launched EVgo ReNew in January because we know charging infrastructure reliability is key to strengthening consumer confidence in EVs and propelling the massive market transformation needed to achieve an all-electric future,” said Dennis Kish, Chief Operating Officer at EVgo. “EVgo is creating the fast charging network that all EV drivers deserve, and we’ll continue to bolster our network to help deliver a truly seamless customer experience for everyone who plugs into an EVgo fast charger.”
Complementary to ReNew are EVgo’s efforts to develop customer education programs, including Charge Talk, a video series focused on answering EV drivers’ biggest EV charging questions, and a new QR code campaign at select stations that links to “charging 101” toolkits with videos and how-to content to help new EV drivers successfully charge for the first time. The Company also launched dealership education pilots with two automaker partners to equip dealer staff with resources to support customers purchasing or leasing an EV for the first time.
Drawing from more than a decade of experience deploying fast charging infrastructure, as well as extensive technical expertise from the engineering team at its Innovation Lab, EVgo also released a new best practice guide on charger reliability through its Connect the Watts™ initiative. The document outlines best practices to address ecosystem-wide issues at the root to solve charger reliability, with a focus on codes and standards improvements, vehicle interoperability and more.
Gelson’s to ReCharge Rove
Supercharging its seven-decade reputation as an innovator in Southern California, Gelson’s has finalized a partnership with Rove, a developer and operator of full-service electric vehicle (EV) charging centers, to provide food and beverage services as part of this ground-breaking new concept. Rove will launch by building an initial six locations in Southern California beginning this year, with 20 charging centers planned by 2026. The deal represents a first-of-its-kind retail brand partnership for Gelson’s.
ReCharge by Gelson’s will offer a curated selection of quality foods, beverages and convenience items delivered with exceptional service to both on-the-go Rove customers and locals in the neighborhood. Offerings will feature coffee service and delicious hot and cold snack and meal options to fuel up on site or to take and eat like poke bowls and sushi, sandwiches and wraps, salads, charcuterie and cheese plates – alongside a large assortment of single-serve and multi-pack cold beverages. A convenient selection of dairy and frozen items will also be offered along with staples like snack foods, bread, and non-grocery items.
Rove’s EV charging centers will feature 40+ ultra-fast EV chargers, a 24/7 lounge with restrooms and free Wi-Fi, and an eco-friendly car wash for added convenience in some locations. Every center will also include parking spots for non-chargers – making it easy to pick up Gelson’s quality breakfast, lunch, and dinner offerings to make delicious and healthful eating effort-free for busy consumers.
“We’re excited for the Gelson’s team and their new concept to join our full-service EV charging centers,” said Rove CEO Nathan McDonnell. “From day one, we aimed to offer our customers fresh food alongside a superior charging experience. With ReCharge by Gelson’s at Rove’s centers, we are reimaging the public charging experience together, leaving EV drivers recharged in more ways than one.
Blink Partners with Parkopedia
Blink Charging Co. (NASDAQ: BLNK) (“Blink” or the “Company”), a leading global manufacturer, owner, operator and provider of electric vehicle (EV) charging equipment and services, announced an agreement with Parkopedia, a leading global connected car and parking services provider, to integrate over 4,000 Blink EV charging locations onto the Parkopedia platform in North America. This strategic integration will grant the platform access to nearly 12,000 Blink public EV chargers, which includes 129 DC Fast Chargers.
Parkopedia is a connected car services provider used by automakers, organizations, and millions of drivers around the world to seamlessly find the closest available parking to their destination, pay for parking, and obtain information on EV charging, fuel, and tolls across 90 countries. The agreement between Blink and Parkopedia will integrate more than 4,000 Blink’s locations of nearly 12,000 publicly available Blink EV chargers into Parkopedia’s network. This collaboration between the two companies will substantially improve the EV driver’s ability to locate EV charging points, and directly address concerns about the availability of EV charging infrastructure.
“Our collaboration with Parkopedia creates a streamlined experience for EV drivers to conveniently locate Blink EV charging stations across North America,” said Jim Nemec, Chief Revenue Officer for Blink Charging. “The combination of Parkopedia’s excellence in serving drivers through convenience in parking accessibility and Blink’s extensive range of public EV chargers gives EV drivers confidence in finding a reliable charging experience wherever they are. This initiative builds upon our strategy of making it easy for EV drivers to locate Blink chargers through a variety of platforms.”
Facilitating easy access to charging options beyond one’s residence is a critical component in advancing EV adoption. A recent survey showed that 92% of current US drivers would be more likely to transition to an EV if they have access to a network like Parkopedia to locate and navigate to charging stations. Parkopedia’s network will connect EV drivers with all publicly available Blink charging choices, including an impressive tally of 11,848 L2 chargers.
“We recognize that parking and charging are increasingly interlinked and are working to simplify the process of parking and charging for drivers, as seen in this new collaboration with Blink,” commented Adam Woolway, Head of EV at Parkopedia. “This gives Parkopedia access to Blink charging stations and data, which we combine with our existing parking information to provide drivers with a seamless parking and charging experience through their in-car head units, along with accurate parking and charging availability predictions.”
Lectron at Home Depot
Lectron, a leading provider of home and portable electric vehicle (“EV”) charging solutions, proudly announces five EV chargers and adapters will be available online and at select Home Depot stores nationwide. The introduction of the V-BOX EV Charging Station, coupled with new Level 1 and 2 portable EV chargers, enhances the selection of reliable and affordable Lectron products available now.
“Our best-in-class charging solutions address compatibility issues and range anxiety head-on. We are excited to collaborate with The Home Depot to offer a range of charging stations, portable chargers, and adapters to their valued customers.” – Christopher Maiwald, Founder and CEO of Lectron.
The following Lectron EV chargers and adapters can be found in select stores or online at The Home Depot.
Perficient Notes EV Experience not Efficient
Perficient, Inc. (Nasdaq: PRFT) (“Perficient”), the leading global digital consultancy transforming the world’s largest enterprises and biggest brands, unveiled research findings that show striking disparities in customer buying experiences between buyers who purchased electric vehicles (EVs) and buyers of internal combustion engine (ICE) and hybrid vehicles.
With the increase of EV models from traditional automotive manufacturers, the competition among automakers for EV buyers is intensifying. Yet according to Perficient’s study, the adoption of EVs remains a struggle across the industry due to the misperceptions original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and dealers have about the customer buying experience. Nevertheless, 31% of non-EV owners plan to purchase an EV in the next two years, and only 3% are not open to it.
For generations, the traditional car-buying experience has been fraught with high-pressure sales tactics, haggling, and a lack of trust between consumers and dealerships. Among other factors, Perficient’s research found that this outdated model deters potential EV car buyers. Specifically, Perficient found that:
- Only 39% of non-EV owners believe that dealerships have their best interests at heart; and
- A mere 35% of non-EV owners trust the salespeople at dealerships.
But the same cannot be said for EV dealership experiences. According to Perficient’s study, 96% of EV buyers, especially Tesla owners, feel satisfied with their in-person buying experience, and 71% consider the relationship with the dealer or showroom important or very important when making a purchase.
“The success EV brands like Tesla are experiencing stems from their customer-first approach and seamless experiences across the entire purchasing journey,” said Keith Tomatore, automotive industry lead, Perficient. “If traditional automotive players want to compete effectively and gain EV market share, they need to embrace a more modern buyer journey consumers have come to expect.”
There are data-backed strategies that OEMs and dealers can take to gain market share and improve the car-buying experience, including:
- Shift from sales focus to product expertise: Nearly 75% of EV owners expect salespeople to be knowledgeable about the product, yet almost 10% of traditional dealers were found by customers to be only somewhat knowledgeable or not knowledgeable at all. Whereas traditional automotive salespeople are hyper-focused on aggressive sales tactics, EV brands have crafted a buying experience with salespeople who are passionate about their products and eager to share their knowledge.
- Improve the virtual and in-person showroom experience: Consumers are reducing the time spent in traditional automotive showrooms by preemptively conducting their own online research. Perficient found that 95% of all car buyers in the study reported doing at least some research prior to visiting a showroom – with 68% of EV owners doing a significant amount of research – emphasizing the need for robust and engaging online experiences.
- Prioritize education to overcome roadblocks: While EV ownership is on the rise, 75% of car buyers have no experience with EVs and are reluctant to purchase due to lack of knowledge, allowing for misperceptions about EV charging, maintenance, and ownership costs. EV manufacturers are addressing these pain points through buying experiences focused on product education over sales, representing opportunities for traditional automotive manufacturers to shift their approach.
“Our research underscores the pivotal role that customer experience plays in the EV adoption journey,” said Eve Sangenito, principal of digital marketing and customer experience consulting, Perficient. “Car buyers are more likely to purchase an EV when they understand the product and can make an informed purchase. EV brands have listened to consumers and crafted buying experiences that cater to their expectations.”
Visit Perficient.com to learn more about the results of Perficient’s EV research study and access the full report titled “Perficient Research Reveals an Opportunity for Legacy Automakers and Dealers to Improve Customer Experience and Accelerate the Adoption of Electric Vehicles.”
Having served more than 150 leading OEMs, dealers, suppliers, and emerging mobility companies globally, Perficient’s automotive industry experts champion a digital-first, customer-driven approach to connected vehicles, electrification, omnichannel commerce, and the future of transportation. To learn more about Perficient’s automotive expertise, follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.
About Perficient’s EV Research Study
To better understand consumers, both current EV owners and non-EV owners, Perficient surveyed a mix of 1,012 individuals across regions, ages, and genders. The survey collected 502 responses from ICE vehicle or hybrid owners and 510 from EV owners between May 15 and June 5, 2023.
- EV owners are defined as people who purchased a new electric vehicle in person or online through a dealership or showroom within the past year.
- Non-EV owners are people who have not purchased a car in the past year but intend to purchase a new car in the next two years, in person or online, through a dealership or showroom. These individuals have also never owned an electric vehicle previously.
Additionally, Perficient conducted 45-minute interviews with 20 car owners (a mix of electric, traditional ICE, and hybrid vehicles) and seven dealers to gain more in-depth insight into perceptions, motivations, and behaviors.
Electrify America in Grand Canyon
Electrify America, the nation’s largest open DC fast charging network for electric vehicles (EV), announced the opening of a charging station at the Grand Canyon Visitor Center giving EV drivers a convenient and hyper-fast charging solution.
Located at the south entrance to Grand Canyon National Park at 450 State Route 64 in Tusayan, Arizona, the new station – featuring six chargers capable of speeds up to 350 kW – is part of Electrify America’s overall expansion plan to help build range confidence for EV drivers. The Grand Canyon station now connects to Electrify America stations in Kingman, Willliams and Flagstaff, Arizona, providing a route from Las Vegas, Nevada.
“The station at Grand Canyon Visitor Center really embodies Electrify America’s mission to create convenient and accessible high speed charging for EVs”, said Brandy Mathie, director, site acquisition and portfolio management at Electrify America. “We are thrilled to electrify the adventure road trip.”
While visiting the station, EV drivers can pay by credit or debit card, or by using the Electrify America mobile app, which allows drivers to easily locate a station, initiate a charge and check charging session progress from their phones for a seamless experience from start to finish.
Kandi Buys Distribution Center In Dallas
Kandi America (“Kandi” or the “Company”), a leading distributor of all-electric personal transportation and utility vehicles, a.k.a. SC Autosports, LLC, a fully owned subsidiary of Kandi Technologies Group, Inc., (Nasdaq: KNDI), announces the acquisition of a state-of-the-art distribution center (“DC”) in suburban Dallas, Texas. This DC to be operated by Kandi reflects the necessity to accommodate steadily accelerating momentum in its U.S. all-electric sport vehicle business.
Completed in 2023, the newly constructed facility is located at 3301 Marquis Drive in Garland, Texas and boasts a sprawling 74,758 square feet of warehouse space on a 4.56-acre lot. The acquisition was closed on September 13, 2023. Kandi expects to have the DC fully operational in the next few months.
Johnny Tai, CEO of Kandi America, noted: “This newly built facility enables us to support our accelerating expansion in North America. Having established the Kandi brand through product quality, attractive pricing, and marketing support, we now intend to drive growth through geographic penetration across the U.S. Additional distribution centers will be key to fulfilling demand in a timely and cost-effective manner.”
Olen Rice, President of Northern Group, Inc, a wholly owned subsidiary of Kandi America, commented, “Renowned for its business-friendly environment, the city of Garland in North Texas is a pivotal hub, situated conveniently near Interstate Highway 635. This location aligns seamlessly with our near-term strategy to drive penetration in adjacent states, even as we set our eyes on building a country-wide distribution network.”
MP6 Charging Standard Tested
Consumers cannot change public fast-charger reliability or station availability, but they can choose a faster-charging vehicle: one that provides the most options when travelling long distances or anytime their battery is low. Consumers confront these two scenarios when charging performance is most critical, and when BEVs suffer most in comparison to what they know best, ICE (internal combustion aka gas/diesel engine) vehicles.
MP6 is AMCI Testing’s new 6-minute charging standard. It will give consumers real-world test results for the 6-minute charging performance of any BEV on the market. It does this whether at a station matched to the vehicle’s maximum stated charge rate, or charging at what is currently the nation’s most accessible and reliable network: Tesla Supercharger.
Why a 6-minute charge? “Consumers will adopt new solutions like BEVs, but only when they are minimally less convenient than a current, prevalent solution. It currently takes approximately 6 minutes to fuel an ICE vehicle,” said David Stokols, AMCI Global’s CEO. “For EVs to obtain significant mainstream market penetration, time spent fueling while on the road (out-of-home charging) must move closer to that of gas or diesel vehicles”. AMCI Testing (a division of AMCI Global) sees MP6 as a service to help both consumers and OEMs’ focus on this important metric, so that the world can enjoy the positive environmental impact promised by BEVs.”
In a sea of conflicting, confusing and often inaccurate information about BEVs, range anxiety, and power/charge ratings, MP6 provides truth and clarity. It quantifies the anxiety provoking,” moment of truth;” how your vehicle will perform when you’re away from home, short on time, and low on charge.
For our first MP6 public fast-charging test we chose a Tesla Supercharger site fitted with Tesla’s ‘Magic Dock’ adapter, as it is purportedly soon to roll out across Tesla’s network. When done, this will become the most abundant public charging available across all models and brands. The MP6 measures miles of range added from 10% SOC (state of charge) with a 6-minute fast charge. In this first case, we chose the Ford Mustang Mach-E and the Mercedes-Benz EQE as both brands have stated that Tesla Superchargers will be a major public charging solution for their owners. The Hyundai IONIQ 5 was chosen due to its advanced 800V architecture. The MP6 protocol dictates that the batteries are pre-conditioned and have an SOC reading of 10%.
AMCI Testing MP6 results:
1st place: Ford Mustang Mach-E: 32.5 MP6
2nd place: Mercedes-Benz EQE: 31.5 MP6
3rd place: Hyundai IONIQ 5: 28.0 MP6
“In our opinion there needs to be equal emphasis on vehicle range and on charging speed. When on the road, when short on time or short on range, charging speed is what really matters,” stated Guy Mangiamele, Director of AMCI Testing.”MP6 will conclusively show which BEVs out-perform the others and how that performance varies depending upon the public charging network you choose. Armed with AMCI Testing’s real-world results, BEV buyers can choose the right vehicle and drive an EV with confidence.”
In the coming weeks and months, as OEMs provide vehicles, AMCI Testing will publish further MP6 test results covering a wide range of vehicles. Go to www.amcitesting.com to sign up to receive updates as they occur.
About AMCI testing
AMCI Testing is an independent automotive research firm, specializing in unbiased, exclusive, comparative evaluations of automotive products since 1984. The breadth of our testing includes ICE, HEV, PHEV, BEV and FCEV powertrains and every facet of measurement and product category. AMCI Testing Certification is recognized as an industry gold standard.
PPG Solar Powered Off-Roader
PPG (NYSE: PPG) today announced a partnership with a student organization from the Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands to develop the Stella Terra, believed to be the world’s first off-road car powered by the energy of the sun, making it independent of charging stations and paved roads.
As part of its recent $5 million commitment to environmental sustainability education, PPG is providing a grant of $37,000 (35,000 euros) to the Solar Team Eindhoven. The company is also supplying its PPG CORACHAR™ fire protection coating to protect the vehicle’s lithium (Li)-ion battery pack. The Stella Terra has been designed to withstand the harsh conditions of off-roading, and in October the team will depart for Morocco, where it will undergo extensive testing, including in the Sahara desert.
“A risk of Li-ion batteries is that they can experience thermal runaway,” said Wisse Bos, team manager of Solar Team Eindhoven. “While the probability of this failure occurring is rather slim, we decided to partner with PPG to minimize the effects of such a severe accident. PPG’s cutting-edge innovations on battery coatings make it possible for Terra’s drivers and its surroundings to evacuate in a worst-case scenario by stalling the spread of a battery fire.”
PPG CoraChar battery fire protection coatings are intumescent – they expand in the presence of high heat or fire – to provide an insulating layer to protect from thermal damage. The coatings cover a wide range of applications and leverage PPG’s experience with industrial and commercial fire protection, improve light-weighting, increasing battery performance, and supporting passenger and first-responder safety in case of a fire.
“The project supports PPG’s goals of developing sustainably advantaged technologies and supporting sustainability education,” said Thierry Destruhaut, PPG customer sustainability business partner, Automotive OEM Coatings. “Through this investment, we aim to support educational activities related to clean energy and the future of mobility and help prepare the next generation of leaders to understand the impacts of climate change.”
PPG’s global community engagement efforts and the PPG Foundation aim to bring color and brightness to PPG communities around the world. We invested $16.2 million in 2022, supporting hundreds of organizations across more than 35 countries. By investing in educational opportunities, we help grow today’s skilled workforce and develop tomorrow’s innovators in fields related to coatings and manufacturing. Plus, we empower PPG employees to multiply their impact for causes that are important to them by supporting their volunteer efforts and charitable giving. Learn more at communities.ppg.com.
Fisker Funded with More Notes
Fisker Inc. (NYSE: FSR) (“Fisker”), driven by a mission to create the world’s most emotional and sustainable electric vehicles, announced today its intention to offer $170,000,000 in aggregate principal amount of 0% senior unsecured convertible notes due 2025 (the “Notes”) to an existing institutional investor (the “Investor”), with such Notes having an original issue discount of approximately 12%, resulting in gross proceeds of $150,000,000 to Fisker.
Autel’s Maxi-Chrger Efficenciency
The recognition is awarded and presented by the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) based on stringent energy efficiency criteria outlined in the Energy Efficiency Criteria for EV Chargers 2024. According to these criteria, DC chargers under 60KW must achieve an efficiency rating exceeding 93.738% to attain the coveted 3-star rating. Autel MaxiCharger DC Compact 47KW has surpassed these requirements, achieving an impressive maximum efficiency of 95.293% at full load.