Researchers at the US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have successfully developed and deployed a bi-directional inductive charging system on a UPS PHEV delivery vehicle. Bidirectionality was not the only feature of the experiment.

The Polish charging infrastructure provider Ekoenergetyka has received another order for electric bus charging infrastructure – this time from Radom. The Polish city is ordering two high-speed chargers for intermediate charging as well as a mobile depot charging facility.

The manager of the UK Treasury’s Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund has announced a second close valued at £80m.  The support comes from the Church Commissioners for England group with HM Treasury matching, as was announced by the fund management company Zouk Capital.

The San Diego based Envision Solar announced the official launch of the upgraded generation of its EV ARC solar-powered EV charging infrastructure products. They are already used in more than 100 US municipalities.

The Shanghai-based Aiways has registered seven patents in Europe and China for the development of its autonomous charging robot. The device, called CARL, is activated via an app, finds the electric car independently and docks automatically without the driver having to be on site.

Byton has selected Qmerit as their new charging partner for wallbox installations in the USA. The agreement is for the installation of Level-2 residential charging hardware, leveraging Qmerit’s contractor network to help provide customer service.

Ford may be planning its own fast-charging network for electric cars called ‘Fastor Charge’. This is at least suggested by a filing from the manufacturer with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

China’s two largest power utilities, State Grid and China Southern Power Grid, are investing heavily in the expansion of charging infrastructure. State Grid plans to provide 2.7 billion yuan this year alone, and China Southern Power Grid plans to provide 25.1 billion yuan within four years.

Ionity and the Extra MSA Group have expanded the UK high power charging network with a 350kW charging station for electric vehicles at Extra’s’s recently constructed Leeds Skelton Lake Services pit stop close to Leeds.

Electrify America announces agreement with Kia Motors America to offer ‘Kia Select,’ a new charging programme with optimised pricing for the all-electric Kia Niro on the DC fast-charging network of the VW subsidiary.

Volkswagen is bringing its flexible (ie semi-mobile) fast-charging (HPC) stations to China via a joint venture. A date for the planned start of production has also been set but the approval of the authorities for the joint venture is still pending.

Blink Charging announced the launch of its new mobile charging station. The free-standing mobile charging station supports 240-volt AC charging and provides up to 9.6kW of charge to electric vehicles.

EVBox and has·to·be have entered into a roaming partnership. Under the terms of the agreement, both companies will grant each other access to their charging networks distributed across Europe.

The Fortescue Metals Group and ATCO Australia signed an agreement to explore the potential of fuel cell vehicle filling infrastructure in Western Australia. They will build and operate a hydrogen station in the Perth area, fueling a showcase fleet of Toyota Mirai.

The logistics & delivery corporation UPS plans to spearhead a project to explore the way Artificial Intelligence systems can optimise charging electric vehicle fleets and integrate onsite renewables to reduce emissions and energy costs.

Allego, ChargePoint and EVBox have formed the ‘ChargeUp Europe’ e-mobility alliance to accelerate the development of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles in Europe.

The Dutch charging network operator Fastned has published its annual report for 2019. The turnover generated by charging services increased by 178 per cent to 4.5 million euros compared to 2018.

Due to the Covid 19 pandemic, not only are the production lines in most electric car plants at a standstill but now first effects on charging infrastructure are becoming apparent. This concerns both the production of charging points and the maintenance and distribution of the pillars.

A large high power charging park was opened on the A7 Autobahn in Germany on Friday. Twenty electric cars can be charged simultaneously at a mix of columns from Ionity and Tesla.

The Chinese battery cell manufacturer CATL plans to enter the market for charging solutions through a cooperation with the charging station operator Baicheng New Energy. The joint venture is to develop the growing charging infrastructure market in China.

Fermata Energy announced its bidirectional charging system is the first to be certified to the new North American safety Standard UL 9741. The standard covers V2G equipment.

Transmission system operators TenneT, energy provider The Mobility House and carmaker Nissan have completed a vehicle-to-grid pilot project launched in 2018 to redistribute renewable energies in Germany.

There’s a curbside charging solution from India as Magenta Power unveils a street lamp charge post. The ChargeGrid Flare, designed in partnership with Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) is for the Indian market first.

The Swedish energy group Vattenfall is retreating from the UK’s EV market as it sells its British charging infrastructure business to Statkraft, Europe’s largest producer of renewable energy that is based in Norway.

As the e-mobility market in Europe approaches adolescence, the option to charge anywhere without having to sign up for multiple providers – roaming, in short, becomes crucial. So we set up a digital meeting with the minds behind two of Europe’s longest-standing providers.

Siemens unveils the first street in the UK that has been completely converted for charging electric vehicles. The Sutherland Avenue in London is over half a mile long and was renamed Electric Avenue, W9.

In a move resembling the new PiCG policy, the UK Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) has confirmed the continuation of all three charging infrastructure schemes. The extension, however, comes with reduced grants but also some broader terms, e.g. the inclusion of charging for larger electric motorbikes.

Iberdrola is expanding their plans to build charging infrastructure for electric cars: The Spanish energy provider plans to invest 150 million euros over the next five years in the installation of 150,000 charging points in households, companies and cities, as well as on motorways and main roads.

Gridserve has today announced that the first of a nationwide network of over 100 Electric Forecourts is now under construction and will open this summer. UK firm’s first solar-powered site in Essex will house 24 rapid chargers, a supermarket and an EV education centre.

Australian charging station manufacturer Tritium will be Pod Point’s preferred partner for the planned rollout of DC charging stations in British supermarkets. The first DC charging points have already been set up and more are to follow soon.