Chargemaster’s former CEO David Martell has launched a new company called Evios that just presented its first home charger. According to the company, the Evios One is the “smartest and most intuitive charger” on the market.
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The London borough of Waltham Forest decided to install 24 charging bays, which will be reserved for charging EVs exclusively. ChargeMaster will take care of the installation and the stations are to become part of the Polar network.
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BP will buy one of the UK’s largest EV charging providers. Chargemaster runs aboout 6,500 stations in their Polar network. They did not disclose any details but the new company will be called BP Chargemaster and plans on setting up more fast-charging stations at pit stops.
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The British charging infrastructure provider is targeting a flotation in June, “Sky News” has learnt. With this step, the company seeks to raise 50m pounds and to augment its total value to 170m pounds.
Read moreGogoro spices up electric scooter: The manufacturer has presented an update of its electric scooter which is part of the sharing scheme Coup. The free-float service is available in Berlin and reportedly about to be applied in Paris. The Gogoro 2 comes with 6.4 kWh swappable battery just as the original, but shall allow smoother torque and more control. Its launch is scheduled for July in Taiwan before it will enter other countries by late 2017.
theverge.com, engadget.com
Charging infrastructure for the Algarve: Portugal’s South shall soon attract both local as well as travelling EV drivers by offering 32 EV semi-fast charging points. They are part of a pilot kicked-off by the country’s government and executed by Mobie.E. Two charging stations each will stand in all the Algarve’s 16 municipalities and the network is supposed to go live within two months.
theportugalnews.com
Chargemaster to supply black cabs: The London Taxi Company has chosen Chargemaster as official supplier for charging equipment for its new range-extended electric taxis. As reported, LTC cabs will hit the roads of Britain’s capital later this year before their international launch in 2018.
chargemasterplc.com
Big hybrid bus order: Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) has ordered 55 hybrid buses from New Flyer. The contract includes the supply of 47 Xcelsior diesel-electric series buses for 51m dollars and an option for up to eight additional buses in 2018.
greencarcongress.com, newswire.ca
Quick charging along biking routes: Energica has put its first quick charging station in Selva di Val Gardena (South Tyrol) into operation. The specialist for electric motorcycles announced some months ago its intention to initiate a charging network along popular biking routes in Italy and California. The company counts on CCS tech and just recently joined the CharIN network.
blog.motorcycle.com
Siemens’ new 920 volts station: Siemens has added a new 150 kW high power charging station to its product line. The system works with up to 920 volts, enabling “a charging time of just ten minutes to travel over 100 km”, said the firm. The multi-standard station is able to service three EVs simultaneously.
siemens.com
Airbnb for charging stations: Share&Charge is the name of a new community platform for owners of EVs and charging stations that has just gone live in both Google and the Apple App Store. The tool works with blockchain tech and enables people to make their charging point accessible and billable. As the project was born through innogy’s Innovation Hub, innogy is also the first cooperation partner to register 1,000 charge points.
ibtimes.co.uk
Alphabet and Chargemaster announced their cooperation in Great Britain. While the first has a fleet of 8,000 EVs and HEVs, the latter erected more than 30,000 home charging units in 2016. The partners state, that clients would benefit “in a multitude of ways.”
fleetnews.co.uk
Electrified Bayernwerk fleet: The German E.ON subsidiary wants to replace its 1,300 cars gradually with EVs, mainly from 2020 on. At the latest in 2025, the utility wants to take its last conventionally powered car out of service. The first 28 EVs joined Bayernwerk’s fleet already at the end of 2016.
bayernwerk.de (in German)
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Bozen and Val d’Aosta unleash EVs: Italian province of Bozen/Bolzano launched the #ViaggiareSmart plan, that includes a 4,000 euro rebate for purchases of BEVs, and 2,000 euros for plug-in vehicles. Furthermore, the local government will add 10 more charging stations in its relatively small district, following the lead of Val d’Aosta, who will add 35 more charging points, making it the most dense area in Italy in terms of installed charging stations.
lastampa.it (in Italian) via ev.today
Built-in EV charging: Neighbourhood regeneration firm Blueprint is planning to install communal electric car charging points throughout its 100m pound Trent Basin development, after 75% of buyers have shown interest in the eco-friendly side of the site. It is part of the Go Ultra Low Nottingham programme.
nottinghampost.com
Upgrade in London: Chargemaster has upgraded Luton Borough Council’s public EV charging points, which it took over from Source East last month. Following the closure of Source East, Chargemaster is offering all hosts complementary upgrades as well as free rapid charge points.
Info via email
California to introduce EV fees: The state that was a plug-in’s paradise for so long is working on a change of policy in order to make up for “lost” revenue that otherwise used to come from gasoline taxes. Hence, a one-time registration fee of 100 dollars will apply for plug-in vehicles starting in the 2020 model year. On top there will be annual fees of 25 dollars for PEVs and 175 for EVs worth more than 60,000 dollars – you may call that a Tesla tax. Fair or not, California will boost its gas tax 43% at the same time, so it is by far not the end of green politics in the Golden State.
autoblog.com
UberE programme in Portland: The ride sharing service has launched a new scheme in Portland together with the Drive Oregon NGO to help drivers switch to electric vehicles. Uber will send EV Ambassadors and has teamed up with Xchange Leasing as well as local EV manufacturer Arcimoto. Another buying option is for electric bicycles for those that deliver food with UberEATS.
electrek.co, techcrunch.com
Home charging reloaded: Dutch EV-Box, which has recently been acquired by Engie, launched a new generation of EV charging devices. Elvi combines upgradable power capacity technology, smart interoperable stations as well as a modular design for installation and maintenance. It shall kick-off in both the States and Europe before the year’s end.
ev-box.com
GUL campaign grows: Hyundai Motor UK has joined the Go Ultra Low campaign. The Korean carmaker will add its ix35 FCV and Ioniq EV to the product lineup, which are officially campaigning for the use of plug-in and fuel cell vehicles on the Isles. Hyundai thus joins the likes of Audi, BMW, Kia, Nissan, Renault, Toyota and Volkswagen on the consortium.
am-online.com, businesscar.co.uk
Germany’s charging initiative is working at least for large utilities like E.On. Its regional subsidiaries have handed in applications for more than 700 charging points. Most requests for funding were submitted by Avacon, Bayernwerk, E.DIS and Hansewerk on behalf of municipalities.
upi.com, eon.com
Chargemaster’s Polar network is to take on all former Source East charge points with complimentary upgrades. Source East will go out of business by the end of the month (we reported).
fleetnews.co.uk
100 Soul EV order: Kia sold a whole bunch of its electric cars to one rental company on the Korean island of Udo. 100 Soul EV are on the way. To date, Kia sold 21,000 units worldwide since the Soul EV’s inception in 2014.
koreajoongangdaily.com
“I want it and know Vauxhall needs it. As yet, we don’t have the decision. But I think we’ll have it. For me, it’s a matter of time.”
Opel chairman Karl-Thomas Neumann hopes to persuade GM to invest in a right-hand drive variant of the Ampera-e aka the Bolt.
autocar.co.uk
Audi of America President Scott Keogh calls on car dealers to jump onto the electric car market as he believes that any hurdles like infrastructure will very soon disappear.
hybridcars.com
2,000 new chargers for the UK: British charging infrastructure provider Chargemaster has completed the takeover of Elektromotive and its subsidiary Charge Your Car (we reported). Chargemaster wants to also invest 15m pounds in 2,000 new EV chargers in the UK.
chargemasterplc.com
Electric commercial carsharing: The PSA Group is making 80 percent of Paris’ fleet of electric commercial vehicles available for the sharing service “VULe Partegés,” which is aimed primarily at business clients. The project kicks off with five stations with ten electric commercial transporters each.
businesswire.com, groupe-psa.com
Ukrainian police plugs in: As reported, the Ukrainian police is looking to electrify its fleet. Mitsubishi now says it will deliver no less than 635 Outlander PHEV in July.
greencarcongress.com, mitsubishi-motors.com
Diesel charge: Westminster wants to charge diesel cars an extra fee just for parking. During a trial period from April, drivers of diesel-powered cars and vans will have to pay 50 percent more than drivers of other vehicles. Westminster is the first council in the UK to introduce such a fee.
theguardian.com
Modernising Massachusetts’ grid: Utility Eversource wants to invest 400m dollars in the state, with 145m dollars earmarked for setting up energy storage and electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Specifically issues like workplace charging, multi-unit dwellings, fast-charging along highways, and charging in disadvantaged communities will be addressed.
utilitydive.com
Big deal: Chargemaster has received a 2.3m pound order to set up chargers in Milton Keynes. In addition to 50 public chargers at sporting compounds, hotels, restaurants, etc., the infrastructure provider will set up two petrol station like “EV charging hubs” near a motorway junction and a shopping centre.
chargemasterplc.com
Paris clears the air: As reported, the French capital issued partial driving bans on Tuesday, extending it for three consecutive days. During that time, public transport and electric carsharing can be used for free. Other cities like Lyon are considering following suit. From July 1st, 2017, Paris will ban all diesel cars and vans first registered before 2001 and all diesel-powered trucks with a registration date prior to 2006.
reuters.com
Parcel delivery: UPS is testing a new way to deliver parcels emission free, using a prototype electric-assist tricycle. The Truck Trike can haul as much as 600 pounds. The first testing ground is Portland, Oregon, where the company is already using conventional bikes to make deliveries.
greencarcongress.com, treehugger.com
Electrifying public transport: Over the next ten years, Greensboro, North Carolina, will successively replace its 47 diesel buses with electric ones. The first two or three e-buses could go into service in 2018. A first charging station is being set up in cooperation with utility Duke Energy.
greensboro-nc.gov
Ioniq Electric carsharing and all-inclusive offer: Hyundai and WaiveCar want to kick off an e-carsharing scheme with 150 Hyundai EVs in Los Angeles. Another 250 units in three other cities will join the fleet by the end of 2017. Because of advertising on and inside the vehicle, the first two hours are free. Moreover, Hyundai will offer “Ioniq Unlimited” leasing in California, offering the Ioniq Electric, as well as charging and service for three years a flat fee.
greencarcongress.com, carscoops.com, autoblog.com
Vancouver plans more chargers: The Canadian city has earmarked another 3m Canadian dollars for the installation of more EV charging stations over the next five years. Vancouver wants to become “the world’s greenest city” by 2020 and increase their numbers of EVs from now 1,000 to 30,000 units.
cbc.ca
Cheap EV hire: To push the uptake of electric mobility, South Korea’s environmental ministry has struck deals with several car hiring companies. They will offer long-term rentals of some 6,000 EVs, said to be cheaper than purchasing an electric car, Moreover, the government will offer monetary incentives to buyers of the rental EVs.
yonhapnews.co.kr
Tesla charges Australia: The EV maker has kicked off installation of three new Supercharger sites Down Under. One will be located between Melbourne and Adelaide in the south of the country, while the other two will connect Sydney and Brisbane. Tesla also plans to install another Supercharger along that route, so models with lower range can also go the distance.
gizmodo.com.au
Chargemaster partners with Mercedes: Mercedes PHEV drivers in the UK can now order a homecharger with 3.6 or 7 kW, which will be delivered and installed by the country’s largest EV infrastructure provider. Customers who sign up benefit from six months free access to Chargemaster’s “Polar Network.”
automotiveworld.com
The end of free supercharging is near as Tesla announces the start of its ‘credit’ scheme by January 2017. From then on, new buyers will be given 400 kWh of Supercharging credits per year – worth about a 1,000 miles – and will be charged after. For those that already own a Tesla or buy one before the year’s end, Superchargers will remain free of charge.
electrek.co, usatoday.com, tesla.com
UK charge network: Chargemaster and parking operator Q-Park, who reportedly cooperate in London, widen their joint efforts. They plan to build 200 so-called Ultracharger, which are to become part of Chargemaster’s Polar network.
chargemasterplc.com
Charging in Georgia: 100 EV charging stations will be installed in Georgia this year. The first are to go into operation in the capital of Tiflis. That makes it two stations per EV as only 50 EV run in Georgia.
georgiatoday.ge
Charging Cyprus: Three more EV charging stations will be build on Cyprus, in the town of Limassol. The island thus has 15 charge stops in total.
cyprus-mail.com
Emission reduction at airports: 33.7m dollars in grants will be handed out by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Nine airports have been selected, among them the Indianapolis International Airport, which will buy six electric buses. Others will invest in charging infrastructure.
ftnnews.com, einnews.com
Electric pick-up: Taxi company Airport Cars, operating at the Gatwick airport in London, wants switch out its entire fleet with electric and plug-in hybrid cars by 2020. The fleet currently consist of 250 vehicles and the company has ordered a first batch of Tesla Model S, which it will begin testing in 2017.
crawleynews.co.uk
E-Lada to see the light? Recently, Russian company AvtoVAZ presented an electric version of the Russian cult car (we reported). Now, the national nuclear agency RosAtom seems ready to fund production by purchasing between 3,000 and 6,000 units, as well as promising to help set up infrastructure. But nothing is fix quite yet.
rbth.com
Funding E-Carsharing: The electric scheme in Chattanooga, Tennessee (we reported), has received 750,000 dollars in local funding from the Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA). It will therefore kick off with 20 Nissan Leaf and 20 chargers before the end of the month.
businesswire.com
Free homecharger: New buyers of a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV in the UK will now receive a free Chargemaster Homecharger, including installation. The network also adds a POLAR Plus card to give the driver free access to chargers across the country for six months. The offer is valid until the end of the year, while chargers must be installed at home by January 31st, 2017.
chargemasterplc.com
More plugs at Denver airport: The Denver International Airport recently opened a new parking structure with more than 1,800 stalls. It also includes six EV chargers, while another ten could be added during the months of October. It total, there will be 36 places to plug in.
denverpost.com
More e-buses for London: The English capital wants to electrify two bus lines (507 and 521) by the end of the year. The 51 new electric buses, built by BYD and Alexander Dennis, would then bring the total number of electric buses in London to 73. Another 2,000 hybrid buses are already on the road there.
eandt.theiet.org, mayorwatch.co.uk
UK charging network join forces: Chargemaster has taken over fellow provider Elektromotive’s Charge Your Car (CYC), meaning Britain’s two largest charging networks are now one. Both brands are said to remain, while customer support and maintenance resources will be shared.
nextgreencar.com
“e-pendler in niederösterreich” strikes a balance: After its three -year run, the programme in Lower Austria counted new 114 electric cars, 86 e-bikes and 167 charging points. Moreover, the acceptance of electric mobility in combination with public transport is said to have increased, while the e-bike market experienced a “boom.” Since 2013, the region had tested how the daily commute between Vienna and Wr. Neustadt could become more efficient and environmentally friendly.
orf.at (in German)
Supercharging Portugal? It seems Tesla is meeting with Portuguese officials looking to set up Superchargers in the country. The carmaker doesn’t offer any direct service in the country yet, but there are still quite a few Model S drivers already, that could soon change as well.
jornaldenegocios.pt (in Portuguese) via electrek.co
Introducing Share2: The new ClipperCreek system allows Level 2 charging station to split power from a one branch 40A circuit, allowing for the installation of an additional charger without running another 240 V circuit. The station will operate at full power when only one car is plugged in, while splitting the energy when both chargers are in use.
greencarcongress.com, insideevs.com
E-carsharing in Poland? The cities of Wroclaw and Krakow both want to implement a carsharing scheme with 200 vehicles each and are looking for operators. Start-up SharCar is meanwhile planning its own scheme in Warsaw, Krakow, Wroclaw, Tri-City and Lodz. The majority of the schemes will start out with 100 electric cars and 30 EV charging points.
evobsession.com, wyborcza.pl (in Polish)
Electric taxis in Singapore: Operator HDT Singapore Taxis wants to add 10 electric taxis to its fleet in the first quarter of next year, namely the BYD e6 electric crossover sedan. 30 units are already in in service and seem to have convinced the company to add a few more.
china.org.cn
BYD heads to Brazil: The Chinese manufacturer wants to use its EV know-how to become more active in South America. It’s now eyeing a tender from Correios, Brazil’s biggest postal service group, to which it had already loaned one of its T3 electric vans in march.
chinadaily.com.cn
Chargemaster teams up with Q-Park: Chargemaster has added all 124 EV chargers in Q-Park parking facilities in London to its portfolio. The CPO will take over operation and maintenance. Chargemaster’s POLAR network is already comprised of more than 4,000 chargers across the UK.
parking-net.com
Tesla expands charging network: Tesla is adding two larger Supercharger stations with 20 stalls each near its production plant in Freemont. The EV maker is also adding a place to plug in in Nebbens, just north of Oslo (Norway).
electrek.co
Phone to EV charging network? Korea’s KEPCO has kicked off a pilot programme in Busan to test whether telephone poles can be converted to charging station with three types of charging. If it works, it could make plugging in in South Korea much easier.
koreaherald.com, just-auto.com
UK goes electric: The Go Ultra Low campaign in Great Britain estimates that more than 1.3 million electric cars will be newly registered there every year. If their forecast is right, electric power could become the leading form of propulsion on the Iles by 2027.
telegraph.co.uk
Cheaper home chargers: Chargemaster is making Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV drivers in the UK a special offer, selling their domestic charging point package for 149 pounds. That’s up to 205 pounds less than what the units are typically sold for. Installation is included but must be completed by October 31st.
evfleetworld.co.uk
Tesla has fasted charger: Ecotricity had complained about Tesla saying that it had the world’s fastest charger currently available, a claim that was now confirmed by the Advertising Standards Authority in the UK. The ASA also accepted calculations for savings that Model S owner would have as being based on realistic petrol and electricity prices.
arstechnica.com
Hybridised: York-based Streamline taxis has added new Toyota Prius to its fleet, after recently purchasing 18 Auris hybrids. The company plans to grow its hybrid fleet. The city of York was awarded Go Ultra Low status in January.
fleetnews.co.uk
Cleaner London air: Mayor Sadiq Khan also officially launched plans for his “Clean Air Action Plan.” It includes extending the Ultra Low Emission Zone and moving it forward from 2020 to 2019. It also suggests a 10 pound Emission Surcharge for high pollutant vehicles in central London from 2017.
fleetnews.co.uk, autocar.co.uk, london.gov.uk
Ontario rebates: Ontario has released a new 8.3bn dollar Climate Action Plan that would offer cash incentives up to 14,000 dollars for the purchase or lease of an EV, and 1,000 dollars for the installation of a Level 2 home charger.
ontario.ca, chargedevs.com
Leaf charger offer: A new Chargemaster campaign will offer free Homecharge units to Nissan Leaf customers using Nissan’s finance package between July and the end of September.
fleetnews.co.uk
Charger cost reduction: Rolec EV’s home charging points now start at 149 pounds after funding originally available only for points offering a data connection has been expanded.
evfleetworld.co.uk
Fast charger upgrades: BRUSA has upgraded their on-board fast charger NLG664 to feature a 45-64 Hz input frequency and improved single-phase current of 30 A. It is the first charger to allow a typical EV battery to charge in less than one hour from a standard 3-phase AC grid.
greencarcongress.com
Fleet funding pot: 19m pounds worth of funding has been made available by the UK government to help commercial fleets adopt zero emission vehicle technologies. Bidding is now open to both large fleet operators and SMEs. Part of the funds will go towards building charging infrastructure.
evlfleetworld.co.uk, gov.uk
EV charging partnership: British Automobile Association (AA) and Chargemaster will be installing 2,500 charge points at AA-rated hotels as part of a new EV partnership. The deal for AA members will include 300 euro home installation packages, discounted charging as well as marketing.
fleetnews.co.uk
Exclusive Tesla outlet Down Under: Tesla has opened its fourth store in Australia, right in the heart of Sydney. It is the second in the metropolis and located at a pedestrian mall in the central business district, often described as Australia’s Wall Street.
electrek.co
Commercial TomCar: Off-road EV maker TomCar is making their vehicles available for public use. The 100% electric all-terrain vehicles, which have hitherto been developed for military and commercial use only, will be available worldwide.
bizjournals.com
Do you have reservation? Berlin-based consortium Hubject now offers a reservation system for charging stations that EV drivers to reserve a plug via their smartphone at many stations across Europe. Just how that “reservation” will be manifested at the charger was not announced. Moreover, using the Hubject roaming platform, BMW drivers in Japan can now plug in at the Japanese Charge Network (JNC).
hubject.com
Ontario plans energy turnaround: The Canadian The Globe and Mail published a first outline of the province’s climate change plan, for which 7bn Canadian dollars have been earmarked for the next four years. 285m will be spend on a buyer’s premium for electric cars and charging infrastructure. The goal is that by 2020, five percent of Ontario’s vehicle are electric.
theglobeandmail.com
Incentives for company EVs: The Austrian Energy Department earmarked 7.5m euros for a second incentive scheme aimed at electric company cars and charging infrastructure. EVs for company use will be subsidised with 3,000 euros, while EVs for taxi or carsharing firms can be funded with up to 4,500 euros. Charging stations qualify for up to 10,000 euros.
ots.at (in German)
110 e-Taxis for Madrid: Taxi company La Ciudad del Taxi has ordered no less than 110 Nissan Leaf with a 30 kWh battery pack. According to Nissan, it is the largest delivery of electric taxis worldwide.
electriccarsreport.com, automotiveworld.com
Fortum partners with Swedish Jönköping Energi and will install 30 public EV charging stations in the city of Jönköping this autumn. It will link the city to the Charge & Drive Nordic that encompasses more than 600 chargers.
fortum.com
Nissan partners with Chargemaster, which is now the official charge point supplier for Nissan UK. Owners of an electric Nissan Leaf or e-NW200 can get a 3 kW or 7kW Chargemaster Homecharger, which qualifies for a 500 pound OLEV grant.
myinforms.com
London charges fast: Chargemaster plans to install up to 200 rapid-chargers at public parking spots in London by the end of 2017. The first 30 are said to be operational by mid-March already.
evfleetworld.co.uk
Dutch government goes H2: Ahead of the country taking on the presidency of the European Council, Toyota delivered two of its fuel cell Mirai to the Dutch government. The keys were handed over at an event in The Hague, promoting the development of more hydrogen infrastructure.
automotiveworld.com
Cape Town invites tenders: South Africa’s second biggest city is looking to buy a fleet of 12 metre electric buses and the corresponding infrastructure. The tender for the 50m rand (3m dollar) project is said to kick off in February.
cbn.co.za
BC to keep funding EVs: British Columbia’s incentive scheme for electric cars is due to run out of money in March, but lawmakers are already looking to extend the programme. The second round had seen 10.6m Canadian dollars earmarked for the purpose and a third phase could look similar.
cbc.ca
Porterville looks to electrify: The California city has asked the California Air Resources Board to help with the funding of ten electric buses and ten charging stations. Five of the latter would be overhead chargers. Porterville is hoping to get a 10m dollar grant.
recorderonline.com
429 fast-charging stations with multiple standards installed in 10 countries by four EU projects were merged into one pilot network, which has been completed this month. A total of 26.3m euros came from TEN-V as well as BMW, Nissan, Renault and Volkswagen plus EDF, E.ON, ESB and Verbund. Benefiting countries are among others the UK, Austria and Denmark. The EU hopes to enable electric travel across borders to spur longterm confidence in EVs.
energie.de (in German)
Sleep and charge: AccorHotels teams up with Chargemaster to provide EV fast-charging facilities at Ibis and Novotel hotels across Great Britain. The first phase starting early next year will see 60 hotels being fitted with EV accommodations. Guest can charge their electric cars for free.
traveldailymedia.com, hotelowner.co.uk
Electric bus fleet: Wellington aims to successively electrify its entire bus fleet within the next five years, beginning with an electric bus demonstration in the first half of next year. The move is backed by the region’s council, which also plans to introduce ten hybrid buses in the interim period.
wellington.scoop.co.nz
Charging the USA: Philadelphia Airport now opened seven charging stations with two spots each, where charging is free at least until April. The stops are operated by ChargePoint. Salt Lake City, too, installed DC charging stations at six locations throughout the city. They are part of the EVgo network.
philly.com (Philadelphia), csrwire.com (Salt Lake City)
British charger on the German Autobahn? David Martell from Chargemaster says it will happen “in the early part of next year,” as the company is now starting to ship units to Germany. That might explain why electrive.com Editor-in-Chief Peter Schwierz ran into Martell at an event in Munich. Chargemaster, the UK’s largest provider of EV charging infrastructure, wanted to “show off to (our) friends in Germany and the rest of Europe.” Watch the video interview to see how David Martell believes electric mobility and charging infrastructure will evolve in the [near] future!
electrive.com (video in best quality), youtube.com (mobile version)
10,000 EV chargers for Germany? German Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt is considering to support electric vehicles more strongly. German daily Rheinische Post reports, the ministry is assessing a proposal that could see 10,000 new EV charging stations be erected. Cost are estimated at 100m euros and would require public as well as private investment.
uk.news.yahoo.com, rp-online.de (original source in German)
Formula E has appointed Chargemaster as its official infrastructure provider. Its task is to keep all electric vehicles involved energised, also inductively. The partners plan to leave a mark that goes beyond the race as at least ten fast-chargers shall be erected in each host city.
news.cision.com
EV signage: Nissan and Ecotricity have asked the British government to introduce official road signs to designate charge points. While there are official signs for “migratory toad crossings” that total 140, the UK’s 9,000 charge points are much harder to find.
greencarcongress.com, evfleetworld.co.uk
Workplace charging: Honda erects 120 EV charging stations at its campus in Torrance, California. It also includes a 50kW DC fast charger open to the public. Honda says it will add another electric and a new plug-in hybrid model to its lineup by 2018.
prnewswire.com
Large-scale EV charging: Beijing builds China’s largest solar charging station and has officially started the works. When operational by the end of the year, the station will be capable to charge 80 electric cars a day at 30 fast and 20 regular charge points.
mashable.com
The California Energy Commission awarded 2.7 million dollars to Gardena as the city launches an electric bus demo project. Another 2m dollars go to the San Diego Community College District to be used in training for alternative vehicle technology.
ngtnews.com, energy.ca.gov
Budapest presents the first of a total of 36 trolleybuses built by Skoda and Solaris, which are able to operate without connecting to the catenary. Delivery will be completed this year, and the city has the option to order another 72 trolleybuses. The contract is worth almost 22m dollars.
praguemonitor.com
Bid for greener buses: The British government launched a 5-million pound (7.7m dollar) fund to cut down on NOx emissions. Local authorities are asked to bid to get therir share of the Clean Bus Technology Fund of up to 500,000 pounds to retrofit their buses. Applications are open until the end of October.
businessgreen.com, gov.uk (invitation to bid)
Laotian electric bus project: Laos’ province Luang Prabang is embarking on a project to deploy 34 electric mini buses, of which 14 were granted by the Japanese government. They are made for six people from Lao – foreigners are said to reduce capacity to three to four persons.
ttrweekly.com
Ultracharger: Chargemaster has launched a new rapid charger built in the UK but destined for the world. Its compact dimension ensure installed without planning permission in most places. It is compatible with all charging standards and also uses Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR).
fleetworld.co.uk
Subscribers charge cheaper: For a monthly installment of 7.95 pounds, EV drivers can charge at Chargemaster’s POLAR stations in the UK for 9 pence per unit. 80 percent of the network’s charge points are free to use but subscribers collect points with each charge that can be exchanged for week-long loans of iconic electric cars.
evfleetworld.co.uk
Green rides: Private cab company Addison Lee is switching into electric mode whenever its hybrid cars enter one of four designated inner city zones in London. The change is triggered via geofencing. The City of London Corporation is asking other taxi firms to join the scheme as well.
airqualitynews.com
Green county: Ulster County in the state of New York has installed nine EV charging stations. They are free to use and were financed through state and federal grants, as well as county labor.
dailyfreeman.com
Update Dubai: The desert state has installed 16 of its planned 100 EV charging stations. The missing 84 solar-powered charging spots will follow before the end of the year.
gulfnews.com, greenpowertrain.automotive-business-review.com
Electric delivery: Scottish courier company SGM Distribution added two Mercedes Vito Ecell to its fleet. The electric vans will serve in the Granite city (Aberdeen), where the company had tested them prior. A charge point will be supplied and installed at the HQ by Siemens.
aberdeenbusinessnews.co.uk
Midlands connected: Chargemaster will take over Cenex’s network Plugged-in Midlands (PiM) that includes 870 charge points. They will become part of the Polar network and Chargemaster plans to install another 100 chargers in the region. Additionally, Chargemaster has taken over the Renault partnership from British Gas to install free home chargers for Zoe owners in the UK.
evfleetworld.co.uk, 4-traders.com, evfleetworld.co.uk (Renault)
Budapest electrified: The Hungarian capital’s airport Liszt Ferenc has begun operating its first electric Smart ED. That is just the start, as the airfield fleet is to grow to 100 EVs by 2020, including heavier machines.
budapesttimes.hu
Welcome Break: The British gas station firm Welcome Break is now welcomes Tesla drivers onto its sites, installing seven Superchargers at its service stations. Three have already been opened.
fleetnews.co.uk
Quick charging Portland: Portland General Electric has opened a new facility featuring six charging stations. It includes four universal quick-chargers that can recharge an electric vehicle in 30 minutes.
washingtontimes.com
Charging on sunshine: The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has ordered eleven solar-powered EV chargers from Envision Solar. The order is worth around 750,000 dollars. The EV ARC is a standalone solar-powered charging station that fits inside a parking space.
chargedevs.com
Chargemaster expands: The infrastructure provider wants to install 2,000 new charge points, half of them in London. Many will replace old chargers, while around 600 will be entirely new locations. Another 300 chargers currently controlled by Bolloré will also be transferred to Chargemaster’s own POLAR network later this year, which currently includes a total of 4,000 charging stations.
fleetworld.co.uk
Ikea charges ahead: The Canadian branch announced that it will install two 60-amp chargers at all of its 12 locations in the country by the end of August. The stations will be free and supposedly compatible with all EVs sold in Canada. Canadian energy firm Sun Country Highway is in charge of the installation.
cbc.ca, ikea.com
Europe’s biggest efficiency house opens: The building located in Frankfurt includes 24 apartments, 1,330 solar panels and electric carsharing. The EVs are powered with energy from the building’s own energy storage system. It is supposed to set new standards for energy efficient living.
solarserver.de (in German)
eMotion Zurich draws to a close: As part of a pilot project, 16 people and companies switched to EVs one year ago – not only driving themselves, but also renting out the car. The result: the vehicles drove a total of 100,000 kilometers and 94 percent of users were happy with the carsharing platform Sharoo.
ee-news.ch (in German)
Toyota, Honda and Nissan have agreed on the details of their joint H2 infrastructure efforts in Japan. They will cover one third of the installation and service effort, although support is limited to 11 million yen (89,000 dollars) per station/year until 2020. They also agreed to support infrastructure companies.
greencarcongress.com
British charging connection: ChargeMaster has acquired GB Electrical, that specialises in the installation and service of charging stations. The move is designed to improve services further.
fleetnews.co.uk
Norwegian EV update: The 300 Renault Kangoo ZE recently acquired by Posten Norge come with a little twist. To ensure smooth mail delivery even in fierce winter conditions, the electric vans are equipped with a little extra heater powered by fossil fuels. Surely, it is the lesser of two evils.
transportevolved.com
Quiet growth: NRG EVgo has become the biggest fast-charging network over the last month. It now operates more than 350 DC charging stations in 19 markets all over the USA. As of May 2015, it has over four times more CHAdeMO and CCS fast chargers than any other public network and intends to expand into seven more markets before the end of the year.
chargedevs.com
Local car sharing: The my-e-car sharing service in the German town of Lörrach offers 40 Renault. The rental cars in South Baden are now backed up with 50 EV compact fast-charging stations provided by Swarco, which can also be used by other EV drivers.
parking-net.com
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In case of fire: Chargemaster has completed the installation of 156 charge points for the London Fire Brigade. The chargers can be found at 71 fire stations and 5 other sites across the British capital, even though the Brigade so far only operates 5 electric cars.
news.cision.com, fleetnews.co.uk
Electric ride sharing: Swiss Streez will introduce a new kind of chauffeur service in December, using with female drivers only. First customers will be businesses only, but the fleet of 20 Tesla Model S and 20 BYD EVs will soon to be extended to private customers looking for a shared ride. If the start in Zurich is a success, other cities might soon become a member in the ‘Club of Streez,’ too.
aargauerzeitung.ch (in German)
EV partners: The Department of Energy (DOE) and Edison Electric Institute (EEI) plan to increase EV acceptance. Measures include research, infrastructure and consultancy. Furthermore, EEI says its fleet electrification efforts will total 90 million dollars spend on 800 PHEV and 740 charge points this year.
greencarcongress.com, electriccarsreport.com
V2G charging station: Mitsubishi and Endesa showcase their bi-directional charging station at the InterSolar Europe. The Spanish utility only recently announced its partnership with Nissan for the distribution of V2G charging equipment. Furthermore, Mitsubishi said it would introduce a prepaid card for charging stations by German utility RWE.
saving-volt.de (in German)
Rejoicing on renewables: Minnesota’s utility provider Great River Energy allows customers to charge their PHEV with wind power – free of charge. The service is part of the new ‘Revolt’ programme, aimed at encouraging people to buy or lease electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles.
midwestenergynews.com
“I want it and know Vauxhall needs it. As yet, we don’t have the decision. But I think we’ll have it. For me, it’s a matter of time.”
“All this fright about where am I going to get a charge is going to go away extremely fast. The technology on this front is moving at a staggering pace.”