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And yes, it’ll have NACS accessibility. In a shocking but exciting announcement this morning, a group of some of the world’s largest automakers has combined forces into a new joint venture to deliver a new “high-powered” charger network across cities and highways in North America to expedite EV adoption. Oh, and they intend to power the entire network with renewable energy.

This is big news.

In covering this beat, we’ve seen EV adoption and innovation, as a whole, absolutely snowball globally in recent years. In North America, the transition to EVs by legacy automakers and consumers alike has been expedited by advantageous legislation implemented by US and Canadian governments.

In the US, the Biden administration’s Build Back Better Plan and passed Inflation Reduction Act have established federal tax credits for new and used EV leases and purchases, while helping fund the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program to enable the installation of EV charging stations around the country.

The past two years especially, we’ve seen young and legacy EV automakers alike pairing up with existing charging networks that are slowly but surely expanding availability – permitting, grid access, and maintenance woes be damned.

Despite all that, Tesla’s Supercharger network has remained the undisputed champion in fast charger access and dependability, especially now that universal Magic Dock piles are rolling out, offering charging access to other branded EVs.

While our recent focus has been on nearly all major automakers and charging networks adopting Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS), it appears to be a mere footnote in today’s story that could see the number of publicly available DC fast chargers nearly double in a short time.

So who’s behind this massive joint venture to deliver a clean-powered charger network? You’ll recognize every single name.

Charging network
Credit: All of them?

JV network to double EV fast charger access in the US

BMW Group, GM, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz Group, Stellantis NV – what an unprecedented roster of automotive prowess teaming up for a yet-to-be-named charging joint venture.

The seven new partners state that the joint venture intends to leverage federal and state investments in public charging with its own public and private funding, to quickly develop and implement a new network of “high-powered” chargers across North America. Each pending site will be equipped with multiple DC fast chargers that will be accessible to any and all EV drivers, whether their vehicle is using CCS or NACS. Well, maybe not all EVs… no mention of CHAdeMO (sorry LEAF drivers).

Per the US Department of Energy, there are 32,000 publicly available DC fast chargers in the United States as of July 2023, but 2.3 million EVs are vying for a plug. That’s a ratio of 72 vehicles per charger. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) estimates that 182,000 DC fast chargers will be needed in the US alone to support the 30-42 million BEVs and PHEVs estimated on roads by 2030.

Beginning later this year, the new joint venture intends to add at least 30,000 new chargers to the tally sheet and is already vowing to deliver an experience that is “seamless, vehicle integrated, and supported by the quality, reliability, and resources of world-leading automakers.”

The network will also be powered by 100% renewable energy and offers Plug & Charge capabilities for those vehicles that support it. The CEO of each of the seven new charging partners had something to say, but Mercedes Group chief Ola Källenius’s words resonated most:

The fight against climate change is the greatest challenge of our time. What we need now is speed – across political, social and corporate boundaries. To accelerate the shift to electric vehicles, we’re in favor of anything that makes life easier for our customers. Charging is an inseparable part of the EV-experience, and this network will be another step to make it as convenient as possible.

The initial plans for the network will see fast chargers installed in metropolitan areas and along major highways in North America, including connecting corridors and “vacation routes.” (You’d better start saving for Disney World.) These all won’t simply be charging piles in some random parking lot either – the new partners are genuinely looking to deliver a best-in-class EV charging experience and have said so outright. Per this morning’s release:

Focused on customer comfort and charging ease, the stations will be in convenient locations offering canopies wherever possible and amenities such as restrooms, food service and retail operations either nearby or within the same complex. A select number of flagship stations will be equipped with additional amenities, delivering a premier experience designed to showcase the future of charging.

The joint venture says work on the new fast charger network will begin later this year with first stations expected to open in the US next summer. Canada’s first stations will come “at a later stage.” Sorry!

Electrek’s Take

This is honestly shocking news.

I couldn’t believe it when I saw it on the page…

Honda?!?

Kidding. All are welcome in news like today’s joint venture, and Honda has found some truly strong company as it works to play catchup in a market landscape that is expected to see at least 50% of vehicle sales in the US be electric by the end of the decade.

This alliance may seem like its gunning for the Tesla Supercharger network and maybe it is, but who cares? We as EV drivers all benefit and so does the prospect of steadfast EV adoption. Tesla also doesn’t have anything to worry about as its network is only getting larger, plus everyone has essentially adopted its standard anyway so I think it’ll be just fine.

The real focus here should be the 30,000 new chargers on the way. Additionally, they’ll be powered entirely by renewable energy? *Chef’s kiss*

30K new piles are not enough to keep up with adoption yet, but one giant leap forward with plenty of automotive clout in the JV to instill confidence. Let’s just hope they don’t name the charger network something stupid like “X.”

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Electrek FSGP 2025: New teams, new cars, same solar spirit

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Electrek FSGP 2025: New teams, new cars, same solar spirit

The sun has set on a frantic day of scrutineering at this year’s Electrek Formula Sun Grand Prix (FSGP), as teams scramble to qualify for a spot on the starting line tomorrow morning. Electrek FSGP 2025 is shaping up to be one of the event’s most attended ever, thanks to a strong showing of first-time and returning schools. But that also means new and unproven vehicles on the track.

Today, I walked through a couple of bays and talked with a few of the teams able to spare a minute; almost all of them were debuting completely new cars that were years in the making. Building a solar car is no easy feat. It’s not just the engineering and technical know-how that’s often a hurdle for them; it’s more often monetary. However, one of the things that makes this event so special is the camaraderie and collaboration that happen behind the scenes.

Northwestern University is back with a completely new car this season, its eighth since the team’s original inception in 1997 during the GM Sunrayce days. Its motor controller, which is responsible for managing the flow of power from the batteries to the motor, was given to them by the Stanford team. Stanford had extras and could spare one for Northwestern, which needed a replacement. It doesn’t stop there. Two members of the Northwestern team (Shannon and Fiona) told me four other teams helped them with a serious tire replacement around 1 a.m. Wednesday morning, saving them from missing important parts of scrutineering.

This is also an exciting year for the West Virginia team, which is celebrating its 35th anniversary as a solar car team, making them one of the oldest teams on the track. With age comes wisdom though: WV is competing again this year with its single-occupant vehicle, Sunseeker. The team ran into issues after last year’s American Solar Challenge (ASC) cross-country event when the vehicle’s control arm, an important part of the suspension that connects the wheels to the chassis, broke. They tell me this year they’re back with a completely redesigned control arm made of both aluminum and steel. Thank you, Hayley, John, and Izzy, for taking the time to talk.

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We’re also seeing new builds this year from the University of Florida, the University of Puerto Rico, NC State, and UC Irvine. Believe it or not, the latter team has never competed in an American Solar Challenge/Formula Sun Grand Prix. This is their first year. UC Irvine doesn’t expect to be on the starting line tomorrow but hopes to be on the track soon after.

On the other hand, we have tried-and-proven cars like my personal favorite, Polytechnique Montréal’s Esteban, which undergoes minor improvements each year. I talked a little bit with this team today, and they told me the car’s motor was dropped, disassembled, and cleaned in preparation for the event. Polytechnique Montréal has passed scrutineering and will appear on the starting line tomorrow.

Polytechnique Montréal

Teams that haven’t wrapped up scrutineering in the last three days can still complete it, though doing so will eat into time on track.

Last year, École de Technologie Supérieure (ETS) and Polytechnique Montreal took first place in the Single-Occupant Vehicle (SOV) and Multi-Occupant Vehicle (MOV) classes, respectively. There’s something in the water in Canada.

You can learn more about the different classes and the specific rules here.

I’ll continue to post more updates as the event continues!

2025 Electrek FSGP schedule

The 2025 Electrek FSGP will again be held at the National Corvette Museum Motorsports Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky, which, interestingly enough, General Motors occasionally uses for Corvette testing and development. A bit of a full-circle moment being so close to the company that started it all.

The event is open to the public and FREE to attend. Come see the solar car race up close!

Racing starts on July 3 from 10am to 6pm CT and continues through July 5 from 9am to 5pm CT.

July 2 (Wednesday)

  • 9am–7pm: Scrutineering
  • 10am–8pm: Altair Challenge

July 3 (Thursday)

  • 10am–12pm: Altair Challenge
  • 10am–6pm: Hot Track
  • 6pm–8pm: Evening Charging

July 4 (Friday)

  • 7am–9am: Morning Charging
  • 9am–5pm: Hot Track
  • 5pm–8pm: Evening Charging

July 5 (Saturday)

  • 7pm: Awards Ceremony
  • 7am–9am: Morning Charging
  • 9am–5pm: Hot Track

2025 Electrek FSGP teams

Purdue

Kentucky

Florida

Berkeley

UT Austin

Iowa State

RIT

Northwestern

Michigan State

Stanford

Illinois State

Washington

Virginia Tech

Illinois

Waterloo

British Columbia

Missouri S&T

Georgia Tech

Poly Montreal

SIUE

Calgary

Rutgers

Toronto

Florida Poly

Virginia

UC Irvine

Western Ontario

NC State

McMaster

Montana State

UOP

Western Michigan

Puerto Rico

App State

If you’re interested in joining us in sponsoring these events, please get in touch here!

Featured image via Cora Kennedy for Electrek FSGP/ASC.

Note: The Formula Sun Grand Prix is not in any way associated or affiliated with the Formula 1 companies, FORMULA 1 racing, or the FIA Formula One World Championship.

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Troubling times for Tesla, Nissan, and Dodge – plus some fun yellow stuff!

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Troubling times for Tesla, Nissan, and Dodge – plus some fun yellow stuff!

Tesla’s Q2 results are in, and they are way, way down from Q2 of 2024. At the same time, Nissan seems to be in serious trouble and the first-ever all-electric Dodge muscle car is getting recalled because its dumb engine noises are the wrong kind of dumb engine noises. All this and more on today’s deeply troubled episode of Quick Charge!

We’ve also got an awesome article from Micah Toll about a hitherto unexplored genre of electric lawn equipment, a $440 million mining equipment deal, and a list of incompetent, corrupt, and stupid politicians who voted away their constituents’ futures to line their pockets.

Prefer listening to your podcasts? Audio-only versions of Quick Charge are now available on Apple PodcastsSpotifyTuneIn, and our RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

New episodes of Quick Charge are recorded, usually, Monday through Thursday (and sometimes Sunday). We’ll be posting bonus audio content from time to time as well, so be sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a minute of Electrek’s high-voltage daily news.

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Got news? Let us know!
Drop us a line at tips@electrek.co. You can also rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show.


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Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.

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OpenAI says Robinhood’s tokens aren’t equity in the company

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OpenAI says Robinhood's tokens aren't equity in the company

Jaque Silva | Nurphoto | Getty Images

OpenAI is distancing itself from Robinhood‘s latest crypto push after the trading platform began offering tokenized shares of OpenAI and SpaceX to users in Europe.

“These ‘OpenAI tokens’ are not OpenAI equity,” OpenAI wrote on X. “We did not partner with Robinhood, were not involved in this, and do not endorse it.”

The company said that “any transfer of OpenAI equity requires our approval — we did not approve any transfer,” and warned users to “please be careful.”

Robinhood announced the launch Monday from Cannes, France, as part of a broader product showcase focused on tokenized equities, staking, and a new blockchain infrastructure play. The company’s stock surged above $100 to hit a new all-time high following the news.

“These tokens give retail investors indirect exposure to private markets, opening up access, and are enabled by Robinhood’s ownership stake in a special purpose vehicle,” a Robinhood spokesperson said in response to the OpenAI post.

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Robinhood offered 5 euros worth of OpenAI and SpaceX tokens to eligible EU users who signed up to trade stock tokens by July 7. The assets are issued under the EU’s looser investor restrictions via Robinhood’s crypto platform.

“This is about expanding access,” said Johann Kerbrat, Robinhood’s SVP and GM of crypto. “The goal with tokenization is to let anyone participate in this economy.”

The episode highlights the dynamic between crypto platforms seeking to democratize access to financial products and the companies whose names and equity are being represented on-chain

U.S. users cannot access these tokens due to regulatory restrictions.

Robinhood hits record high as OpenAI, SpaceX go on-chain

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