Connect with us

Published

on

France’s Engie says it will liquidate the entire EVBox group, which the company says posted total losses of €800 million since Engie took over in 2017.

The Amsterdam-based charging infrastructure provider EVBox is closing its operations in the Netherlands, in addition to branches in Germany and the US.

According to Dutch media reports, only 30 of the 700 jobs will be retained, with Engie in talks with unions about temporary work for about 100 of those employees. Engie also says that EVBox has more than 20,000 business customers. The energy company tried to take EVBox public via a stock market merger, reported Reuters, but that failed in 2021.

Since Engie took over in 2017, EVBox suffered mostly losses, costing Engie a total of €800 million, according to Dutch media outlet FD. Engie had been on the search for a buyer several months prior, but decided to pull the plug after receiving two bids. The only exception is that Engie did sell its freshly modernized factory in Bordeaux to an unknown buyer, according to FD.. 

What does this mean for the EVBox charging products already installed? That is unclear, and so far customers don’t have an answer. Since being founded in 2010, the company has supplied 500,000 charging points around the world, with the major truck charging corridor being Paris and Lyon, which opened last week, using a 480 kW EV charging point. Last year, Electrek announced that EVBox was manufacturing its modular DC fast charging EV stations at its factory in Libertyville, Illinois, and key customer deliveries were targeted for the Build America, Buy America chargers. Earlier this month, the office of Illinois Governor JB Pritzker announced the donation of 40 EVBox stations to provide charging to the state’s national parks and public areas.

Back in July, Austria’s EnerCharge, which manufactures DC charging stations, filed for insolvency before being bought by Keba.

The charging infrastructure sector has been feeling the heat, as funding programs have been canceled as the market ramp-up has fallen short in some countries, according to Elective. Also, new regulations such as the AFIR require more investments in hardware and software, which adds extra pressure to smaller providers. And we can’t rule out politics, with Dutch media reports claiming that Engie, with France being a major shareholder in the company, favored the French manufacturing sites over the Dutch ones.

Photo: EVBox


To limit power outages and make your home more resilient, consider going solar with a battery storage system. In order to find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. They have hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and you share your phone number with them.

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

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Continue Reading

Environment

Podcast: GMC Sierra EV Denali first drive, Hyundai Ioniq 9 unveiling, Jaguar rebranding, and more

Published

on

By

Podcast: GMC Sierra EV Denali first drive, Hyundai Ioniq 9 unveiling, Jaguar rebranding, and more

In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss our GMC Sierra EV Denali first drive, Hyundai Ioniq 9 unveiling, Jaguar’s rebranding, and more.

Sponsored by ALSET Auto: North America’s leader in paint protection and restyling; offering colored wraps, paint protection, window tint, ceramic coatings and more, exclusively on EVs.

The show is live every Friday at 4 p.m. ET on Electrek’s YouTube channel.

As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.

After the show ends at around 5 p.m. ET, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:

We now have a Patreon if you want to help us avoid more ads and invest more in our content. We have some awesome gifts for our Patreons and more coming.

Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the podcast:

Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 4:00 p.m. ET (or the video after 5 p.m. ET):

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Continue Reading

Environment

The electric Chrysler Pacifica is finally coming, but not soon enough

Published

on

By

The electric Chrysler Pacifica is finally coming, but not soon enough

It’s official: Chrysler will finally launch an electric Pacifica minivan. The company is developing clever storage ideas that could make it even more functional than Volkswagen’s recently introduced ID.Buzz. But you’ll have to wait a little longer to get your hands on one.

Chrysler confirms plans to launch an electric Pacifica

Chrysler has yet to release its first fully electric vehicle. Although the nearly 100-year-old automaker has teased several EV concepts, we have yet to see one come to fruition. That will change soon.

Earlier this year, the company revealed its Halcyon Concept, a futuristic sports car-like EV drastically different from Chrysler vehicles currently on the road. The model builds on previous concepts, like the Airflow crossover introduced in 2022.

Chrysler’s CEO, Christine Feuell, said the Halycon would be brought to life with advanced new tech from parent company Stellantis, sleek new styling, and a software-defined connected cockpit.

The radical design will be used in future Chrysler vehicles, including the electric Pacifica. At the LA Auto Show this week, Feuell confirmed to GreenCarReports that the Pacifica is due for an overhaul in 2026. The refresh will lay the groundwork for the first electric Pacifica, which is expected to launch the following year.

electric-Chrysler-Pacifica
Chrysler electric Halcyon Concept (Source: Stellantis)

Chrysler’s CEO hinted the upcoming Pacifica EV could challenge Volkswagen’s ID.Buzz, the first electric minivan to arrive in the US.

While you’ll need to remove the seats for that open-air space in the ID.Buzz, Chrysler is working on more functional solutions. According to Feuell, the company is developing a system like its patented Stow ‘N Go Seating to open up space in the rear.

electric-Chrysler-Pacifica-interior
2025 Chrysler Pacifica PHEV interior (Source: Stellantis)

Although nothing is set in stone, one option is adjustable front seats, enabling the second row to be stored underneath.

Electrek’s Take

As Chrysler’s only production model in 2024, it only makes sense to launch an electric Pacifica. The Pacifica hybrid was the fourth best-selling plug-in hybrid in the US in Q3. It also accounted for 14% (3,009) of the 21,504 Pacifica models sold last quarter.

Meanwhile, the company is quickly losing market share in the US. Pacifica sales crashed 44% in Q3 and are down 18% through September.

Several new larger electric SUVs, like the Kia EV9, are already hitting the market, and more are on the way, including the recently unveiled Hyundai IONIQ 9. With the electric Pacifica not due out until 2027 (at the earliest), Chrysler will likely continue losing ground as new, more advanced competitors roll out.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Continue Reading

Environment

Tesla converts Shell gas station into Supercharger and it looks awesome

Published

on

By

Tesla converts Shell gas station into Supercharger and it looks awesome

Tesla has converted an entire Shell gas station into a Supercharger station for electric vehicles in Spain, and it looks fantastic.

One of the favorite arguments of electric vehicle naysayers is that there are not as many charging stations as gas stations – making EVs less convenient.

The argument is flawed since most EVs are charged overnight when parked, and they can be charged literally anywhere there’s an electric outlet, which is not the case with gas-powered vehicles.

Most of the time, charging electric vehicles is more convenient than refueling a gas-powered car, and that’s going to become more widespread as time goes on because there are more charging stations being deployed, and many gas stations are going away.

In some markets where electric vehicles are being adopted at a higher rate, like in Norway, gas stations have been closing left and right.

In some cases, EV charging stations are directly replacing some.

Today, we get to see a beautiful example in Cordoba, Spain, where Tesla took over a Shell gas station and converted it into (hat tip to Aland≡Bru on X):

While it is not completed, it’s particularly interesting to see that Tesla has kept a similar design to the classic gas station setup.

To be fair, this is not exactly a new concept. There’s even a company that specializes in replacing gas stations with EV charging stations.

We have also previously seen gas station operators replacing gas pumps with charging stalls.

Interestingly, even the oil giant Shell, which is seeing its gas station here replaced by a Tesla Supercharger here, is investing in electric vehicle charging through several new efforts.

The only thing missing to this charging station is solar power, which is the best way to charger your electric car, and the best solar is on your home. If you want to find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage. EnergySage is a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar – whether you’re a homeowner or renter. They have hundreds of vetted solar installers competing for your business (including Tesla and Powerwall certified installers in some markets), ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20 to 30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.

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.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Continue Reading

Trending