The Joint Office of Energy and Transportation’s Communities Taking Charge Accelerator has awarded $43.7 million to 25 innovative EV charging projects across the US.

The Communities Taking Charge Accelerator was launched on April 16, 2024, and the funding comes from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

The three main goals of the funding are to expand access to electrified mobility options for folks who don’t have access to home charging, accelerate opportunities for fleet electrification, and improve and advance managed charging systems to mitigate impacts and optimize usage of the grid.

On January 15, 25 project awardees were announced that impact 23 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Challenges that the projects will address include:

Solving for no-home charging. Not everyone has a driveway or garage to charge their EVs, e-bikes, or scooters. Projects are testing creative solutions like curbside chargers, multifamily charging setups, and shared community micromobility hubs. They also look at everything from rate design to building multimodal charging hubs, making it easier for people in apartments or urban areas to power up.

In this project, for example, Voltpost will install lamppost EV chargers in San Francisco using existing infrastructure.

Electrifying fleets for people and goods. Think of shared rides, carpool services, and last-mile delivery trucks. Electrifying these types of light- and medium-duty fleets could have a huge impact on reducing emissions. These projects aim to figure out how to charge fleets more efficiently, whether they’re transporting people or goods. It’s all about improving community access to clean transportation options while keeping operations smooth for fleet operators.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s project allows Metro Bike Share to increase access to electric bikes by implementing electrified stations with in-dock charging. 

Managed charging for clean reliable energy. Managed charging is about coordinating when and how EVs charge to avoid grid strain and use renewable energy whenever possible. Projects in this area are working on open-source tools and standards to make managed charging tech accessible and easy to integrate into today’s energy systems.

The University of Alabama is running a project to develop and implement an end-to-end multi-stakeholder EV charging management framework to enhance grid reliability.

Gabe Klein, executive director of the Joint Office, said, “This investment aims to expand transportation and energy infrastructure to meet the current and anticipated demands – from how people charge and use shared vehicle fleets including e-bikes around transit hubs to a new model for more affordable multifamily housing charging – advancing a more holistic energy and transportation ecosystem.”

Electrek’s Take

The Biden administration has been rapidly doling out funds to clean energy and EV projects, and it’s great to see the Communities Taking Charge Accelerator funds reach its recipients at the 11th hour. There are some great projects, which you can check out here.

Read more: Rivian powers Michigan’s first federally funded NEVI EV fast charger

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Tesla announced on X that it is working on a new way to keep the cameras clean on the Cybertruck.

Hopefully, it will make its way to other Tesla vehicles because it is a common problem with the performance of its advanced driver assist systems (ADAS).

When driving using Tesla’s Autopilot or Full Self-Driving (Supervised) suite of driver-assist features, you will often get an alert that the system might not work properly because “one or more cameras are obstructed” due to dirt or snow coming off the road and into the lenses.

For Cybertruck, that’s an even problem because the rear-view camera is the only way to look behind the vehicle when the tonneau cover is up.

It led to some owners complaining that they need to remember to clean the camera at the back of the truck almost every time they use it, especially in the winter.

Tesla responded to some of those comments through its ‘Tesla AI’ account on X. One owner specifically asked if Tesla is planning a solution for when it achieves “unsupervised self-driving” because it then can’t expect someone to always be able to clean the cameras and Tesla responded:

On a more serious note, a more comprehensive cleaning solution is being worked on.

Tesla didn’t elaborate on the solution or when it would be available.

Back in 2019, we reported on Tesla applying for a patent on technology “to use laser beams to clean debris off its cars automatically.” It mused that it could be used to clean cameras, but nothing came out of the patent application.

Tesla says that it plans to achieve unsupervised self-driving capability in California and Texas around Q2 2025, but the latest data makes this sound extremely unlikely, to say the least.

Electrek’s Take

I doubt that it will be lasers, though it would be cool, but there’s undoubtedly a need for a solution.

In my own experience with FSD in the Quebec winter, I get alerts of obstructed cameras literally every other drive.

Tesla has already implemented heaters, which help some, but other than the front-facing cameras, which benefit from the windshield wipers, there’s a need for more.

What’s interesting here is Tesla basically admits that for unsupervised self-driving, which was part of the question it answered, it needs to add extra hardware to make it work.

Buy or lease the new 2025 IONIQ 5, and Hyundai will give you a free ChargePoint Level 2 EV charger. Or, you can choose a $400 charging credit. That’s a pretty sweet deal, with leases starting as low as $199 per month. Here’s how you can snag the offer.

2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5 now comes with a free EV charger

Last September, Hyundai introduced the program, offering a free ChargePoint L2 Home Flex Charger for new IONIQ 5, IONIQ 6, and Kona Electric customers.

After a positive response, the company expanded the program through the end of 2024. Now, Hyundai is offering a free EV charger promo for those who buy or lease the new 2025 IONIQ 5.

Hyundai unveiled the 2025 IONIQ in September. It now has more range, a sleek new design, and it even comes with an NACS port for charging at Tesla Superchargers. Hyundai wants to make it even easier for you to go electric by offering a free home charger.

Starting January 1, 2025, you can receive a free home charger if you purchase or lease a new 2025 IONIQ 5. If you already have a home charger, you can opt for a $400 credit to use at public ChargePoint, EVgo, and Shell Recharge chargers.

Hyundai will provide the charger through its Hyundai Home Marketplace and help you schedule installation. If you choose the charging credit, you can redeem it using the ChargePoint mobile app.

You have 60 days from the purchase or lease date to choose the home EV charger or $400 public charging credit. To redeem the offer, you must create a profile on Hyundai Home Marketplace.

After you create a profile, you can redeem the home charger public credit by clicking the “Find Offer” button at the bottom of the page. It will ask you a few questions before you can select the option.

Once you redeem it, Electrum will email you within five business days with a coupon code. Installation costs are not included in the offer.

Hyundai’s 2025 IONIQ 5 starts at $43,975. The longer range model, with up to 318 miles range, starts at $46,550. With the potential $7,500 EV tax credit, prices could drop to under $36,500.

With lease prices starting as low as $199 per month, Hyundai’s new IONIQ 5 is hard to pass up. You can use our link to find deals on the 2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5 at a dealer near you today.