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EV charging network Electrify America will soon offer the public an EV charging experience safe from the elements, where drivers can pull in, plug in, and chill out while their vehicle replenishes. This flagship indoor charging station kicks off a potential future in which you don’t have to wait in your car or outside while you charge… It also has complimentary Wi-Fi.

Electrify America is one of the largest open DC fast charging networks in the US that is investing billions into expanding EV infrastructure to support the growing number of zero-emissions vehicles hitting roads.

Outside of the Tesla Supercharger network, Electrify America is easily the most prominent and recognizable name in its respective space, expanding cleaner energy alternatives like solar farms to support its growing number of EV charging stations.

While we have seen EA implement larger footprints with covered charging piles similar to traditional gas stations, its DC fast chargers have remained in the elements, at least until now. Today, the charging network shared details of its flagship indoor charging station in California, which will be made open to the public on Friday. Check it out.

  • Indoor charging station
  • Indoor charging station
  • Indoor charging station

EA’s first indoor charging station opens February 9

Electrify America shared details of the new indoor charging station today, a first of its kind for the network located in San Francisco. One could argue other regions of the United States could make better use of EA’s first-ever indoor charger location, especially during these winter months, but here we are.

The new station is located in the SoMa neighborhood near the Bay Bridge and features 20 DC fast chargers capable of delivering up to 350 kW of power, depending on which EV you’re replenishing. Features include 24/7 access, monitoring, and security for Electrify America customers, as well as temperature-controlled lounges, vending, restrooms, and Wi-Fi. EA president and CEO Robert Barrosa spoke:

We’re committed to making EVs accessible to all, particularly in dense urban areas like San Francisco. Our expertise in building over 250 stations in California and more than 900 in North America uniquely positions us to bring high-quality charging infrastructure directly into communities where people live and work and support EV adoption across the state.

With the flagship indoor charging station now ready for customers, Electrify America says it will continue to expand a transition to larger facilities (indoor and outdoor) to more metropolitan areas around the US. This flagship location can be visited at 28 Harrison St. in San Francisco beginning this Friday, February 9. Here’s a better look at the new station inside and out.

Source: Electrify America

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Uber launches true driverless robotaxi operations in the Middle East with WeRide [Video]

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Uber launches true driverless robotaxi operations in the Middle East with WeRide [Video]

Just over a year after Uber announced a strategic partnership in the Middle East with autonomous vehicle specialist WeRide, the companies have officially begun offering the public robotaxi rides without a driver or safety operator present on board.

Today’s latest milestone involving robotaxi operations in the Middle East dates back to September 2024, when Uber and WeRide initially announced a strategic partnership to bring autonomous rides to the UAE.

Three months later, the partner officially launched autonomous rides in Abu Dhabi, but with a safety operator present in the vehicle. At the time, Uber and WeRide said the supervised rides were “laying the groundwork” for a true driverless commercial operations planned for 2025.

That day has come.

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WeRide and Uber have confirmed that commercial robotaxi operations are officially underway in Abu Dhabi without any safety operators on board – a first for the Middle East.

Uber Middle East
Source: Uber

Uber rolls out Middle East robotaxi operations in Abu Dhabi

Uber shared details of its latest milestone late this evening or in the afternoon in the Middle East, depending on where you are.

Beginning today (Wednesday) customers in Abu Dhabi can select an UberX or Uber Comfort ride that enables them to be matched with a fully autonomous WeRide robotaxi without a driver inside. Riders in the Middle East can also increase their chances of hailing one of these driverless rides by select the “Autonomous” option in the Uber app.

In order to qualify, the prosepctive rider’s route must be part of WeRide’s operating territory in Abu Dhabi and a dedicated WeRide GXR Robotaxi vehicle (seen in the featured image above) must be available.

Similar to Uber’s partnership with Waymo in Austin and Atlanta, the global rideshare network will oversee fleet operations for WeRide vehicles, handling end-to end rider support. It has tapped Tawasul Transport to facilitate vehicle cleaning, maintenance, inspections, charging, and depot management. WeRide will remain responsible for vehicle testing.

As you may recall last spring, Uber and WeRide announced an expansion to their strategic partnership beyond the Middle East (although Dubai will be the city for its next robotaxi rollout). Over the next five years, Uber and WeRide intend to deploy true driverless public rides in 15 additional cities, some of which will be in Europe.

As promised, here’s some b-roll footage from Uber showing how riders in Abu Dhabi can order a WeRide robotaxi:

Source: Uber

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ChargePoint brings 40+ new fast-charging ports to metro Detroit

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ChargePoint brings 40+ new fast-charging ports to metro Detroit

Metro Detroit is about to get a big boost of fast EV chargers, with more than 40 new ChargePoint ports set to come online across multiple sites owned by the Dabaja Brothers Development Group.

The first ultra-fast charging site just opened in Canton, Michigan. It’s owned and operated by Dabaja Brothers, who plan to follow it with additional ChargePoint-equipped locations in Dearborn and Livonia.

“We started this project because we saw a gap in our community – there was almost nowhere to charge an EV in Canton, and a similar lack of charging across metro Detroit,” said Yousef Dabaja, owner/operator at Dabaja Brothers.

Each metro Detroit site will feature ChargePoint Express Plus fast charging stations, which can deliver up to 500 kW to a single port, can fast-charge two vehicles at the same time, and are compatible with all EVs. The stations feature a proprietary cooling system to deliver peak charging speeds for sustained periods, ensuring that charging speed remains consistent.

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The stations operate on the new ChargePoint Platform, which enables operators to monitor performance, adjust pricing, troubleshoot issues, and gain real-time insights to keep chargers running smoothly.

Rick Wilmer, CEO at ChargePoint, said, “This initiative will rapidly infill the ‘fast charging deserts’ across the Detroit area, allowing drivers to quickly recharge their vehicles when and where they need to.”

Read more: ChargePoint just gave its EV charging software a major AI upgrade


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Mercedes-Benz opens its first DC fast charging hub at Starbucks

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Mercedes-Benz opens its first DC fast charging hub at Starbucks

Mercedes-Benz High-Power Charging and Starbucks have officially opened their first DC fast charging hub together, off the I-5 in Red Bluff, California.

The 400 kW Mercedes-Benz chargers are capable of adding up to 300 miles in 10 minutes, depending on the EV, and every stall has both NACS and CCS cables – they’re fully open DC fast chargers.

Mercedes-Benz HPC North America, a joint venture between subsidiaries of Mercedes-Benz Group and renewable energy producer MN8 Energy, first announced in July 2024 that it would install DC fast chargers at Starbucks stores along Interstate 5, the main 1,400-mile north-south interstate highway on the US West Coast from Canada to Mexico. Ultimately, Mercedes plans to install fast chargers at 100 Starbucks stores across the US.

Mercedes-Benz HPC opened its first North American charging site at Mercedes-Benz USA’s headquarters in Sandy Springs, Georgia, in November 2023 as part of an initial $1 billion charging network investment. As of the end of 2024, Mercedes had deployed over 150 operational fast chargers in the US, but it hasn’t disclosed an official number of how many chargers are currently online.

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Andrew Cornelia, CEO of Mercedes-Benz HPC North America, is leaving the company at the end of the month to become global head of electrification & sustainability at Uber.

Read more: Mercedes-Benz is deploying 400 kW US-made EV fast chargers with CCS and NACS cables


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