General Motors and EVgo announced today that they plan to add more than 2,700 new fast chargers at grocery stores, retail outlets, and entertainment centers in 40 metropolitan areas. The project, which will take five years to complete, is an effort to convince renters and condo dwellers that EVs are practical. The message is to fast-charge in a half-hour while you’re completing errands.
EVPassport is an upcoming app that promises $39/mo unlimited charging on major EV charge networks. The included networks are Electrify America, EVgo, Chargepoint, Hubject and Greenlots, along with some smaller regional networks on the US West Coast. The app plans to launch in “a few weeks” but is taking wait list signups now.
The app will start with support for iPhone and DC fast charging in the US at first, with initial support for 2,500 DC chargers. It will expand to Android later this year, along with European support (including IONITY). If all goes well, it plans to add Level 2 AC charging support next year.
On December 16, 2019, California’s Office of Administrative Law approved amendments to its Electric Vehicle Fueling Systems Specifications. These rules ban operators of electric vehicle charging stations from billing by the minute at new 240Vac stations in 2021 onwards, and new DCFC stations 2023 onwards.
This is a huge blow to Electrify America and EVgo. Both firms bill by the minute for EV charging, leaving drivers with sticker shock and feeling ripped off by the end of the session. Chargepoint will also be negatively affected, as many of their site-host partners choose to bill per minute. And while Tesla already bills by the kilowatt-hour, California will also be requiring charging stations to physically display “on their face” important information about electricity cost and delivery, a move that will put the most burden on Tesla’s Supercharger stations.
Power generation and transmission business LS Power Development, LLC, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire EVgo from its current owner, Vision Ridge Partners. EVgo is one of the leading private operators of electric vehicle charging stations in the United States.
EVgo announced today that they are collaborating with Tesla to install their proprietary connector on their public charging stations nationwide. Expand Expanding Close
Nissan has launched a new program called “Nissan Energy Perks by EVgo” as an extra incentive for Leaf buyers, promising $250 worth of charging credits for use on the nationwide EVgo charging network. This is available to all Nissan Leaf buyers backdating to November 1, 2019.
Uber and EVgo announced today that they have signed a Memorandum of Agreement to cooperate on electrifying rideshare programs. The announcement came as part of a Climate Week event in San Francisco.
North Carolina is now the 30th state to allow public EV charging companies to offer pricing by the kilowatt-hour (kWh), instead of charging per minute. The change was thanks to bipartisan legislation — House Bill 329, Renewable Energy Amendments — passed by the legislature and signed by Gov. Roy Cooper.
The vast majority of Americans now live and drive in places where private companies are free to set up EV charging stations and offer pricing for actual kWh delivered to the vehicle. Tesla calls billing by the kWh “the most fair and simple method.” Any EV driver would agree, as all sorts of factors including the weather affect the speed an EV will charge at, making per-minute pricing something of a crapshoot as opposed to how many kWh (like ‘gallons of gas’) was actually delivered.
Nissan and EVgo are announcing today that they are expanding their collaboration and will deploy 200 more fast-charging stations for electric cars in the US. Expand Expanding Close
Charging network EVgo announced today that it has reached roaming agreements with ChargePoint and EV Connect, making it easier for EVgo users to charge on those networks.
Tesla warned in a filing this week with the DC Public Service Commission that its customers could be excluded from reduced cost charging in the District of Columbia. This is because Pepco, an Exelon company and the electric utility in DC, proposed to the Commission on May 13 that “any public electric vehicle charging station for which Pepco provides make-ready infrastructure must permit readily accessible charging by a broad range of EVs”. This would mean Tesla Superchargers would be ineligible for the wholesale electric rate that would be available to other private operators like Chargepoint & EVgo.
Oil and gas station companies are increasingly looking at adding electric vehicle charging stations at their locations in order to stay relevant as the industry moves to electric.
Chevron is the latest example as it partners with EVgo to bring EV charging stations to its gas stations. Expand Expanding Close
EVgo has contracted for 100% renewable energy to power its fast charging network, the company announced today, making it the first US EV charging network to do so.
Nissan and EVgo are today launching their new east coast fast-charging route along the I-95 enabling EV drivers to travel between Washington D.C. and Boston. Expand Expanding Close
Used electric vehicle battery packs are becoming increasingly popular for stationary energy storage projects.
It’s especially the case overseas, but now EVgo is bringing the tech to the US with a new fast-charging station powered by BMW i3 battery packs. Expand Expanding Close
EVgo announced today that it entered into an agreement with Maven, General Motors’ car sharing brand, to build a dedicated DC fast charging network for its fleet of Chevy Bolt EV vehicles used by Maven Gig drivers. Expand Expanding Close
EVgo today announced price drops, a simpler scheme and longer charge windows to “the nation’s largest network of public electric vehicle (EV) DC Fast charging stations”. EVgo says that the new rates match or beat gasoline on a per mile basis and the new service will be a boon for apartment dwellers and current/prospective EV buyers who need to take trips outside of their EV range. However, there are some important details to consider.
YEARS in the making, EVgo this week released their first app for consumers on both Android and iOS. I’ve tried it on both platforms and have gotten similar results in a little over a day of testing with two separate EVgo 50kW DC fast chargers. I tested both the Chevy Bolt with CCS SAE Combo charger and the Tesla Model X with Chademo adapter. So, how’d we do? Expand Expanding Close
At the opening ceremony of the 2017 New York International Auto Show, Nissan and EVgo announced that they have partnered to create a corridor of DC fast-charging stations for electric vehicles along interstate 95 between Boston and Washington D.C.
The good news is that while they are still only deploying “barely” fast-charging 50 kW chargers, they are going to pre-wire the sites for “high-power charging power output of up to 150kW”. Expand Expanding Close
There’s an exciting race to build high-power fast-charging stations for electric vehicles going on right now. Companies like Tesla, EVgo, Chargepoint, ABB, and many more are preparing for the next wave of EVs, which are expected to be able to charge at a much higher rate.
It looks like EVgo and ABB are now taking a small lead in this race. They announced today that they are installing the “first High-Power fast charging station” (150-350 kW) and they are doing it right in Tesla’s backyard; Fremont, California. Expand Expanding Close
Nissan and BMW have been partnering on the development of charging stations to support their respective growing fleets of electric vehicles for a few years now. EVgo has been building the network in the US for the two automakers and it now includes over 668 DC fast-charging stations in over 50 metro areas.
The companies are announcing today another batch of 174 new DC fast-charging station across 33 states. Expand Expanding Close