DC Rapid Charging
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Over the next three years, numerous long-range electric cars will come to market at prices below $40,000. That will expand the pool of potential buyers to those interested in plug-in vehicles but unwilling to consider one rated at less than 200 miles. Those new owners will learn the DC fast charging along highways to enable longer road trips remains badly signposted, operated by multiple entities ... and often expensive. DON'T MISS: EVgo, Chargepoint annual reports show growth in electric-car charging On Thursday, the nation's largest fast-charging network announced a new, simplified, and...
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Europe takes the lead in very fast electric-car charging
Europeans will soon have the opportunity to enjoy quiet, emission-free, long-distance motoring with far shorter charge times when driving electric cars along Germany's autobahns. The charging network Allego has rolled out its first 175-kilowatt ultra-fast charging stations—dubbed "Ultra...
Mark Stevenson -
Used Renault electric-car batteries provide DC fast-charging on highway
Renault hasn't tackled the home-energy storage market to the degree its alliance partner Nissan has, but it has found another use for "second-life" batteries. The French brand has worked with UK-based Connected Energy to install two electric-car DC fast-charging stations powered by second-life...
Sean Szymkowski -
DC fast charging for electric cars: what's here, what's coming, what's hype?
Drivers who want to use their electric cars for trips beyond a radius from their home charging site rely on DC fast-charging sites. Now Charged magazine has written a comprehensive guide to the current state and future of DC charging. Today, most publicly available chargers using the CHAdeMO and...
Zach Bowman -
Tesla to double global Supercharger fast-charging network this year, it says
Tesla continues to make sweeping changes as it prepares for the launch of the Model 3, its first mass-market electric car. The company has announced a significant expansion of its global network of Supercharger DC fast-charging stations. Executives believe, it said, that charging should be...
John Voelcker -
VW Electrify America plan for electric-car charging across U.S. released
Two billion dollars is a lot of money. When VW Group of America agreed to fund a $2 billion project to spread zero-emission vehicle infrastructure across the U.S. as part of its settlements in the Volkswagen diesel emission scandal, that immediately changed the playing field for electric-car fast...
John Voelcker -
For a few years now, Tesla has shown what a nationwide network of DC fast-charging sites for long-range electric cars should look like. Its Supercharger network now covers virtually all of the lower 48 states, and until earlier this year, it was completely free to Tesla drivers. The Chevrolet Bolt EV, the first affordable battery-electric car with 200-plus miles of rated range, also offers DC fast charging as an option. DON'T MISS: Fast-charging a 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car But Bolt EV fast charging is less capable than Tesla's in three crucial ways. First, there's no coherent...
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Should electric-car makers subsidize fast charging for owners?
By now, purchase incentives are a well-proven and valuable tool in increasing electric-car adoption. But what if incentives were applied to more than just the cars? Different automakers have shown varying levels of interest in developing DC fast-charging networks for the electric cars they produce...
Stephen Edelstein -
Much faster electric-car charging: on a fast track
Relatively short ranges and long charging times are two of the main factors restraining more widespread electric-car adoption. To address the range issue, automakers are expected to launch a batch of more-affordable long-range electric cars over the next few years, a shift heralded by the 2017...
Stephen Edelstein -
How important is fast-charging to sell electric cars? Poll results
Those unfamiliar with electric cars often don't know that several different types of battery charging exist. Overnight recharging at home can be done either with 120-volt household current or, for longer-range cars, with a 240-volt charging station installed by the car owner. Then there's DC fast...
John Voelcker -
BMW expands electric-car ChargeNow by EVgo program to 33 states
Two days ago, BMW and Nissan announced the latest expansion of their jointly funded DC fast-charging sites for electric cars, which is operated by the EVgo charging network. Those sites now cover more than 50 metropolitan areas in 33 states. This morning, BMW announced that its ChargeNow by EVgo...
John Voelcker -
BMW, Nissan fund EVgo fast-charging network expansion: 670 dual-standard sites open
At the end of 2015, BMW and Nissan announced that the two companies had partnered to fund the installation of 120 DC fast-charging stations for electric cars across 19 states. All the sites had one or more 50-kilowatt stations with a pair of charging cables: one with the CHAdeMO connector that...
John Voelcker -
It’s a new era in Teslaworld: the end of unlimited free Supercharging. Starting on January 15, anybody who orders a new Tesla Model S or Model X will receive an annual allotment of 400 free kilowatt-hours (good for about 1,200 miles). After that, they will have to pay for use of the Supercharging fast-charging network, at prices that vary from state to state. Even the high rollers who drop $150,000 for a loaded P100DL will have to pay the charging fees. DON'T MISS: Tesla to charge for Supercharger parking if charging is over, sometimes In states that allow electricity sales by the...
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ChargePoint launches Express Plus modular fast-charging hardware
It's an interesting moment to contemplate the future of DC fast charging for electric cars right now. Electric cars with 200 miles or more of range are starting to hit the market, with half a dozen expected to be in showrooms three years hence. And international standards groups are working to...
John Voelcker -
EVgo breaks ground on DC fast-charging station prepared for up to 350 kW
Longer-range electric cars will add flexibility for drivers, but they will also require changes to charging infrastructure. More powerful DC fast-charging stations will be needed in order to charge cars with larger-capacity battery packs in a reasonable amount of time. The EVgo charging network is...
Stephen Edelstein -
BMW, Ford, Mercedes, VW Group to build electric-car fast-charging network in Europe
With a slew of 200-mile electric cars planned for 2018 and later, the question of how their drivers will be able to make long-distance trips is coming to the fore in a big way. Silicon Valley electric-car maker Tesla Motors laid out the template with its Supercharger network, which now numbers 327...
John Voelcker -
2017 Chevy Bolt EV: here's what can go wrong for electric-car pioneer
The 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV will be on dealership floors within several weeks, cementing its position as the first affordable 200-mile electric car. It will beat planned 200-mile electric cars from BMW, Nissan, Tesla, Volkswagen, and other makers, and that's all to the good for plug-in car...
John Voelcker -
DC fast-charging in east, west coast corridors done, say VW, BMW
BMW and Volkswagen recently completed their East Coast and West Coast DC fast-charging corridors.
Stephen Edelstein -
A new DC fast-charging site in Norway can accommodate 28 cars, regardless of charging standards.
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When will electric-car DC fast-charging be available everywhere in the U.S.? Poll results
Energy infrastructure is key to any serious effort to make zero-emission vehicles practical for mass-market car buyers. The world has spent more than a century building an efficient, global distribution and delivery system for gasoline and diesel fuel, and any new energy source requires the same...
John Voelcker -
How Tesla may charge Model 3 owners for Supercharger access: credit-card accounts
Tesla may charge Model 3 owners for Supercharger access through its website.
Stephen Edelstein -
Tesla boosts Supercharger electric-car charging rate to 145 kw
By now, the Tesla Supercharger network has provided a superb case study showing the importance of a comprehensive nationwide network of DC fast-charging sites to make electric cars practical for long-distance trips. While the competing CHAdeMO and Combined Charging System (CCS) standards are...
John Voelcker -
U.S. to offer $4.5 billion for electric-car charging stations via DoE loan guarantees
The Obama Administration will release $4.5 billion to fund a nationwide network of charging stations.
Stephen Edelstein -
How to use $2 billion VW diesel fine for electric-car charging: advocate offers advice
The Volkswagen diesel emission scandal erupted last September, when the EPA formally issued a Notice of Violation to one of the world's three largest automakers for willfully violating U.S. emission laws for seven years. Since then, much speculation has appeared over what forms of punishment VW...
Tom Moloughney