Tesla to open up its US Supercharger network, double the number of chargers

e White House announced that Tesla will move forward with plans to open its Supercharger network to non-Tesla EVs in the US. Tesla, which rolled its own charging standard back in the early days as other automakers dithered, has been moving towards opening up its Superchargers for some time. It has little choice but to do so, as subsidies for public chargers in the EU, and now in the US, are available only to companies that make their charging stations available to all drivers.

Tesla has already opened hundreds of stations in most of its European markets, where it was already using the standard CCS connector, but here in North America the company fell behind schedule—it had announced plans to open up by the end of 2022.

Making Superchargers available to non-Teslas may be a bit more challenging in the US, where the company still uses its own proprietary connector. However, Tesla has a new CCS adapter called the Magic Dock, which can be retro tted to existing Supercharger stalls (hopefully with a longer charging cable).

e Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will make some $7.5 billion in funding available for public chargers that serve all brands of EVs. Assuming that Tesla moves quickly to open up access, it stands to earn a sizable chunk of that pot of funds. e company has also announced plans to “more than double” the number of Superchargers in the US by the end of 2024. e o cial White House announcement reads, in part:

Tesla, for the rst time, will open a portion of its US Supercharger and Destination Charger network to non-Tesla EVs, making at least 7,500 chargers available for all EVs by the end of 2024. e open chargers will be distributed across the United States. ey will include at least 3,500 new and existing 250 kW Superchargers along highway corridors…and

Level 2 Destination Charging at locations like hotels and restaurants in urban and rural locations. All EV drivers will be able to access these stations using the Tesla app or website. Additionally, Tesla will more than double its full nationwide network of Superchargers.

If the past is any guide, the transition may not happen as quickly as advertised, and a number of important questions remain. Will opening the network increase congestion at Superchargers? Will Tesla have to change the layout of its stations to accommodate EVs that have their charge ports in other locations? Will it be allowed to charge non-Tesla drivers a higher rate for charging?

Over the longer term, will opening up prove to be a positive or a negative development for the EV trend-setter? Some have opined that Tesla risks losing one of its major competitive advantages. e Supercharger network is widely considered to be the “gold standard” of charging. Will allowing the thundering herd into the walled garden cause standards to slip?

Well, Tesla may not be great at meeting deadlines, but the company has proven to be good at rolling out large numbers of Superchargers (it currently has around 17,700 in the US, in addition to 10,000 Destination Chargers). Reliability is o en simply a numbers game—if a site has 20 charge points, it’s no big deal if 2 or 3 are out of order. Furthermore, back in 2021, Tesla’s CEO said that non-Tesla EV owners will use the Tesla smartphone app to manage and pay for their charging sessions. at sounds like a golden brand-building opportunity—and brand-building was historically another Tesla specialty.

Electrify America will power its entire charging network with solar energy

Charging network operator Electrify America has entered into a 15-year virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) with developer Terra-Gen to build a solar photovoltaic project in California’s Mojave Desert.

e Electrify America Solar Glow 1 project is expected to have a peak capacity of 75 MW, and estimated annual energy production of 225,000 MWh—enough to more than o set the energy delivered to Electrify America’s EV charging customers. e project is targeted to be operational by mid-2023.

Electrify America says its charging network is already backed by 100% renewable energy, through the purchase of environmental certi cates from existing renewable generation. By entering into a VPPA, Electrify America will support the key sustainability goal of additionality, which is to say that the project will create new, additional renewable energy generation.

e solar project may also be expanded at the option of Terra-Gen to include a co-located battery energy storage system. is would add to EA’s ongoing e ort to deploy over 30 MW of co-located behind-the-meter energy storage systems at its charging stations across the US.

“Electrify America’s business model—and purpose—have always been at the forefront of e orts to reduce emissions through enabling electric mobility,” said Giovanni Palazzo, CEO of Electrify America. “Our commitment to customers and to a sustainable future go hand-in-hand, which is why we are investing in renewable energy generation to commit to a net-zero carbon footprint associated with the energy delivered to our customers.”

Emporia Energy unveils new low-priced Level 2 charger

Emporia Energy, a Colorado-based provider of home energy management technology (see the feature article in our January-March 2022 issue), is pushing the EVSE price envelope with a new Level 2 charger priced at $399.

“Competing chargers with similar specs, warranty, safety certi cations and customer ratings are selling on Amazon for as much as $750,” said Emporia CEO Shawn McLaughlin. “ ere is no reason consumers should be paying that much for a Level 2 EV charger. Heck, when you combine our charger with our Energy Management System, we o er added features like excess solar charging and peak demand management that our competition cannot o er, and we are still less expensive.” e Emporia system provides up to 48 amps, and comes with a generous 24-foot cable. It’s designed to t smoothly into Emporia’s energy management ecosystem, which includes a home battery system, energy monitor, smart plugs and third-party thermostat integration. e new unit is ENERGY STAR-certi ed, which means that it uses 40% less energy in standby mode than non-certi ed products. Emporia notes that households and property managers using an ENERGY STAR-certied charger may qualify for special energy bill savings and rebates o ered by some states and local electric utilities.

When combined with the Emporia Smart Home Energy Management System, the Emporia Level 2 EV Charger o ers the ability to optimize energy use through automations that schedule charging based on utility time-of-use rates, excess solar generation and the user’s selected peak demand goals.

ABB E-mobility announces new Terra Home residential charger

ABB E-mobility provides products and services in every segment of the EV infrastructure eld. e multinational electronics giant unveiled a new home charging solution at the recent CES 2023 in Las Vegas.

ABB E-mobility’s new Terra Home is set to go on sale later this year. It features a stylish, minimalistic design that can be personalized to t into di erent home decors, as well as the ability to automatically prioritize the use of electricity from renewable domestic sources.

Plug and Charge, an intelligent feature that’s increasingly o ered by public chargers, enables instant and automatic user authentication. Using the ABB E-mobility charger app, owners can ensure that only they can connect to their Terra Home. Interactive lighting features indicate the state of the charging session. A cloud connection between the Terra Home and ABB E-mobility allows the charger to be remotely serviced, while remote rmware updates are designed to ensure a future-proof experience.

“O ering unprecedented user choice, the new Terra Home provides the exibility for an even greater number of people to simply and stylishly embrace the transition to electric mobility,” said Leon van de Pas, SVP for ABB’s Destination Charging business line.

TravelCenters of America to deploy 1,000 Electrify America fast EV chargers at 200 locations

TravelCenters of America (Nasdaq: TA), which operates a network of 281 travel centers (truck stops, to use the old-fashioned term) in 44 states under the TA, Petro and TA Express brands, is working with Electrify America to deploy DC fast charging at select TA/Petro locations.

TA aims to install some 1,000 chargers at 200 locations along major highways over ve years. Electrify America will provide its branded DC fast chargers, and will install, operate and maintain the charging stations through its Electrify Commercial business unit. EA will manage the entire process, obtaining permitting approvals, providing warranty and support services, and conducting on-site maintenance.

e EA chargers feature charging speeds of up to 350 kW, and support the Plug and Charge seamless payment standard. Customers will be able to locate and pay for charging through the Electrify America app. e rst stations are to open later this year.

“TA’s large locations with expansive amenities are attractive to EV motorists, and we are committed to expanding our EV charging infrastructure to accommodate this growing number of EV drivers,” said Jon Pertchik, CEO of TravelCenters of America. “Our agreement with best-in-class Electrify America provides an unmatched o ering of excellence in locations, service and support.”

“Electrify America is pleased to collaborate with an industry leader like TravelCenters of America to provide the critical infrastructure needed for EV drivers of today and tomorrow,” said Giovanni Palazzo, President and CEO of Electrify America. “Our combined strengths allow us to take bigger steps toward our shared vision of a more sustainable future.”

AMPECO raises $16 million for expansion of its EV charging management platform in the US

EV charging management platform AMPECO has raised $16 million in venture capital investment a er closing a $13-million Series A funding round led by BMW i Ventures. e round also included LAUNCHub Ventures, Cavalry Ventures and a number of angel investors.

e company o ers a white-label, hardware-agnostic EV charging management platform that covers public, private and home charging and currently serves 120 customers in 45 markets, representing over 62,000 charging points in Europe and North America.

AMPECO says it plans to use the new funding for expansion in North America and for building the company’s engineering and product innovation teams there as well as in the UK, France and Germany.

“ ere is an incredible opportunity for EV charging providers to build and scale a pro table business using innovative technologies,” says AMPECO CEO Orlin Radev. “ is is exactly what AMPECO o ers—we give them the exibility to use our so ware platform by integrating it closely with their existing systems and providing them with complete control of their business, from customer relationships to payment ows.”

EverCharge’s load balancing enables large-scale EV charging solution at Houston airport

EverCharge, an SK Group company, will deploy “a signi cant number” of EV charging stations at Houston’s George Bush International Airport for Avis Budget Group. e stations will power Avis and Budget’s rental eet of plug-in vehicles at the airport.

Intelligent load balancing allows eet operators to install more charging stations without straining the existing electrical grid or requiring costly utility upgrades. EverCharge’s patented load balancing so ware, SmartPower, is designed to enable large-scale, networked EV charging by analyzing charging patterns and intelligently allocating available power based on the needs of each individual vehicle.

“An optimal charging infrastructure is a necessary condition to support a seamless transition to an electri ed eet,” said Joe Ferraro, CEO at Avis Budget Group. “We are committed to o ering the best possible experience for our customers and this requires investing in technology that integrates with the diverse EV eet that our OEM partners will deliver.”

“EverCharge is on a mission to enable the widespread adoption of EVs by providing intelligent so ware and hardware charging solutions that leverage the capabilities of existing electrical infrastructure,” said Jason Appelbaum, CEO of EverCharge.

Following the launch in Houston, Avis Budget Group and EverCharge plan to extend their partnership to additional airport locations this year.

Volkswagen and Enel X Way to deploy 3,000 high-power charging points in Italy

e Volkswagen Group and Enel X Way, the Enel Group’s company dedicated to electric mobility, have launched a joint venture called Ewiva, which aims to build a high-power charging (HPC) network of 3,000 charging points across Italy.

At the moment, Ewiva boasts some 750 chargers, either in operation or awaiting activation, in 233 locations, and Enel X Way operates approximately 17,000. e joint venture is expected to expand the number of locations to 500 by the end of 2023, and aims to reach 3,000 charging points, each with up to 350 kW and powered by 100% renewable energy, by 2025.

Ewiva expects to operate more than 800 sites focused on city centers, suburban areas and main roads used by commuters and tourists.

“ e expansion of charging infrastructure plays a key role in the success of e-cars. Enel and Volkswagen, two strong partners from di erent industries, have now joined forces to tackle this task in a targeted manner, thus advancing e-mobility in Italy,” said omas Schmall, CEO of Volkswagen Group Components.

EV charging station data provider Eco-Movement closes Series A funding round

Eco-Movement, a Netherlands-based provider of EV charging station data, has closed a Series A funding round. Investors included Dutch VC rm Ponooc and business news outlet Dow Jones.

As an independent B2B data platform, Eco-Movement provides charge point location and pricing information to navigation providers, online maps and eet operators. Clients include Tesla, TomTom, Shell, Apple and HERE. Many EV-related companies need accurate and complete data on public charging stations in North America and Europe. Eco-Movement “helps solve this challenge by working together with charge point operators to aggregate their data, including price and real-time availability, into a uniform, accurate and complete database.”

Roderick van den Berg, CEO of Eco-Movement, said, “ e relevance of our data is increasing every day. With the support of both Ponooc and Dow Jones, we will further improve our product to help charge point operators with their visibility on mobile and in-car maps and support the EV industry with the best data possible.”

“Our investment in Eco-Movement is a strong complement to our existing expertise in the renewable energy and sustainability arena,” said Almar Latour, CEO of Dow Jones. “Dow Jones’s commitment to increasing expertise in this arena will help our customers make informed decisions as they navigate major energy-related changes in the world as well as their own energy transitions.”