EV charging

New York City tests a solar-powered electric-school-bus microgrid

Utility Con Edison and school-bus operator First Student see bus-charging depots equipped with solar and batteries as a win-win that supports the power grid.

By Jeff St. John . 4 November 2024

Artist rendering of solar panel-topped electric school buses parked at EV chargers — First Student and Con Edison are building a solar- and battery-equipped electric bus-charging microgrid in Brooklyn, complete with solar-panel-topped EV school buses. (First Student)

EV charging

EV-charging microgrids are worth more than the sum of their parts. Here's why

Scale Microgrid Solutions says pairing electric trucks with solar, batteries and backup power can help fleet operators, financiers and utilities alike.

By Jeff St. John . 23 May 2022
Electric vehicles

Porsche investment could unlock up to a 50% boost in EV battery density

The German automaker led a $400M funding round in startup Group14, a maker of silicon anodes that will bump up battery efficiency and shorten charging times.

By Julian Spector . 4 May 2022
Electric vehicles

Electric truck leasing is open for business in the heart of L.A.

Startup Zeem wants truck fleets to benefit from electrification without the headaches of buying vehicles and installing chargers.

By Julian Spector . 28 April 2022
EV charging

Is ‘vehicle-to-everything’ charging ready for prime time?

Bidirectional charging could provide home backup power, stabilize the grid and decrease costs for EV owners. A new consortium aims to make it mainstream.

By Jeff St. John . 27 April 2022
EV charging

Helping auto dealers learn to love EVs

Car dealers are struggling with the shift to selling EVs. JouleSmart and mCloud created an energy management package that can make it easier.

By Jeff St. John . 18 April 2022
Electric vehicles

When will EV trucks be ready for large-scale adoption? It's complicated

New policies are pushing zero-emissions trucks onto U.S. roads, but the most polluting long-haul routes will be the hardest to electrify.

By Jeff St. John . 17 March 2022
EV charging

GM and PG&E to test how EVs can power homes during blackouts

Despite the hype from automakers, vehicle-to-home charging is in its infancy. What will it take to scale?

By Jeff St. John . 8 March 2022
Hydrogen

Why is California wasting millions on hydrogen fuel pumps?

Battery EVs have won the clean car race, so bankrolling a major buildout of hydrogen infrastructure seems foolish.

By Eric Wesoff . 7 March 2022
Grid edge

EnergyHub buys Packetized Energy to get millions of thermostats and EVs to help balance the grid

Utilities need to orchestrate energy-smart devices at a massive scale. This startup's radically distributed approach could help.

By Jeff St. John . 3 March 2022
EV charging

EV chargers down? ChargerHelp is training a diverse workforce to fix them

The U.S. plans a massive rollout of EV chargers. Who's going to keep them all working? This L.A.-based startup has an approach it's taking nationwide.

By Maria Gallucci . 23 February 2022