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EnergyAustralia, EDF partner for ‘critical’ pumped hydro in NSW

EnergyAustralia, EDF partner for ‘critical’ pumped hydro in NSW - Energy-Storage.News Skip to content

MET Group inaugurates largest BESS in Hungary- Energy-Storage.News

The company already deployed a 4MW/8MWh BESS there using Tesla Megapacks in 2022, but for the larger project opted to use China-based electronics giant Huawei. Although not the most regular figure in BESS news, Huawei does have a major presence in the industry. Wood Mackenzie ranked it as the fourth-largest BESS integrator in the world in 2022, after Sungrow, Tesla and Fluence. Images of the Hungary project provided by MET Group show the BESS units but without any clear Huawei branding. That would indicate the company gets its product to market via white-labelled supply to other system integrators, meaning it may have a much larger market presence than is apparent at first. BESS and power conversion system (PCS) units at the project. Image: MET Group. The project’s main contractor was Forest-Vill Ltd, MET Group added. Péter Horváth, CEO of the Dunamenti Power Station, commented: “The application of battery energy storage systems is a key element on the road to energy transition, as they allow to increase the penetration of new renewable sources into the power grid.” MET Group is also active in the French energy storage market, having acquired combined heat and power (CHP) and BESS operator Comax last year. In 2023, the EU approved a €1.1 billion (US$1.2 billion) capex support scheme in Hungary to kickstart the country’s large-scale energy storage market. A panellist at our publisher Solar Media’s Energy Storage Summit Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) 2024 last year in Warsaw called the scheme one of the most advanced subsidies schemes they had seen to-date.

Tesla has started rolling out initial round of Robotaxi invites

Tesla has started rolling out an initial round of invites for its upcoming Robotaxi service in Austin, Texas. Screenshots shared by several Tesla community members who received the invites provided a quick overview of the autonomous ride-hailing service. As noted in a techAU report, the initial round of Robotaxi service invites has gone to longtime Tesla owners and active members of the EV community. These include owners such as @SawyerMerritt, @BLKMDL3, @WholeMarsBlog, @ItsKimJava, and @HerbertOng, all of whom shared screenshots of the invitation that Tesla has sent about the upcoming service. I'm building a @X list of those who get Robotaxi Invites.. follow here.. So far we have– @SawyerMerritt – @BLKMDL3– @WholeMarsBlog – @ItsKimJava Let me know if you find others pic.twitter.com/pfqTpaEvi5 — techAU (@techAU) June 20, 2025 You’re Invited to Early Access of Tesla Robotaxi! The Future is Now! You’re invited to Early Access of Tesla’s Robotaxi service in Austin, TX! As an Early Access rider, you can be among the first to use our new Robotaxi App and experience an autonomous ride within our geofenced area in Austin. Through this exclusive preview, you’ll have the opportunity to provide valuable feedback on our Robotaxi service. Based on Tesla’s message, it appears that participation in the service would be strictly invite-only for now. Participants must also download Tesla’s dedicated Robotaxi App to hail a ride. Rides can also be requested and initiated to and from any location within a geofenced area of Austin. The robotaxi service will be available from 6:00 AM to 12:00 AM, seven days a week, though these hours may change depending on factors such as inclement weather. Interestingly enough, Tesla is inviting the first participants of the Robotaxi program to share photos and videos of their experience with the service. While the vehicles themselves are autonomous and would operate without human input, the Robotaxis would still be accompanied by a Tesla staff member to monitor the vehicle. This strategy suggests that Tesla is really putting safety above all in its initial Robotaxi rollout. The post Tesla has started rolling out initial round of Robotaxi invites appeared first on TESLARATI.

Cyprus regulator approves TSO-owned battery storage

Cyprus regulator approves TSO-owned battery storage - Energy-Storage.News Skip to content

Tesla to launch in India in July with vehicles already arriving: report

xAI’s Grok 3 is partnering with Oracle Cloud to deliver its advanced AI model to corporate customers. Oracle announced its collaboration with xAI earlier this week. The partnership leverages Oracle’s robust infrastructure to offer xAI’s Grok 3, positioning it as a transformative tool for business applications. “Today, we announced xAI has selected Oracle to offer xAI’s Grok models via OCI Generative AI service for a wide range of use cases and will use OCI’s leading AI infrastructure to train and run inferencing for its next-generation Grok models,” said Clay Magouyrk, Executive Vice President at Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, via LinkedIn. Oracle’s cost-effective AI capabilities will support xAI’s demanding workloads, enabling faster processing for enterprise users. Oracle’s Karan Batta told Reuters: “Our goal here is to make sure that we can provide a portfolio of models – we don’t have our own.” Oracle will host Grok 3 alongside models from Meta, Mistral, and Cohere, ensuring corporate data remains secure within existing Oracle protections. Oracle’s strategy focuses on integrating popular AI models into corporate software, and xAI’s Grok 3 enhances this portfolio. The collaboration expands Grok’s reach to businesses seeking secure, high-performance AI solutions for diverse use cases. Elon Musk’s xAI launched Grok 3 in February. It competes with models from DeepSeek and OpenAI. Grok 3 is free for all X users, but features are limited. X offers Premium and Premium+ subscribers access to Grok 3’s advanced capabilities like DeepResearch and Think modes. Users who are not paid subscribers have access to Grok 3’s basic features. Elon Musk’s companies have a longstanding relationship with Oracle. In 2018, Tesla appointed Oracle founder Larry Ellison to its board, a move Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives called a “home run appointment.” In 2023, Ellison–who is no longer on Tesla’s board but still close with Musk–revealed plans for a Tesla Cybertruck police car. “Our next-generation police car is coming out very soon,” Ellison said at the 2023 Oracle CloudWorld conference in Las Vegas. “It’s my favorite police car. It’s my favorite car, actually. It’s Elon’s favorite car.” Grok 3’s integration into Oracle Cloud strengthens xAI’s position in the corporate artificial intelligence market. By combining Oracle’s infrastructure with Grok’s cutting-edge capabilities, this collaboration could redefine enterprise AI adoption, driving innovation across industries.

Mumbai installs battery swapping kiosks at public transport stations

Mumbai has introduced battery-swapping stations at 31 Metro and Monorail locations. These battery-swapping kiosks allow users of Honda-compatible electric two- and three-wheelers to quickly exchange their depleted Mobile Power Pack for a fully charged one in under two minutes. Mumbai’s latest battery swapping initiative is a collaboration between Maha Mumbai Metro Operation Corporation Ltd (MMMOCL) and Honda Power Pack Energy India Pvt Ltd. The project has installed battery swapping stations for two and three-wheeled electric vehicles in battery kiosks at 25 Metro stations across the city, as well as six monorail stations. MMMOCL expects the stations to earn extra non-fare revenue, diversifying and increasing income in Mombai’s public transport system. While battery swapping stations are being introduced all over India, this project represents the first time these have been introduced within public transport systems in the country. Honda is one of the early movers with battery swapping technology globally, collaborating with other light electric vehicle manufacturers to standardise batteries accordingly. Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shri Devendra Fadnavis, said, “Our government is committed to accelerating electric mobility across Maharashtra. Battery swapping stations at metro and monorail nodes will support delivery personnel, daily riders, and fleet operators in making the EV shift. This initiative is a perfect example of how smart infrastructure and green technology can come together for public benefit.” Mumbai is considered the startup and financial capital of India and is the capital of the state of Maharashtra. The city’s approximately 22 million inhabitants are being increasingly exposed to lower pollution levels as public transport, electric car charging, and even electric ferry services are spreading across the city. The dynamic shift to electric vehicles in India follows both federal and state initiatives to not only lower pollution levels but also to increase the country’s energy security. India, like China, does not have much in the way of domestic oil resources. Their goals to increase energy security with electrification have seen both countries, each with the world’s first and second largest populations, rapidly transition to electric vehicles, significantly reducing oil demand globally. Dr. Sanjay Mukherjee, IAS, Metropolitan Commissioner, MMRDA & Chairman, MMMOCL, said, “This collaboration with Honda marks a significant stride in our mission to create a sustainable, low-emission urban ecosystem. By enabling quick and convenient battery swapping at metro and monorail locations, we are laying the foundation for future-ready transport.” Battery swapping in areas with high population density has enabled rapid electrification with space-saving vehicles while keeping batteries in lifecycle loops. This saves resources with recycling, without consumers having to participate in battery recycling efforts. While battery swapping is used for electric cars, such as with Nio, both light electric vehicles and heavier logistics and delivery vehicles benefit from being able to remain on the roads without charging times and therefore no costly downtime. indiatoday.in, indianexpress.com, maharashtra.gov

Evolugen gets city council support for 250MW IESO tender-winning BESS project in Canada

Evolugen gets city council support for 250MW IESO tender-winning BESS project in Canada - Energy-Storage.News Skip to content

SpaceX and Elon Musk share insights on Starship Ship 36's RUD

Novacium launches industrial production of high-performance batteries incorporating its silicon-based anode material

HPQ Silicon Inc., a technology company driving innovation in advanced materials and critical process development, is proud to announce that its French technology partner, NOVACIUM SAS, has launched the industrial production of cylindrical lithium-ion battery cells incorporating its third-generation silicon-based anode material. Following the press releases dated July 30, 2024, and March 19, 2025, which highlighted the strong performance of 18650 cells made using its GEN3 silicon-based anode material, Novacium has attracted significant interest from a number of key players in the energy sector. The resulting cells — offering a capacity of 4,000 mAh and 1,000 charge cycles — are particularly well-suited to the demanding requirements of the mobility, consumer electronics, telecommunications, and defense industries. In response to this growing demand, Novacium has decided to accelerate the industrial deployment of its technology by shifting toward large-scale production. “This strategic acceleration is a response to the strong market interest,” said Dr. Jed Kraiem, Ph.D., Chief Operating Officer of Novacium. “Our objective is to deliver the first commercial units and begin formalizing partnerships before the end of Q3 2025.” To meet this ambitious timeline, Novacium has partnered with a leading industrial player [1], who rapidly integrated the GEN3 silicon-based anode into its manufacturing line—faster than expected. This rapid success confirms a key advantage of the GEN3 technology: its compatibility with existing production infrastructure. Initial industrial production has yielded cylindrical cells in both the 18650 and 21700 formats, with capacities of 4,000 mAh and 6,000 mAh, respectively—performance levels among the highest currently available on the market [2], and fully consistent with prior lab-scale results. This progress was enabled by Novacium’s decision to collaborate with a partner already operating tens of millions of cells in annual production capacity. As a result, Novacium is positioned to scale rapidly and target significant commercial volumes in the coming months. “The outstanding performance of these new commercial cells validates not only our technology but also our agile and opportunistic industrial strategy,” added Dr. Kraiem. “We have moved beyond the laboratory—we are now delivering market-ready cells for evaluation and adoption by partners and future customers.” This strategic pivot also supports revenue generation, expands investment potential, and enables HPQ—the exclusive North American licensee of the GEN3 technology—to prepare for local production. HPQ aims to address the continent’s growing battery demand and initiate its own manufacturing in Canada. “This rapid launch confirms that our partnership with Novacium—and our broader commercial vision—is delivering tangible, market-ready results,” said Bernard Tourillon, CEO of HPQ Silicon Inc. and Novacium SAS. “We are not here to follow the market—we are here to help shape it.” “With our exclusive North American license and the significant technical progress made by Novacium, HPQ is strategically positioned to benefit from technology transfer, meet growing demand, generate revenues before year-end, and lay the groundwork for high-value local production,” Mr. Tourillon added. “This marks a pivotal milestone in the monetization of our technology portfolio.” This launch underscores HPQ and Novacium’s ability to rapidly transition from R&D to industrialization—a vital advantage in the global race for electrification and next-generation energy storage solutions. hpqsilicon.com

DESRI, Origis, rPlus finance & start building US solar and storage

DESRI, Origis, rPlus finance & start building US solar and storage - Energy-Storage.News Skip to content

Are Ford and GM sparring over battery manufacturing?

Ford and GM face many of the same industry challenges, which may be prompting new fronts for competition in Detroit. By Will Girling Ford’s Blue Oval battery plant in Marshall, Michigan, is facing difficulties in the form of a proposed budget bill in the US House of Representatives, which would make it ineligible for federal subsidies. Although the automaker has not explicitly named any Detroit rivals, a 19 June 2025 article by Crain’s Detroit Business cited four anonymous sources indicating that General Motors is behind the lobbying efforts. Subscribe to Automotive World to continue reading Sign up now and gain unlimited access to our news, analysis, data, and research Subscribe Already a member? Join our LinkedIn Group Let us help you understand the future of mobility "*" indicates required fields

Amazon, Meta and others eye new carbon credit to end coal power

A cross-industry group of around 20 companies is helping develop plans for a new type of carbon credit to fund the retirement of coal-powered power plants in emerging economies. The Kinetic Coalition, the organization overseeing the initiative, is aiming to aggregate demand from the companies and launch an advance market commitment. The group includes Amazon, Mastercard, Morgan Stanley and Tiffany & Co. The coalition is targeting a major source of emissions that is challenging to decarbonize. Close to a third of global carbon emissions come from coal power plants and almost 80 percent of those emissions come from emerging economies, according to the Rockefeller Foundation, one of the organizations involved in the project. Many of these facilities are relatively new. If the plants are retired, owners and investors need to be compensated and the facilities replaced with renewables. The coalition aims to channel money from companies in wealthier nations towards those ends, generating carbon credits for the backers in the process. “This is both a great way to accelerate climate finance into an area that’s so valuable and so needed, and a way of helping companies meet their climate commitments,” said Nathaniel Keohane, president of the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, the non-profit that coordinates the coalition. Pilot projects Keohane and team are currently evaluating three pilot projects that could form the basis for future credits. In the Philippines, where coal generates close to 80 percent of the country’s electricity, the coalition is looking to fund the early replacement of one plant with clean energy and storage. Projects in Chile and the Dominican Republic are focused on improvements to modernize the countries’ grids and integrate more renewables. Credits generated by the projects could be used in multiple ways. Schneider Electric, another participant in the coalition, is considering using them to offset company emissions or, as part of its sustainability consulting work, to sell on to clients, said Mathilde Mignot, a group director at Schneider subsidiary EcoAct and the company’s liaison to the coalition. The coalition is also investigating the possibility of using the credits to reduce Scope 3 emissions, a process known as insetting. Companies that buy from suppliers in the Philippines, for example, will likely have emissions from coal power in their Scope 3 accounts. Using the credits as insets would allow them to reduce that category of emissions. Keohane said the coalition is working to align its thinking in this area with ideas being developed by the Advanced and Indirect Mitigation Platform, a non-profit that’s developing standards for this kind of value-chain intervention. There is little precedent for assessing the integrity of the credits that the coalition will generate, but Keohane said the goal is to align with leading carbon credit standard-setters, including the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market and the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation. Specific projects could follow a methodology for early retirement of coal plants, released in May by Verra, or guidelines for sector-level intervention being developed by the non-profits Gold Standard and Environmental Resources Trust. ‘The demand will be there’ The sums required will be considerable. Keohone said it was too early to discuss funding for specific projects but estimated that interventions on this scale could run to hundreds of millions of dollars. That would constitute a significant chunk of the entire market for carbon credits, which the finance intelligence service MSCI pegged at $1.4 billion in 2024. The credits may have distinctive qualities, however. Investing in projects close to value chains could appeal to the internal company stakeholders that allocate credit investment, said Mignot. They may also be competitive: Keohane said prices between $30 and $60 per ton of avoided CO2 have been discussed for early retirement of coal power in the Philippines. That would make the credits more expensive than many forest projects, roughly on par with biochar and significantly cheaper than direct air capture. Since upfront capital would be required to retire and replace the plants, the coalition is considering aggregating demand from participating companies in the form of an advance market commitment, a funding mechanism that’s been deployed to generate other credit types. Keohone said he hoped to make an announcement at the COP30 negotiations in November. “If we can demonstrate that these credits are high integrity — we’re confident about that — and that there’s a business case to help companies meet their commitments, we think the demand will be there,” he said.

Become a leader for the software-focused future

Purdue College of Engineering has sponsored this post. (Image: Purdue.) Software doesn’t just live in computers anymore; it is in our appliances, cars and buildings, our tools and toys. This ever-growing reliance on — and complexity of — our digital technologies means that the need is greater than ever for engineers skilled in software systems architecture, machine learning, cybersecurity and much more. According to recent research by Lightcast, there were more than 2 million software engineering job posting between September 2021 and Sept 2023, and the demand for software engineers has grown by 51% since 2013. These roles encompass a wide range of industries and applications, everything from healthcare, to product design and development, to industrial manufacturing and automation. “There are a lot of software engineering jobs out there,” says Lynn Hegewald, Senior Master’s Program Manager with the Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Purdue University. “And our research tells us that a lot of these jobs are going unfilled.” Artificial intelligence and LLM technologies are a strong driver of this need for software engineers, along with growing applications of cybersecurity, data science, embedded software, systems software, and robotics and automation, especially at the industrial scale. This means engineers who want to advance in this field — and stay at the cutting edge — need to ensure their skills are in-depth and up-to-date. For these software engineers who want to refine their knowledge and enhance their skills, a master’s degree is the way to go. Build an ideal career with Purdue’s new online master’s in software engineering Whether their interest lies in computer engineering, AI, systems design or another path, Purdue offers a fully online Master’s of Science degree in Software Engineering (MSSWE) that ensures graduates have the right skills, knowledge, and ability to succeed in this competitive field. “We have students who are interested in computer engineering and software, in artificial intelligence and machine learning,” says Hegewald. “And all the way on the other side, we have students who are interested in power and robotics. We developed this degree so that these students who are interested in software engineering can earn a fine-tuned credential that reflects their interests.” Prior to the launch of the MSSWE degree and its inaugural class in 2024, Purdue offered separate degrees through the colleges of computer science and engineering, which could have a software focus. The new Software Engineering degree is a specialized program that combines the best of both worlds into a collaborative degree program with a singular focus on software engineering. The MSSWE builds on Purdue’s long-standing excellence in electrical and computer engineering, and its renowned history of computer science, says Hegewald. “The courses are the same ones we’ve been teaching for computer science and electrical and computer engineering, the faculty are all the same. This is expertise we already have, resources we already have, and now we’re offering them through a specialized credential.” Students can concentrate on the areas that interest them and are most useful to their career plans with focus areas in cybersecurity, embedded software, machine learning and data science, or systems software. Many MS or MEng programs are very prescriptive, Hegewald explains. “Everybody takes this course, then they take that course, and then the next. Our program doesn’t work like that at all.” There are base degree requirements, of course, but Purdue’s software engineering program stands out by being very flexible in that students can take the technical courses that are most useful and interesting to them, and which will be most valuable to their chosen career path. One of the unique aspects of the MSSWE from Purdue is not only the collaborative nature of the program, but also the flexibility of prerequisites for incoming students. Typically, an ECE master’s degree program will require an undergraduate degree in electrical or computer engineering. Purdue’s online MSSWE is more flexible, Hegewald says. “Generally, if you have a computer science or computer engineering bachelor’s, you’re completely prepared, but we also have mechanical engineers and other disciplines. Plus, many applicants are working and have a lot of on-the-job experience. So we also have students with degrees in IT, data science, analytics.” Prospective students don’t necessarily need to have a related degree, provided they have extensive work experience. “If so, Purdue’s degree might be right for you,” she adds. Prospective students considering the MSSWE are encouraged to complete the self-assessment available on the program’s website. Benefits and ROI of Purdue’s online MSSWE Purdue’s online MSSWE degree is ideal for working professional engineers because it offers the flexibility that these students need to pursue further education while also balancing school with the other demands of their work and personal life. Students can live and work anywhere in the U.S. or around the world, and still earn a highly-regarded Purdue degree. “Purdue’s faculty have really embraced teaching online,” Hegewald says, with 60 – 70% of engineering courses on campus also being taught online and available to remote students. “Our faculty really enjoy having online students in their classes, since often these students are working in industry and can bring different perspectives and new information that enhances the experience of that class for everyone.” Hegewald emphasizes that the personalized support Purdue offers its students is a key aspect of the program and its students’ success. “We communicate often and clearly. They know if they send an email, they will get a response back very quickly. That personalized support, just having somebody to reach out to and get their questions answered, I think it makes a big difference in our program.” Lastly, for students who earn a master’s degree from Purdue, the return on investment is high. Having a master’s degree helps professional engineers move into new roles or obtain promotions, or even change industries. Demonstrating the in-demand skills with a master’s also means higher salaries, and many more opportunities to build an ideal engineering career. Visit Purdue to learn more about the online Master’s of Science in Software Engineering program. The post

HOLMS self-powered attachments for electric equipment fleets

HOLMS Attachments has made it easier for heavy equipment fleets to electrify with a new sweeper attachment that’s equipped with its own power source, freeing it from the need for a mechanical or battery (e) PTO. Commercial trucks do more than just move people and things from place to place – special implements like street sweepers, cherry pickers, and tow beds mean they do real work, as well. But the attachments, implements, and even utility bodies being upfitted onto these trucks were largely developed for diesel platforms. They typically get juice from hydraulics or other power take-off (PTO) systems that typically take the form of a splined drive shaft powered directly by the ICE. BEVs work differently, and have to draw on their battery power to operate these tools. That takes away which takes away from both the range and performance of the EVs in question. Adding to the complexity, some of these attachments are still mechanically driven, requiring an electrically-driven spline shaft, or “ePTO” to operate. The new eSL Electric Sweeper attachment from HOLMS aims to solve for all that new complexity that’s emerging as electric equipment becomes more commonplace. Advertisement - scroll for more content “Electric equipment in general has taken a lot of different directions,” said Dan Snedecor, President and General Manager of HOLMS Attachments. “We realized, let’s not use the power from the machine, because keeping up with that will be even harder than keeping up with the different style hooks and hydraulic systems.” Developed for the electric equipment needs of the near future, HOLMS’ eSL optimizes the uptime of your electric vehicle or equipment asset so you can complete more tasks between charging sessions. “Our theory is this will be kind of like an electric drill that we all have at home, where you leave it plugged in until you need it. You go out, you use it, and then you put it back on the charger when you’re done,” Snedecor told Equipment Journal. “The real benefit of that will be the end users don’t need machines that have extra hydraulic functions necessarily.” The prototype sweeper is controlled from the cab of the wheel loader via Bluetooth and is equipped with a 10 kWh, 48V li-ion battery pack that’s good for three-and-a-half hours of runtime on a single charge. HOLMS says the sweeper’s battery can be recharged in about 90 minutes. Electrek’s Take eSL Prototype CAD drawing; via HOLMs. Bobcat was arguably the first big equipment company to start rethinking the way implements would work on electric machinery that didn’t have a reciprocating engine at its core, but the replacement of hydraulics and PTOs with servos and gears seems to be well under way. We’re here for it. SOURCE | IMAGES: Equipment Journal, HOLMS. Your personalized home solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. The best part? You won’t get a single phone call until after you’ve elected to move forward. Get started, hassle-free, by clicking here. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

ENGIE includes solar panel recycling upfront in PPA for first time

ENGIE includes solar panel recycling upfront in PPA for first time Notifications

Charged EVs | Electric Era installs 200-kW battery-backed EV chargers in just 54 days

Seattle-based Electric Era, a provider of battery-integrated electric vehicle charging solutions, has completed a rapid 54-day installation of six premium charging stalls at a Costco Wholesale warehouse in Northport, Florida. Each stall offers 200 kW capacity, capable of achieving an 80% state of charge within 20 to 60 minutes on average. The installation began with a contract agreement on April 7, 2025, permit submission by April 18, equipment arriving at the site in mid-May, and final completion—including construction, testing and inspection—by May 30, 2025. Electric Era reports its expedited deployment timeline was possible due to its patented battery-backed architecture, which reduces peak grid input power requirements and installation complexity. According to the company, this technology reduces grid power consumption by up to 70%. Additionally, Electric Era manages engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, and deployment processes internally, further contributing to shorter installation timelines. The installed solution in Northport features three charger units, each equipped with one CCS and one NACS cable. Electric Era’s system includes a proprietary operating system designed to integrate directly into retailers’ existing IT infrastructures, including point-of-sale, loyalty, and CRM systems. Chargers are fitted with customizable 32-inch touchscreen displays allowing retailers to extend branding, promotions, loyalty programs, and personalized customer experiences directly to EV drivers outside the store. “Our retail customers don’t want their lots torn up for years, they want fast, reliable EV charging systems to help them grow their business and boost their bottom line,” said Quincy Lee, CEO at Electric Era. “Because we manage the process from start to finish in-house, we’re able deliver a significantly more efficient process across the board and complete deployments at a fraction of the time it takes other EV charger manufacturers.” Electric Era also stated that the speed of its installations helps retailers leverage federal and state EV infrastructure grants by eliminating the need for utility upgrades and simplifying project design, execution, and approval processes. The company says its EV charging solutions currently achieve 98.5% per-port uptime and greater than 90% session reliability. Electric Era further provides automatic fault detection with remote over-the-air updates, significantly reducing operational disruptions, and maintains a 96% positive driver rating on PlugShare, meeting qualification criteria for the Tesla Third Party Charging program. Source: Electric Era

Amazon’s Zoox Robotaxis Are Coming. Are We Ready?

Amazon subsidiary Zoox could be Waymo's biggest rival as it opens its first dedicated robotaxi factory in the U.S. Unlike Waymo and Tesla, the Zoox pods are purpose-built vehicles with no steering wheels and pedals. Zoox claims advantages from its vertical integration. It will build, own and operate its robotaxi fleet all by itself. Amazon’s autonomous vehicle subsidiary Zoox opened its first production facility in the U.S. in Hayward, California, the company announced on Wednesday. The 220,000 square feet manufacturing site is equivalent to 3.5 football fields and aims to build 10,000 robotaxis annually when running at maximum capacity. Another number that's significant for Zoox: zero steering wheels, zero pedals. Automakers and tech giants are betting big on driverless taxis, claiming that they can make getting around cheaper and safer. But the stakes are extremely high. Apart from Alphabet’s Waymo, no one has really proved that robotaxis will be actually safe and scalable. But a growing number of companies are rushing to deploy robotaxis anyway to gain an early market advantage. Is the 2026 Nissan Leaf An Affordable EV Comeback? Watch More That includes Zoox, which is about to deploy a true driverless taxi at scale—not a retrofitted car with redundant controls like Waymo's Jaguar fleet. 7 Source: Zoox The Zoox robotaxis are purpose-built vehicles, designed from the ground-up to ferry passengers autonomously, with no steering wheels or pedals. The toaster-shaped pods have wheels on extreme corners and their doors slide open like the NYC subway. Inside, the setting is far more communal than a Waymo or a Tesla, with flat bench seats where passengers face each other, like sitting in a small living room. The new California production facility will not just have vehicle assembly, but also robotaxi engineering, software and hardware integration and end-of-line testing, where the vehicles undergo final quality checks. Each unit is also tested on an outdoor test track to verify whether it’s behaving as intended and if the build quality is up to standards, the company claims. Zoox is also aiming to be highly vertically integrated, as it plans to own, assemble and operate the fleet all by itself, which will allegedly allow the production to be flexible. The company’s approach to autonomy is similar to that of Waymo. Its pods use a full suite of sensors including lidar, radar, and cameras to make sense of the environment around and then actively execute driving decisions without human input based on what it “sees.” Tesla, by contrast, is betting on a camera-only system powered by artificial intelligence, arguing that expensive hardware like lidar hampers scalability. Photo by: Zoox However, experts say it could take years for the robotaxi companies to showcase any statistically significant safety record. Federal data suggests humans can already drive nearly 100 million miles before a fatal crash occurs. Most operators aren’t anywhere close to clocking that sort of mileage yet—although Waymo is getting close with 71 million rider-only miles clocked as of March 2025. Plus, scientists say racking up miles in the safest parts of Austin in sunny weather isn’t exactly what constitutes a safe robotaxi—Tesla is planning to launch its robotaxi there as soon as next week. Billions of miles in diverse terrain, different regions and varied driving conditions are required to generate significant enough data to evaluate safety, according to top AI scientists. That said, we do have first ride impressions from a Zoox robotaxi around Las Vegas. Check that out to learn what the Amazon-owned company has in store for the future. Contact the author: suvrat.kothari@insideevs.com

Nio's potential chip spin-off aims to pave way for supplying other automakers, report says

Nio will take orders from other automakers after spinning off its chip business, according to a local media report. William Li said in March that Nio's chips and operating system are open to the entire industry and welcomes peers to use them. (Nio founder, chairman, and CEO William Li showcased the Shenji NX9031 chip at the 2025 Shanghai auto show in April. Image credit: Nio) Nio (NYSE: NIO) will accept orders from other automakers after spinning off its chip business, according to a report by local media outlet Cailian today, citing a source close to the company. Yesterday, another local media outlet, LatePost, reported that Nio plans to bring in strategic investors for its chip-related business, selling a small stake while maintaining control over the project entity. The electric vehicle (EV) maker's chip team currently operates as a business unit but will become an independent project entity in the future, LatePost said, citing a document. In today's report, the source told Cailian that the LatePost report is accurate, and the independent project entity has already been registered under the name Anhui Shengji Technology Co Ltd. CnEVPost noted in its report yesterday that Anhui Shengji was registered on June 17, with Nio vice president Bai Jian as its legal representative. Its registered capital is RMB 10 million ($1.39 million), and its business scope includes chip design and sales, according to data from Tianyancha. Bai joined Nio in November 2020, previously serving as general manager of Xiaomi's (HKG: 1810, OTCMKTS: XIACY) chip and advanced research department. Bai currently leads Nio's chip unit and smart hardware operations, according to Cailian's report today. Nio launched its in-house developed smart driving chip, Shenji NX9031, in December 2023. The ET9, which began deliveries in late March, is equipped with two Shenji NX9031 chips, while the updated ET5, ET5 Touring, ES6, and EC6, launched last month, each feature one Shenji chip. On March 29, Nio founder, chairman, and CEO William Li said during an interview with local media on the sidelines of the China EV 100 Forum that Nio's chips and operating system are open to the entire industry and welcomes peers to use them. "If you want to buy the best chips, you can go to Nio," he said at the time. The cost of developing the Shenji NX9031 is roughly equivalent to building 1,000 battery swap stations, Li previously said, the report by Cailian noted. The construction cost of Nio's first-generation battery swap station was about RMB 3 million, while the cost of the third-generation station has been reduced to about RMB 1.5 million, according to the report. Nio has strong financing needs, but whether investors are still willing to invest in autonomous driving chips is another issue it must address, Cailian's report noted. For autonomous driving chip projects, investors' exit paths have significant uncertainty, and currently, domestic automakers have a growing number of domestic suppliers to choose from, the report cited a semiconductor investment expert as saying. Nio's domestic peer Xpeng (NYSE: XPEV) has also launched its in-house developed Turing AI smart driving chip, which is first used in the G7 SUV (sport utility vehicle). Xpeng's smart driving chip is also open to the entire industry, its chairman and CEO He Xiaopeng said last week. Last week, the Financial Times reported that Xpeng is working to use its Turing smart driving chip in some of Volkswagen's models in China. ($1 = RMB 7.1873) Nio plans to cede a small stake to strategic investors and will retain control over its chip project, according to local media.

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