In race to build out EV charging stations, some cities and states have a leg up

Read the full story at Route Fifty.

As the number of electric vehicles surge, a new ranking looks at the state of charging infrastructure and which cities and states are ready to receive them.

Biden ‘EV revolution’ delayed as utilities, carmakers await critical IRS guidance on Inflation Reduction Act

Read the full story at Utility Dive.

The Inflation Reduction Act’s EV ecosystem rules need clarity for customers, charger builders and global supply chain providers, analysts said.

Post office buys 9,250 electric vans, 14,000 charge stations

Read the full story from the Associated Press.

The U.S. Postal Service is buying 9,250 Ford Motor Co. electric vans and 14,000 charging stations as part of a move to switch its fleet to electric vehicles.

The service also is buying another 9,250 internal combustion vans from Fiat Chrysler in North America, now part of Amsterdam-based Stellantis. The Fiat Chrysler and Ford vehicles together will cost just over $1 billion.

New Michigan scholarship seeks to fill jobs at state’s EV companies

Read the full story at Bridge Michigan.

Michigan expects about 3,000 new job openings related to electric vehicles this year, and it aspires to upwards of 290,000 more by 2030. 

To fill those jobs — particularly in electrical engineering and software — the state is now targeting college students with a new recruiting campaign and scholarship program.

The Michigander EV Scholars program, announced on Wednesday, offers up to $10,000 to 350 university students who can use the money toward tuition, but who also must commit to remaining in Michigan for 12 months with one of eight EV-related companies participating in the program. 

Workers are dying in the EV industry’s ‘tainted’ city

Read the full story at Wired.

In Indonesia, sickness and pollution plague a sprawling factory complex that supplies the world with crucial battery materials.

EV charging infrastructure is ‘inadequate and plagued with non-functioning stations’: J.D. Power

Read the full story at Utility Dive.

As sales of electric vehicles continue to grow, inoperable and poorly maintained public charging stations increasingly frustrate drivers, according to an ongoing study by J.D. Power, the consumer data analysis firm known for its automobile quality and dependability studies. Charge point unreliability has increased 50% from 2021 to January 2023, according to data provided by Brent Gruber, executive director of J.D Power’s electric vehicle practice, from 14% to 21%. 

Biden to require EV chargers to be universal for federal funds, expects Tesla to open some chargers

Read the full story at The Hill.

The Biden administration on Wednesday is announcing new requirements for electric vehicle chargers that receive federal funds, including limiting funds to chargers that can serve electric vehicles regardless of brand.

This requirement is expected to push Tesla in particular away from chargers that only serve its own vehicles. White House Infrastructure Coordinator Mitch Landrieu told reporters Tuesday that he expects Tesla to open a portion of its chargers, making at least 7,500 chargers available to all electric vehicles by the end of 2024. 

Landrieu said the new stipulation is part of an effort to build a network of chargers that “will work for everyone, everywhere, no matter what type of car or state they’re in.”

Senate Republicans push to overturn EPA’s recent heavy emissions rules

Read the full story at Waste Dive.

Senate Republicans are pushing to overturn the U.S. EPA’s upgraded emissions standards for heavy-duty truck emissions standards for 2027 model year and newer vehicles.

Sen. Deb Fischer, a Nebraska Republican, introduced legislation alongside 33 of her colleagues on Feb. 9 to undo the regulation, which the group said would be challenging to implement and make new, compliant trucks cost-prohibitive for small business owners.

Sports car to use plastic-to-fuel technology

Read the full story at Recycling Today.

A 1,100 horsepower (hp) sports car, or “hypercar,” made by Italy’s Bertone Inc. has been designed to run on a custom-blended plastic-scrap-to-fuel formula. “The GB110 is the first high performance car that will be supplied with fuel made out of plastic waste, a significant innovation in the automotive industry,” Bertone says in a December news release.

Demand soars for EV charging at apartments

Read the full story at Smart Cities Dive.

Infrastructure options and cost incentives have become more complex as the electric vehicle revolution gears up.