All posts tagged: ev charging

EV driver shares surprising, real-world home solar data

EV driver shares surprising, real-world home solar data

Published by skeptic

Are you wondering how much it would cost to charge up your EV if you added a home solar system to your roof? One EV owner did just that. After 14,000 miles of driving, he’s sharing his results online — and the real-world data might surprise you! Last week, PeakD user KSteem took to the platform’s Solar Energy forum to share the data he’s collected powering his EV — a 2024 Chevy Blazer RS AWD that he’s put more than 14,000 miles on over the last two years — with electrons generated by his home solar system. “I don’t drive a whole lot of miles compared to some,” writes KSteem, “but the total for the the 2 years is 14,480 miles, or about 7,000 per year. This averaged about 3.4 miles per kWh. I don’t drive softly, or attempt to conserve energy, I like to punch it and feel the acceleration way too much, so you could say these are conservative estimates, lol.” KSteem estimates that driving similar miles in a vehicle that gets 20 …

Amazon grows van fleet, solar semis, and BetterFleet stops by

Amazon grows van fleet, solar semis, and BetterFleet stops by

Published by skeptic

On today’s smarter episode of Quick Charge, we’ve got CEO Daniel Hilson here to give us an in-depth look at how BetterFleet can help fleets and utilities manage their charging schedules to keep both energy costs and downtime to a minimum. We also take a look at Amazon’s Rivian electric van fleet and how their goal of reaching 100,000 vans by 2030 is coming along, as well as a new solar-powered semi trailer that’s using Australia’s sunshine to keep food fresh from farm to store to table. Source Links Prefer listening to your podcasts? Audio-only versions of Quick Charge are now available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, and our RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players. New episodes of Quick Charge are (allegedly) recorded several times per week, most weeks. We’ll be posting bonus audio content from time to time as well, so be sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a minute of Electrek’s high-voltage podcast series. Advertisement – scroll for more content Got news? Let us know!Drop us a line at tips@electrek.co. You can also rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or …

MAN Trucks shows off megawatt charging in freezing cold

MAN Trucks shows off megawatt charging in freezing cold

Published by skeptic

MAN showed off the megawatt charging capabilities of its eTruck electric semi this week in the brutal, blistering cold weather conditions at the Kempower MCS Live Winter Days 2026 event in Norrköping, Sweden. MAN began series production of its eTruck electric semi last summer on a flexible assembly line capable of building up to 100 trucks per day with either diesel or battery-electric power. With production underway, the challenge now is selling the things. That means proving that the higher upfront cost of the eTruck will eventually pay off with a lower total cost of ownership (TCO), and the next stop on that train is down time – and proving out the trucks’ megawatt charging standard (MCS) capability, even in freezing cold, is an important step in that process. “The MAN eTruck has proven the stability of the MCS charging process during (the Kempower Live Winter Days) in Sweden,” explains Sven Steckhan, Program Lead Charging at MAN Truck. “Including controlled charging performance and secure communication between vehicle and charger. All our tests confirm the robustness of …

Better Fleet takes on California’s Helix water charging project

Better Fleet takes on California’s Helix water charging project

Published by skeptic

Located at Helix water district’s operations center in El Cajon, California, the project supports the district’s full transition to zero-emission vehicles while maintaining the reliability required of a mission-critical public utility. To keep it all running smoothly, the district has deployed Better Fleet’s advanced managed charging software solution – and we’ve got the company’s CEO, Dan Hilson, to walk us through it. Once the site is fully complete, the site will deliver nearly 6 MW of total EV charging capacity, enabling large-scale fleet electrification without compromising operational readiness. That’s good, because the Helix water district charging depot will also be supporting charging efforts for other emergency and critical service vehicles across the county, extending its role as a shared resilience asset for essential public services. That secondary mission won’t seem so secondary to the people dependent on any first responder vehicles getting charged up at the Helix water site, so I reached out to Better Fleet to try and understand what made their system really tick. To their credit, they didn’t just respond – CEO Dan Hilson …

WattEV hub can now serve 200 electric semi trucks per day

WattEV hub can now serve 200 electric semi trucks per day

Published by skeptic

One of the busiest HDEV charging depots in the country got a major upgrade last week, enabling it to charge up to 200 electric semi trucks per day and offer megawatt charging to trucks that can handle the power! The WattEV truck charging depot in San Bernardino, California announced that it’s expanded its EV charger array to support up to 200 electric semi truck charging cycles per day — but the upgrades don’t stop there. The site now features megawatt charging capability, enabling trucks compatible with MCS standards to power up their massive batteries in record time. WattEV says the latest updates to the site enable it to serve daily truck volumes similar to what a traditional diesel truck stop can handle. “WattEV’s vertically integrated approach is what truly sets us apart in the charging and fleet electrification sector,” explained WattEV CEO, Salim Youssefzadeh, in a statement. “That model is now driving measurable results. At our San Bernardino depot, strong and sustained utilization (currently averaging approximately 700 MWh per month) has created the need to …

Even oil states know EVs are the future: UAE opens DCFC hub

Even oil states know EVs are the future: UAE opens DCFC hub

Published by skeptic

Middle Eastern petrostates aren’t known for betting against an ever-increasing demand for oil – but the UAE does have a reputation for being able to read the room. So, when a massive and highly visible DC fast-charging hub opens on a key UAE highway, it looks less like a pilot project and more like a clear signal that EVs are here to stay. Built by local convenience store chain ADNOC Distribution and situated on a key stretch of highway connecting the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Dubai, the 60-stall DC fast-charging station is just the first step towards ADNOC’s larger plan to electrify nearly all of the UAE’s highway network by the close of 2027. “The inauguration of ADNOC Distribution’s EV Megahub is a significant step in implementing the UAE’s National Electric Vehicles Policy,” explained His Excellency’s Engineer Sharif Al Olama, Undersecretary for Energy and Petroleum Affairs at the UAE’s Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure. “This hub stands out for its strategic location on the E11 highway, one of the country’s most vital corridors. Expanding the …