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A Chevy Bolt and a Ford Lightning Drive Up to a Tesla Supercharger … Charging your EV on road trips, or even around town, can still be an unpredictable experience that will punish those used to cutting things close. And even if you're lucky to find a station where most of the stalls are empty, there could be a good reason for that: the chargers that aren't in use probably don't work.
The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) system, plans for which were unveiled earlier this month as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, aims to change the charging experience for the better. The plan envisions 500,000 new EV charging stations to be built by 2030, and built to a reliability level that's far closer to Tesla's Supercharger network, which has effectively set the industry standard.
The unveiling of the administration's plan happens to coincide with Tesla starting to deliver on the promise of opening up its Supercharger network to users of other EVs.
But will Tesla owners, used to only seeing other Teslas at Supercharger stations, be on board with this initiative in the longer term?
Here's what some Tesla owners are saying.
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Here's Why Ford Is Betting on LFP Batteries Lithium-ion batteries that use nickel, cobalt, and manganese for cathode materials, or NCM batteries, are familiar enough to EV users by now. While they offer a higher energy density they still have a few drawbacks including sensitivity to low temperatures as well as low or high states of charge when it comes to battery life.
But later this year Ford plans to start offering lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries in some of its vehicles.
"LFP batteries are very durable and tolerate more frequent and faster charging while using fewer high-demand, high-cost materials," the automaker says. "This lower-cost battery, at scale, will help Ford contain or even further reduce EV prices for customers."
Ford plans to use LFP batteries in shorter-range variants of its electric models.
Read on to find out just which EVs will get them first, and when we could see them on sale.
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Are EV Conversions the Answer for These Types of Vehicles? A number of truck makers are in the process of rolling out their first electric models, including ones aimed at long-distance cargo transport. But at the current pace, diesel trucks and construction equipment produced today will still be around decades from now.
Volvo Construction Equipment has something in mind that can change this trajectory. The company has recently unveiled an electric conversion program for its 20-ton L120H wheel loader, which is normally diesel powered. The conversion program is quite straightforward, replacing the diesel engine with a massive, 240-kWh battery, giving the vehicle a runtime of five hours before it needs to recharge.
But Volvo CE is also experimenting with hydrogen power for its heavy haulers.
Which one of these powertrains will win out the construction industry in the end?
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