Daimler Buses has partnered with lithium-ion and sodium-ion battery manufacturer BMZ Poland for the development and supply of next-generation NMC4 batteries specifically for e-buses.
The collaboration combines Daimler’s expertise in bus development and manufacturing and BMZ’s know-how in heavy-duty lithium-ion battery solutions. The aim is to develop batteries with higher energy density for longer range and longer cycle life. Daimler Buses expects to see benefits from NMC4 development by mid-decade.
“We will extend our production in Gliwice, making this facility the first of its kind in the EU built for the purpose of bus battery production along with a fully automatic assembling line,” said Paweł Kępski, Head of Business Unit EV, BMZ Poland.
Airbnb is also providing an additional $200 discount to the first 1,000 hosts that buy an EV charger through ChargePoint.
Airbnb says that, according to its internal data, listings that offer a home EV charger are booked for more nights and generate more average income than listings without one. In searches for home EV charger availability in 2023, California, Florida, Texas, Arizona, Washington, and North Carolina ranked as the most popular states.
The homestay giant’s data unsurprisingly reflects larger US EV market trends – from 2022 to 2023, EV sales increased 60% year-over-year, with California, Florida, Texas, and Washington having the highest number of EV registrations.
“Ensuring all drivers are able to charge when and where they need to remains our top priority. Together with Airbnb, we are removing barriers to broader adoption of residential charging solutions for Airbnb hosts and enabling a frictionless charging experience for their guests,” said Rick Wilmer, CEO at ChargePoint.
Read more: Tesla NACS cables are showing up on ChargePoint EV chargers
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Source link #Airbnb #partnered #ChargePoint #hosts #install #home #chargers
Dan Priestley, senior manager of the Tesla Semi, at the 2024 Advanced Clean Transportation Expo in Las Vegas. (Seth Clevenger/Transport Topics)
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LAS VEGAS — In a rare trade show appearance for the company, the head of Tesla’s heavy-duty truck program stressed that electric truck technology is ready for prime time and capable of handling commercial fleets’ needs, even as he joked about his own company’s delays in getting its fully electric Class 8 Semi model to market.
“We are technologically ready. Electrification can be done. Now, it’s time for scaling,” said Dan Priestley, senior manager of the Tesla Semi, during a May 20 main stage address at ACT Expo 2024. “Electric is efficient. It allows you to move more goods with less energy. Plain and simple.”
The recipe for success for the Tesla Semi, Priestley said, is power and efficiency at a low operating cost — despite the price premium it and other EVs command over diesel-powered units. “For heavy or fast charging, we can take that difference in cost and greater efficiency and push as many miles and tons through that to give you the absolutely fastest economic payback possible,” Priestly said.
RELATED: Tesla Promises Semi Truck Production to Begin in Late 2025
Priestley noted that Semi models have to date traveled more than 3.5 million miles within the United States, even as delays have stalled broader commercial rollout.
“I know there have been questions on timing,” Priestly joked, alluding to the long wait for full production since the Semi was introduced in 2017. “But Tesla has a specialty in turning the impossible into merely late.”
Priestley noted that Semi models have to date traveled more than 3.5 million miles within the United States, even as delays have stalled broader commercial rollout. (Tesla)
He touted the truck’s performance in various test runs across challenging roads and conditions, including California’s Donner Pass. He also discussed plans to develop a complementary heavy-duty technician service to help fleets build their electric fleets to scale.
“We’re going to leverage the fact that we develop our own service skills in-house,” Priestley said. “We do our own training and develop physical as well as virtual information to allow technicians to do their job effectively and ultimately get the truck back into the world, earning as much money as possible.” Priestley stressed that the success of its pilot fleet has shown that the industry is not only ready for electrification but is able to scale up significantly.
Every day, the Tesla Semi demonstrates that battery electric trucks can directly replace diesel trucks. With our own fleet of Semis, Tesla has shipped >20,000 battery packs out of Gigafactory Nevada to support Fremont vehicle builds. These trucks run the same route, carrying the… https://t.co/KO9eQO2IV3
— Dan Priestley (@danWpriestley) March 29, 2024
To help propel that goal, Tesla is building a Nevada manufacturing facility in anticipation of ramping up customer deliveries of the Semi in 2026 with an eventual target production capacity of 50,000 units per year, he said. In the meantime, Tesla is rolling out more of the tractors to its early customers. Priestley noted that initial customer PepsiCo Inc. is beginning to take delivery of an additional 50 Tesla Semis at its Fresno, Calif., facility. PepsiCo ranks No. 1 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest private carriers in North America.
Priestley also assured the audience that Tesla is dedicating resources to building its charging infrastructure.
“This year, we are investing more than $500 million in new Supercharger stations, expanding the network,” he said. “We are committed to providing our customers with the greatest supercharging experience, and we are going to extend that to the heavy-duty side as well.”
RELATED: Tesla Axes Supercharger Team in Blow to Broader EV Market
Tesla still plans to grow the Supercharger network, just at a slower pace for new locations and more focus on 100% uptime and expansion of existing locations
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 30, 2024
Priestley added that Tesla also is working to streamline engineering, procurement and construction challenges that exist for deploying heavy-duty charging.
“Right now we see a lot of numbers out there for charging for heavy-trucks trucks,” he said, pointing to a commonly cited example of $1,000 per kilowatt. “We see a direct path that — at the start of our charging to support our high-volume product — to cut that number in half to $500 per kilowatt, fully deployed to the customer.”
Priestley closed by calling on other manufacturers and fleets to continue to develop and deploy electric trucks.
“This is going to be an awesome journey. It’s going to be hard, but it’s absolutely necessary,” he said. “The time is now. A failure to act is a failure overall.”
US automakers just can’t seem to make up their minds about EVs. Last fall, GM and Ford gave the anti-EV crowd (which includes many of their dealerships) an early Christmas present, announcing that they would push back EV production plans in response to slower sales (actually a slower rate of increase in sales).
In fact, part of the EV sales slowdown that the automakers were trumpeting may have had more to do with supply than demand—in GM’s case, the company wasn’t able to build enough Ultium EVs to get the needed stocks to dealerships, thanks to problems on the battery pack production lines.
Now GM CEO Mary Barra has announced that the bottlenecks are a thing of the past. Several new models, including the Chevy Equinox, Blazer and Silverado EVs, are on dealers’ lots or heading thither soon, and the company aims to build 200,000 to 300,000 EVs this year.
Barra told The Detroit News that the production problems have been solved: “It’s not an issue now. As we move forward, we’re going to build to demand. We now have the capability: Factory Zero is up and running, Spring Hill is up and running, Ramos is launching.”
CFO Paul Jacobson made a similar statement earlier this year: “We’ve had some challenges scaling up. I think most of those are behind us.”
Not only has GM solved its production issues, but the flagging demand that GM and its colleagues were telling everyone about a few months ago is apparently no longer a concern (or never really was?).
At a recent opening ceremony for a new Silicon Valley office, Marissa West, President of GM North America said, “You may be reading reports where the growth in EVs and EV demand has stalled and that’s simply not true. We actually see notable growth, particularly in the EV retail space.”
Apparently, the party’s back on. Okay, glad to hear it.
Hino provides the Tern RC8 with an XL Series 4×2 chassis. The vehicle uses two Hexagon Purus battery packs. (Keiron Greenhalgh/Transport Topics)
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LAS VEGAS — Hino Trucks and Hexagon Purus launched a Class 8 battery-electric truck known as the Tern RC8 on May 20, with serial production set to begin in the fourth quarter of 2024, according to the fuel systems developer.
Deliveries to customers are set to begin in the first quarter of 2025, Todd Sloan, Hexagon Purus battery systems and vehicle integration business executive vice president, said at a news conference at ACT Expo 2024.
Tern is a joint venture with Toyota Group subsidiary Hino Trucks. Hino provides the RC8 with an XL Series 4×2 chassis. The joint venture also brought in component manufacturer Dana as the e-axle supplier and battery cells from Panasonic Energy.
“This innovation is a great example of how we will make the world a better place,” Panasonic Energy of North America President Allan Swan told ACT attendees.
Last year Hino signed distribution agreement w/ @HexagonPurus to distribute a battery electric tractor based on our XL 4×2 chassis. These trucks will be distributed exclusively by select qualifyingdealers in our network. See unveiling at ACT Expo 5/20. https://t.co/zZQhJRWSwa pic.twitter.com/FPuYCJ3ijR
— Hino Trucks (@HINOTRUCKSUSA) May 19, 2024
The trucks will be built in Dallas. The battery cells will be manufactured in De Soto, Kan., from 2026 onward.
“Tern RC8 delivers the comfort, reliability and safety that drivers and fleets want, and it’s purpose-built to be a very practical truck for operators integrating zero-emission trucks into their fleets,” Hexagon Purus CEO Morten Holum said.
Targeted at the regional haul and urban delivery market, the RC8 has wheelbase of 165 inches that its developers say is the shortest of any Class 8 tractor on the market. It has a gross vehicle weight rating of 68,000 pounds.
“This is our focus — finding practical applications where zero-emissions technology fits with existing duty cycles and operating patterns — and where the total cost of ownership works already today,” Holum said.
The RC8 uses two Hexagon Purus battery packs, offering peak and continuous horsepower of 680 hp/494 hp as well as 38,350 pound-feet of peak torque.
Sloan said the truck is capable of ascending a 5% grade, such the Grapevine mountain pass in California, at 40 mph and a 10% grade at 20 mph.
“Our partnership with Hexagon Purus introduces a highly reliable Class 8, 4×2 tractor option into the electric truck market, catering to a wide range of applications. We are excited to see Tern launched in California, where fleet electrification is imperative,” Hino Trucks President Glenn Ellis said. Hino Trucks’ dealership network will sell the trucks.
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After a first-of-its-kind collaboration, the Range Rover Electric will feature Fortescue’s advanced EV battery software. The battery tech, which will be first used on the Range Rover EV, is claimed to boost range with faster charging speeds.
Range Rover revealed the first images of its long-awaited fully electric SUV last month. The brand’s first electric vehicle is already generating strong interest ahead of its official launch later this year.
In February, the company revealed that over 16,000 potential buyers had signed up for the Range Rover EV waitlist.
You can see Range Rover has (for the most part) stuck to its roots with a traditional design you would expect from the luxury brand. As its “most refined” vehicle yet, the Range Rover EV features a simple, modernist design.
“Range Rover with electric power – means customary Range Rover luxury, refinement and capability plus near-silent fully electric propulsion; with effortlessly smooth and relaxed journeys,” according to Thomas Mueller, JLR’s executive director of product engineering.
The vehicle is undergoing extreme weather testing in places like the Arctic Circle and deserts of the Middle East.
Range Rover Electric (Source: JLR)
Range Rover has focused on core component performance, including batteries and EDU, both of which are assembled in-house for the first time.
Range Rover Electric has new EV tech to boost range
With the electric propulsion developed in-house, Range Rover believes it will enable it to “exceed its already renowned performance on low-grip surfaces, ensuring all-terrain, all-weather, and all-surface capability.”
As another first for Range Rover, the EV features a new traction control system designed to enhance performance in slippery conditions.
Most recently, JLR signed a multi-year deal Tuesday to use software from Elysia, an EV battery tech spinoff from Fortescue. The company claims its software features best-in-class BMS algorithms and a powerful cloud platform to manage, optimize, and enhance performance.
Range Rover EV testing in Sweden (Source: JLR)
The new intelligence software is designed to improve battery longevity, safety, and performance. It will be first featured in the upcoming Range Rover EV.
JLR claims buyers can expect faster charging times, improved reliability, and increased range. The software will be used to monitor all future JLR EVs.
The company says its new partnership is part of its Reimagine strategy that includes electrifying all brands by 2030.
Range Rover winter testing (Source: JLR)
Two smaller EVs are expected to debut following the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport. According to rumors, they could include the Evoque and Velar models.
Range Rover’s first electric SUV will launch later this year. It will compete with the new Porsche Macan EV and other luxury electric SUVs.
More details, including specs and pricing, are expected closer to launch. Range Rover has said its first EV can navigate through 850 mm (33.5″) of water, which would top the GMC Hummer EV (32″).
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As EVs continue increasing from a very small portion of the vehicles sold annually to a more mainstream presence on roads around the world, consumers and manufacturers are grappling with plenty of important questions. One set of these questions centers around a general “feeling” – that is, “How much does owning and operating an EV ‘feel’ like owning and operating the gas-powered vehicles I’ve used throughout my life?”
The future of EV development and infrastructure, in many ways, hinges on the perceived answers to this question. One natural comparison that people will make, for example, is what it’s like to “fill up” your vehicle at a station (either with gasoline or using a charger).
As designers continue to find ways to improve charging times (in a race to get EVs within shouting distance of the convenience of quickly stopping by a gas station), it is more important than ever for EV charging stations to maximize reliability and uptime. A recent survey found that up to a staggering quarter of public EV charging stations are not functioning, signaling a dire need within the EV industry for a reassessment of how to make EV charging stations as reliable and easy to use as their gasoline counterparts.
This massive gap between user experiences at EV charging stations and traditional gasoline/petroleum pumps is a fundamental problem facing the EV industry today. EV charging stations must maximize uptime and minimize downtime, and it is no exaggeration to say that the future of EV charging in America (and, surely, around the world) will depend on chargers that are constructed, from the ground up, with reliability and uptime in mind.
Power Innovations International (Pii) offers 30- and 60-kW Quick DC Chargers powered by components with an industry-leading mean time between failure, and these charging stations leverage a modular structure constructed for ensuring uptime with all-in-one cabinets that lower installation costs and simplify maintenance. These chargers bring unparalleled uptime for businesses looking to offer charging solutions for consumers at convenience stores, malls, offices, and hospitals, and to fleet managers looking to reliable EV fleet management solutions.
Pii’s Fundamentals of Reliability
The widespread adoption and implementation of electric vehicles depends on near-continuous uptime and highly reliable componentry. EV charging stations must capitalize on best practices for reliability to ensure that maintenance and upkeep are kept to a minimum, increasing ease-of-access and improving the overall user experience.
Reliability in individual components and systems more broadly are often measured in mean time between failure (MTBF), which is the expected time between failures of a regularly operating system. Consumer Affairs reports that there are just over 64,000 EV charging stations in the US, which means that there are over 56,000,000 potential operating hours every year for EV charging stations in the US.
Pii’s Quick Chargers feature integrated LITEON rectifiers that support the high voltage needs of a broad range of electric vehicles, with an output of 250 to 920Vdc. These rectifiers leverage the same power supply topology that has demonstrated over 1 million hours MTBF, and this demonstrated MTBF allows charging station owners and users the peace of mind that comes from proven reliability. A higher system MTBF increases uptime, reliability, and brings EV users closer to the experience they have come to expect with “filling up” a car.
Protection from the Environment and Avoiding Outside Air Cooling
A primary contributing factor to charging station failures and downtime is the impact of environmental factors, such as dust, liquids, corrosive chemicals, and much more. Stations must be able to withstand strong winds, rain, and snow, as well as drastic changes in temperature other regular meteorological events.
A failure to thoroughly account for these phenomena will lead to increased downtime and needs for repairs across an EV charging station’s life. Ingress protection and the sealing of the enclosure itself is not a “nice-to-have” in this industry: weather-resistant enclosures – with thermal management that allow for cooling without introducing outside, dirty air that requires filtering – will be a pillar of industry standards moving forward. In short, better shielding and protection for EV charging stations will be central to the industry’s goals of better reliability and near-continuous uptime.
NEMA enclosure standards include ratings for general-purpose enclosures that are not dust-tight (NEMA 1), enclosures that are drip-tight (NEMA 2), enclosures that are weather-resistant (NEMA 3R), and even those that are operable when ice-laden (NEMA 3S). Many manufacturers have opted to achieve the standard NEMA 3R certifications required for outdoor installations, while Pii’s DC Quick Chargers are NEMA 3S rated.
Pii’s ultra-reliable components are further protected by more stringent sealing standards that provide ingress protection of fine dust, in addition to the NEMA 3R requirements. Pii’s thermal management philosophy features air-to-air heat exchangers, meaning that they do not bring in outside air, simplifying maintenance and filter replacement requirements to further shield the internal components from the typical environmental degradation that comes with outside air filtration and cooling.
Pii’s DC Quick Chargers are powered by an innovative modular sliding power rack structure that leverages LITEON’s PSU topology.
Modular Topology for Near-Continuous Uptime
Pii’s DC Quick Chargers use a modular internal power structure with sliding tray racks to help ensure uptime: the chargers are powered by multiple racks that independently supply power to the charging station, meaning that one individual rack’s failure will not cause a full system shutdown.
These power supplies are “field-swappable,” where a minimally trained technician can open a cabinet, visually identify the power supply issue, and replace it in a matter of seconds. In an industry plagued by long maintenance lead times and component shortages, Pii’s simple, modular charging station maximizes reliability and uptime across multiple dimensions: failures within the power conversion are demonstrably rare, but when they do occur, they will not cause cascading failures across the charging station.
Power Innovations International: Redefining Reliability for EV Charging
Power Innovations International has provided power management services to customers around the world since our founding in 1997. We are proud to unveil our line of EV charging products, accessories, and services, which comes out of close partnership with our parent company (LITEON Technology Corporation, one of the two largest global providers of power supplies).
As discussed in this article, Pii’s 30- and 60-kW Quick DC EV chargers were designed, first and foremost, with reliability and uptime in mind. These field-configurable chargers are easy to install and come with lower installation costs, providing the smooth, simple charging experience that EV adopters are increasingly – and rightly – demanding from the industry. These products are particularly suited for businesses looking to provide reliable, simple charging solutions at offices, hospitals, malls, or with dealerships or larger EV fleets.
This article focuses on one sliver of what makes these chargers the herald of the next generation of EV charging. Pii is vertically integrated in design and manufacturing for power conversion, as well as software/firmware controls, and final assembly.
Your EV charging plans don’t have to be held down by long lead times, expensive installations, and unreliable components: Pii is ready to help you reimagine what’s possible with your next EV charging station. Contact Pii today to learn more about how we can make your current reliability and uptime concerns a thing of the past.
Source link #Reliability #uptime #generation #chargers
A large pension fund has addressed a letter to Tesla shareholders recommending that they vote against the reelection of Kimbal Musk and James Murdoch and against Elon Musk’s massive stock package, ahead of Tesla’s shareholder meeting on June 13.
Tesla’s shareholder meeting is coming up in just a few weeks, and it’s currently doing quite a lot to convince shareholders to vote their shares on a couple of critical decisions to the company.
At issue are a number of choices, including the reelection of Tesla’s board of directors, whether or not to move the company’s incorporation to Texas instead of Delaware, and whether or not to reinstate Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s $55 billion pay package which was recently voided due to misleading statements and Elon’s close personal relationships with the Tesla Board.
That court ruling looms large over the decisions for Tesla shareholders in this vote, as most of the proposals up for a vote are related to the ruling. There’s the direct vote on reinstating Musk’s pay package, the vote to reelect the company directors whose personal relationships are intertwined with Musk and thus reduce their level of independence, and the vote to move the company’s incorporation to Texas, which was a knee-jerk reaction by Musk after the Delaware Court of Chancery voided his pay package.
Each of the proposals require a simple majority of votes to win, except the proposal to move the company’s incorporation – that requires a majority of all shares outstanding to vote in favor, which is a high bar given that turnout will not be 100%.
Many have chimed in with their opinions, including Tesla itself, which spent ad money to influence the vote, a move we haven’t really seen before. Tesla also put up a website pitching the vote, and Musk and many Tesla-related accounts have been tweeting a lot about getting people to cast their votes – both trying to increase turnout, and to get friendly voters to hopefully cast the vote in their direction.
But now we’ve heard from some of the US’ largest pension funds, those managing New York City’s pension systems, along with a number of other investment groups. In a letter, they’re suggesting that shareholders vote against the pay package and against directors Kimbal Musk (Elon Musk’s brother) and James Murdoch (son of Rupert Murdoch, one of the world’s most influential climate change deniers).
The group sent a letter, written by Brad Lander, the Comptroller of the City of New York, on behalf of several NYC city employees pension funds. NYC pension funds are some of the largest in the US. The letter was also signed onto by SOC Investment Group, Amalgamated Bank, United Church Funds, Nordea Asset Management, SHARE, UNISON, and AkademikerPension (a pension fund for Danish schools).
In it, the group argues that the pay package does not serve Tesla shareholders. It argues that the package won’t have any incentivizing effect, and that it is excessive. It also points out that the reimplementation of the package was decided on in a rushed manner by a single director, which it calls “recklessly fast,” echoing the Delaware Court’s prior decision.
It also calls Musk a “part-time CEO,” saying that the intent of the original reward was so that Musk would focus his time on Tesla for the full ten-year period of time that the reward covered. The letter says: “If this was one of the primary reasons for the 2018 pay package, then it has been an abysmal failure, as six years later Musk’s outside business commitments have only increased.”
Musk currently runs Tesla, SpaceX, The Boring Company, NeuraLink, xAI, Twitter, and the Musk Foundation. He has gained control of or founded several of these companies after the original 2018 stock reward, and observers have noted his excessive commitment to Twitter lately, after spending $44 billion to purchase it which he had to sell Tesla stock to fund.
The letter states that there have been several instances of Musk making decisions that benefitted himself, but not shareholders. This includes his split attention on his other companies, his use of Tesla employees to do work for those other companies, his poaching of engineers from Tesla to move them to his other companies. The board has not stepped in to stop any of these moves. Musk’s recent threat to stop Tesla’s development of AI/robotics if Tesla shareholders don’t give him back the shares he sold to buy Twitter came after the letter was sent.
The letter says that this shows lack of independence from Tesla’s directors, focusing primarily on Kimbal Musk, who is Elon Musk’s brother, and James Murdoch, who is a close friend of Elon, having taken several family vacations together and attending Kimbal’s wedding.
It also describes close relationships with several other board members and the exceptionally high compensation they have received, all of which threaten independence of the Tesla board. Standard corporate ethics suggest that board members should be independent to ensure effective and unbiased direction of the company. But only two board members are up for a vote at this time, and the letter asks shareholders to vote against both of them.
Beyond these arguments, the letter also states that Tesla’s performance has seen a downturn lately, and that that downturn has been related to Musk’s focus on Twitter, where he seems to be spending more time than Tesla. It notes drops in various metrics, financial and otherwise, showing disorganization and lack of leadership, and shows that these metrics have dropped particularly since Musk shifted focus to Twitter.
Many signatories of the same group sent a previous letter in April to board chair Robyn Denholm outlining these concerns and requesting a meeting, but did not receive a response.
Personally, I think the letter makes good points. I think it’s quite clear that there are a lot of problems with Tesla’s corporate governance, particularly after Musk has recently fired or reassigned so many high-level executives. Currently Tesla only shows three people on its corporate governance page, one of whom was recently reassigned to China, leaving only the CFO and “part-time CEO” running the company.
This would be a problem even if the CEO was an exceptional leader who was fully focused on the job and making good decisions, but Musk increasingly seems as if he does not meet that bar.
In particular, firing the entire Supercharger team, despite it being perhaps the most successful team within Tesla and led by one of its most competent executives (Rebecca Tinucci) seems like a poor decision. And that decision seems even worse when learning that the firing wasn’t due to team performance, but due to Musk himself being mad at Tinucci’s refusal to trim her team further and firing her and her entire 500-person team as petty retaliation.
But the most effective point in the letter, I think, is that this pay package doesn’t incentivize any future behavior. Those in favor of the package have stated that it should be given as a reward for meeting the goals laid out in 2018 – but it is now 2024, not 2018.
That means that we have more information than we had in 2018, and particularly recently, that information doesn’t look good. Tesla’s performance lately and in particular the performance of its CEO has ben poor and erratic, and seems increasingly so. So it seems like quite a reach to suggest that shareholders should take $55 billion out of their own pockets (via dilution) – more than its total profits for the last 4 years combined – and give it to the second-richest man in the world with no strings attached.
I say “no strings attached” because the package does not ensure or target any future performance, it merely reinstates a package that was illegally given in the first place. So it can’t help shareholders going forward, since it has no incentives going forward.
It seems like the only way this would “help” Tesla is by retaining a CEO who has become increasingly erratic, who has made threats against his own company, who has directed the spending of the company’s money to influence a vote, who has a too-close relationship with the board, and who has recently taken steps to harm tens of thousands of employees either through haphazard firings (after all, the $55 billion that Musk is asking for could pay each of the 14,000+ employees he just fired a six-figure salary for 40 whole years) or through low morale that continues to affect employees today.
So maybe if Musk doesn’t get what he wants and takes his toys and leaves as he has threatened to do, that wouldn’t be so bad for Tesla, after all.
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Head below for other New Green Deals we’ve found today and, of course, Electrek’s best EV buying and leasing deals. Also, check out the new Electrek Tesla Shop for the best deals on Tesla accessories.
Aventon has launched its Memorial Day sale through May 28 that is taking up to $300 off a selection of e-bike models, with some even receiving a free extra battery as well, valued at $500. A notable standout is the very first post-launch discount on the new Ramblas Electric Mountain Bike for $2,399 shipped. Dropping from its $2,699 price tag, we saw it first arrive onto the scene with a minor $75 price cut back in February. Today’s deal comes in to give you a solid $300 in savings and marks a new all-time low going forward. Keep in mind, though, that this is one of the two models (alongside the Soltera.2) that doesn’t benefit from a free extra battery. You can learn more about this e-bike by heading below or reading through our announcement coverage over at Electrek.
The Ramblas eMTB is one of the most comprehensive models we’ve seen come out of Aventon’s think tanks, with its surprising 250W mid-drive motor (with a 750W peak power) that works alongside the 36V battery in order to reach top speeds of 20 MPH for a massive 80-mile range on a single charge. Whether you plan on traversing the mountain trails or cruise through your neighborhood’s streets, you’ll have far more options when it comes to its pedal assistance system: 15 levels made up of 3 profiles (eco, trail, turbo), each with five levels. You’ll also be getting a level up in terms of features, with a variety that includes SRAM NX Eagle 12-speed drivetrain, 4-piston SRAM hydraulic disc brakes, a KS dropper seat post, a RockShox 35 fork, LED lighting built into the chainstays for rear visibility, and a full color display that gives you real-time performance data and setting adjustment options.
Abound Cargo e-bike with additional $494 in free add-on accessories: $1,599 (Reg. $1,799)
Save thousands on ECOFLOW power stations, bundles, and accessories
As part of its early Memorial Day sales, the official ECOFLOW Amazon storefront is offering its DELTA 2 Portable Power Station for $599 shipped. Normally fetching $999, this unit has kept above $600 since the start of the new year, often to either its $649 or $629 rates. Today’s deal, though, comes in to finally take things further in 2024, bringing down costs by 40% and landing it at the third-lowest price we have tracked – just $54 above the all-time low from 2023’s Black Friday sales. You’ll also find a few discounted bundle options as well, with the power station including a 220W solar panel for $879 (down from $1,649), or you can grab it with two 220W solar panels for $1,299 (down from $1,899), or double its capacity with a smart extra battery for $1,098 (down from $1,698). You might also notice that with the bundles (as well as some of the other offers that are in the curated list below), you can redeem the on-page coupon for an additional 12% off on orders over $2,000 or more.
Summer excursions are being prepped for (yours truly will be going out to Bear Mountain for a weekend soon) and the DELTA 2 would surely be a wonderful addition to campsite needs – or even for emergency backup power options (I grew up in tornado country and storm surges/power outages are far less stressful when everything is not dependent on candlelight).
You’ll get a 1,024Wh capacity (2,048Wh with the extra battery) that can be further expanded up to 3,000Wh. When paired alongside a single 220W solar panel, this unit can fully recharge in up to six hours and its IP68 rating ensures protection against water, dust, and debris when dealing with the wilds of the world. You’ll be able to monitor and control the DELTA 2’s settings in real-time on the EcoFlow app via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. It also offers 15 port options to cover all your appliance and device charging needs: six ACs, four USB-As, two USB-Cs, and three DCs. Head below to read more.
Juiced Bikes takes additional $200 off all e-bikes
Juiced Bikes has kicked off its Memorial Day sales with a $200 price cut on all e-bikes under the brand’s sun by using the promo code HONOR at checkout, through May 28. A notable inclusion is on pre-orders for the new JetCurrent Pro Foldable e-bike for $2,099 shipped, after using the promo code. We saw its pre-order deal launch at the top of April, dropping costs from its $2,799 MSRP to $2,499, with the company bringing things down further to $2,299 between its launch and Mother’s Day sales. Today’s deal ultimately gives you $700 in savings off this new model and marks a new all-time low. Shipping on this model will begin in June, so this is likely the lowest price we’ll see until later on after its officially released.
The all-new JetCurrent Pro Foldable e-bike comes in four colorways (purple haze, indigo blue, desert tan, and black) and is equipped with a supercharged 1,200W NeoBlade Motor (2,000W peak) alongside a 52V battery that carries it up to 34 MPH for up to 70 miles on a single charge. It has five levels of pedal assistance that are monitored by joint torque and cadence sensors, as well as a throttle when you just want to cruise, and extra functions like an active cruise control that can be set at any speed below 20 MPH and a race track mode for the most aggressive settings where the e-bike does not electronically limit its speed (at the cost of mileage).
It also comes with a variety of features that truly set this model apart from all the e-bikes that came before it. You’ll find a powerful 1,050-lumen Shadowblaster headlight, front and rear turn signals, a brake light, knobby 4-inch tires with fenders over each, a rear cargo rack, 4-piston hydraulic brakes, a folding mirror, an “automotive-grade horn,” and a backlit LCD display that gives you real-time performance data while also allowing you to customize its performance settings – plus it has a USB port to charge your devices as you ride. Its most noticeable feature, however, is being the first foldable e-bike among Juiced’s lineup, making transport and storage far easier when it’s not in use.
The savings this week are also continuing to a collection of other markdowns. To the same tune as the offers above, these all help you take a more energy-conscious approach to your routine. Winter means you can lock in even better off-season price cuts on electric tools for the lawn while saving on EVs and tons of other gear.
US public fast-charging network EVgo (Nasdaq: EVGO) has reached more than 1 million registered customer accounts, doubling its 500,000 account mark in October 2022.
EVgo reports that its customer accounts have skyrocketed, increasing by 400% since April 2020. This momentum is a good indicator of growing EV adoption rates in the US and increased demand for public charging infrastructure.
During Q1 2024, utilization on the EVgo network was approximately 19% nationwide, and the gigawatt hour throughput on the network nearly tripled year-over-year compared to Q1 2023.
The Los Angeles-based company says it’s continuing to roll out features to optimize customer experience, including its plug and charge payment feature Autocharge+, which it announced was now available to more than 50 EV models in April. EVgo says total charging sessions initiated by Autocharge+ more than quadrupled in Q1 2024 compared to Q1 2023.
EVgo continues to roll out more high-power fast charging, with nearly 40% of EVgo’s stalls now powered by a 350 kW charger, an increase from 22% at the end of Q1 2023.
EVgo CEO Badar Khan said, “With 100,000 potential stalls already identified with site host partners, we look forward to serving many more drivers as we continue to grow our footprint across the US.”
Read more: Tesla drivers, EVgo is about to begin NACS deployments on its DC fast chargers
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