The complexities of EV battery technology are getting more and more... well... complex. But, while attributes like range, longevity, durability and chemistry tend to get much of the limelight, there's one aspect of EV battery R&D that sits in the background without getting the fanfare it rightly deserves: Testing.

"As the battery is becoming more and more important as the propulsion energy storage system, there's a lot of testing and a lot of validation that needs to be done," says Don Wright, Unico vice president of engineering. "Those tests are very demanding, and as the battery packs start to change and we're getting into higher voltages and higher powers, the test equipment that goes along with it needs to change as well. This is where we're starting to see the transition to much higher power systems and higher voltages for our test equipment; we even have battery pack test systems that go up to 2,000-3,000 volts for very large applications."

On this episode of The Amped EV Podcast, Wright highlights the importance of adapting test equipment to accommodate emerging trends, expectations and new business possibilities regarding the future of battery-swapping technology, and what we know about the integration of solid-state batteries in EVs. 

The Buzz: www.thebuzzevnews.com

Imagine the difference an additional 40% payload per trip could make to a refuse fleet. That's what Parker Meeks, CEO of Hyzon, is hoping to give haulers in the North American market looking to move away from diesel via Hyzon's hydrogen fuel cell-powered electric refuse trucks, which are now being tested in the U.S. in partnership with New Way, a refuse truck body manufacturer, and Recology, a San Fransisco-based hauler.

"While [all-electric refuse trucks] can do the work on a micro level going job to job house to house, the weight of the batteries creates a situation where most battery trucks can only do about 40-50% of a day's work, because there's a significant weight penalty that's on the truck because of how heavy those batteries are," Meeks says. "So, what we're seeing in most battery-electric trucks is up to a 40% payload penalty, meaning they can carry only 6-7 tons of trash. That's a big problem, because to accomplish the same refuse collection in a single day, you're either making 40% more trips or you're buying 25-40% more trucks. That is the fundamental reason why refuse fleets are so excited to try our truck because we believe we have a vehicle that is the only viable zero-emission refuge collection vehicle on the market today." 

In this episode of The Amped EV Podcast, Meeks breaks down how the performance of Hyzon's hydrogen fuel cell-powered electric refuse vehicle compares to all-electric or trucks with internal combustion engines, how Hyzon is addressing common hydrogen-related challenges like fueling and infrastructure, and how Hyzon has adapted what it learned from running this truck in Australia for the North American market. 

The Buzz: www.thebuzzevnews.com

Collisions happen, and even when no one is hurt, they're a pain. Working with insurance, getting your car worked on, potentially being without a car for a while... none of it is fun. With an EV, this entire process can be even more problematic.

"I think [drivers] need to know that if they're involved in an accident in their EV, they need to have a whole different set of expectations around what's going to go on as it relates to repairing that vehicle and bringing it back to pre-loss condition," says Ryan Mandell, the director of claims performance at Mitchell. "We say all the time that these vehicles are not simply just an electrified version of the internal combustion engine vehicle. These are really something that are wholly different because of the complete re-engineering of all the propulsion systems and the way that power is managed, and that very significantly changes the requirements for collision repair. And we can't simply just use the same kind of labor calculations to determine the number of days it's going to take to repair."

On this episode of The Amped EV Podcast, Mandell walks us through some of the latest data surrounding EV collision work, the lack of available data and standardized repair formulas for EVs, and how the economics of EVs affect repair costs.

The Buzz: www.thebuzzevnews.com

If we're talking about electric vehicles, I'll give it about five minutes before we hit the ol' "range" topic. Typically, the conversation swings into range anxiety territory, and this makes talking about easy ways to extend the driver's range so much fun. Instead of focusing on "range anxiety," we can shift our focus to "range serenity."

To this end, many drivers may be surprised at the effect their choice of tires has on their maximum expected range. The good news is that tire manufacturers have been focusing on low-rolling-resistance tires – which naturally enhance a vehicle's range – for decades now.

"I did a study and I compared roughly 50 tires on the same vehicle, a very popular electric vehicle. We saw a difference in range from the best tire to the worst tire of about 14%," says Russell Shepherd, technical communications director at Michelin. "Typically, in particular with Michelin, the best range you're going to get is the tire that was originally on the vehicle. But going from there, there are offers outside of the OE fitment that can provide different balances of performances, differences in terms of longevity, differences in terms of maybe you've got a summer fitment and you want to go to an all-season or winter fitment, and those choices can impact your range because of the tires."

On this episode of The Amped EV Podcast, Shepherd gets into the nitty-gritty on how much a driver's tire choice affects an EV's range, what kind of mileage drivers can expect out of EV tires, and the different high-tech ways that tire manufacturers employ to dampen road noise in the cabin.

The Buzz: www.thebuzzevnews.com

EV manufacturers depend on a variety of resources to maximize the range, performance and charging capabilities of an all-electric powertrain. Among these is tungsten, a rare metal that, even in tiny doses, is essential to meet the expectations of today's electric vehicle.

"In relation to EVs, you use [tungsten] in the looms. Tungsten gas is pumped into every semiconductor and you have about 2,000 semiconductors in each EV," says Lewis Black, president and CEO of Almonty Industries, a global mining company focused on tungsten mining. "In Korea, which is now at the forefront of batteries for the latest generation of batteries, you use it on the anodes and the cathodes. You use a nano-size fraction of tungsten so you can charge the battery much quicker and it doesn't combust, which, of course, is one of those things that obviously many EV owners are concerned about. So it has an increasing role within EVs as well as many other technology centers.

On this episode of The Amped EV Podcast, Black explains why EV manufacturers depend on tungsten and other resources, where manufacturers source their tungsten, and where he sees the demand curve heading for this metal.

The Buzz: www.thebuzzevnews.com

The words "tires" and "sustainable" aren't typically muttered in the same breath, but this reputation is slowly shifting for the better. New materials and recycling processes being implemented by many tire manufacturers are helping to make a tire's life more environmentally friendly, but Champtires, a seller of used tires, says we can do better, as the company says many tires with decent tread remaining are still ending up in landfills.

"Anyone who is making purchase decisions with an environmentally conscious mindset should really consider used tires because high-quality used tires with 90%, 80% of the tire's tread life left is a great way to prevent that tire from ending up in a landfill," says Shilo Rea, chief marketing officer for Champtires. "So you're reusing a product that has a lot of use left in it."

On this episode of The Amped EV Podcast, Rea explains why EV drivers might want to look into used tires, the company's used tire inspection process and how used tires can be a safe option for drivers.

The Buzz: www.thebuzzevnews.com

Car dealers know that being pro-sustainability is good for business, but increasing sustainability efforts in the showroom doesn't have to be just about what powertrain you're selling. Instead of pushing EV sales, some dealers have found success with their sustainable-conscious clientele by promising to offset the carbon emissions offset by the vehicle being sold – no matter what energy source the vehicle uses to move.

"Our partners in automotive do the drive carbon neutral program. So essentially, what we're looking to do is obviously offset carbon emissions, and that's by planting 75 trees per vehicle that they sell, or for enrollment that they get in the program," says Matt Kallstrom, founder and CEO of the Carbon Offset Company. "Why 75 trees? When you take the averages of how far someone drives in a year, how many years someone owns their vehicle, and the average miles per gallon that a vehicle has, that completely offsets the entire ownership of the vehicle. So in a sense, it's like the dealer's cars aren't even hitting the road from an emission standpoint."

On this episode of The Amped EV Podcast, Kallstrom explains how carbon offsetting works, why he believes car dealers are the perfect partners to help plant trees and how his mission connects with EV drivers.

The Buzz: www.thebuzzevnews.com
Autel Energy: www.autelenergy.com

Like most ICE vehicle components out there, EV components – everything from batteries to inverters – have a shelf life. When the end of life arrives, in some cases the best thing to do might be to recycle that component down to its raw materials. However, many of these EV components that are failing or degrading over time can be sustainably remanufactured to either extend their life or give them an entirely new life.

TerrePower, a division of BBB Industries, takes this approach, with the goal of keeping EVs on the road as long as possible by taking a used EV part and sustainably manufacturing it for a new life, thereby avoiding recycling and disposal.

"When you think of sustainable manufacturing – we'll use an EV battery for example – your goal is to use as much of that part as possible. So if you look at a battery, you've got the battery pack. Within that pack are modules, and within those modules are cells. If a cell has an issue, we can look at the cell level and identify what that component failure is, fix it, we identify that issue," says Stephen Albert, director of business development and global EV product strategy for TerrePower at BBB Industries. "From there, we can increase the performance for the module that goes back into the pack that goes into the vehicle."

On this episode of The Amped EV Podcast, Albert helps us understand the perks of sustainable manufacturing, and explains how the process can bring a failing EV battery back into the market so it's functioning a full power again, or in some cases, functioning even better than when it was new.

The Buzz: www.thebuzzevnews.com
Autel Energy: www.autelenergy.com

Renting a car can be tricky for reasons you might not expect. If you don't own a car, it can be hard getting used to remembering your keys or being mindful of where you parked. Even if you do own a car, you don't own THIS car, and working all the new gizmos and gadgets can be just as challenging as navigating the open road.

UFODrive, a car rental company that began in Europe in 2018, saw these challenges and found a way to turn them into advantages in the marketplace. The key, according to the company's Chief Commercial Officer Edmund Read, was to turn to EVs. Today, the company has an established presence in Europe and is growing steadily in the U.S., and nearly exclusively rents EVs to its customers.

"What we are able to do for customers today using modern EV platforms is way beyond what you can do with a normal ICE vehicle," Read says. "We monitor people's charge level. If you go below a certain level, we will engage to make sure you're aware of that. We'll also help book you into the nearest charge point. And then my favorite one, which happens nearly every day is, somebody returns the car, they plug it back in, they close their contract, the car locks and they walk away, but an hour later they're having lunch and they think, 'Ah, I've left my wallet or my shades or my passport or my shoes in the car.' They can text us and we can pop the trunk and let them back into the car to find the bits that they need."

On this episode of The Amped EV Podcast, Read joins us to walk us through how electrification is allowing the rental industry to turn expectations on its head. We discuss the perks EVs have unlocked in the car rental industry, how partnerships with rideshare companies like Uber are driving overall EV adoption, and the most promising EV technologies coming down the pike.

The Buzz: www.thebuzzevnews.com
Autel Energy: www.autelenergy.com

Hearing a lot about electric school buses lately? That's no coincidence. Last year, the EPA announced the Clean School Bus Program, offering a $5 billion investment for low-emission school buses over the next five years, and the EPA says it will make another $1 billion available for clean school buses in the 2023 fiscal year. Yes, electric school buses and the infrastructure to support them are a massive investment, but school districts around the country with an appetite for electrification know there may be no better time to take the plunge.

Many of those school districts are relying on their OEM partnerships to make the transition from diesel to electric. According to Arjun Nair, manager of electric vehicle programs at Thomas Built Buses, a successful electric bus roll-out takes much more than district stakeholders being knowledgeable about just the vehicles themselves.

"For a customer to go through this transition, we definitely want to help the customer understand what they have to consider before they get along on this journey. We try to educate the customer about the product and about what are the other factors they need to be successful, then we have our resources, our experts within the company, who would help them evaluate their needs more specifically and suggest the options that they have to mitigate any of the challenges that they see," Nair says.

On this episode of The Amped EV Podcast, Nair joins us to explain more of the reasons electric buses are catching on, the advantages of electric school bus adoption, identifying the best routes for school bus electrification and why designing an electric school bus is a challenge like no other.

The Buzz: www.thebuzzevnews.com
Autel Energy: www.autelenergy.com

For new players in the EV manufacturing space, success depends on finding ways to stand out. That means designing your charging stations with aesthetics top of mind and including software out of the box to integrate with future EV innovations. It also means doubling down on using high-quality, automotive-grade hardware to ensure the reliability of the product is as close to 100% as possible. This is exactly the strategy Autel Energy took when Autel entered the EV charging market, according to John Thomas, COO of Autel Energy North America – and he says it's working.

Of course, Thomas says, Autel Energy began manufacturing EV chargers with a leg up in the marketplace thanks to its pedigree of creating diagnostic tools to connect and communicate with vehicles on a deeply critical level. As a result, Thomas says he knows better than anyone how important reliability is when it comes to the automotive industry.

"We build our own software and we build our own hardware, which includes all the way down to the board level. Those green boards with all the connectivity and the wires and the microchips on them? We actually do that ourselves and we do that to OEM standards," Thomas says. "That helps position ourselves strongly in the marketplace. Now, in the EV charging market people are talking about 97% [reliability] and how great that would be, but if your phone doesn't work 3% of the time, you're not a happy camper at the end of the day. We believe the charging event has to be similar. When we go to a gas pump, the gas pump works all the time, and a charger also has to do the same. So, that's our target. We're going for 100%."

On this episode of The Amped EV Podcast, Thomas joins us to explain what it takes to stand out in a crowded market, what EV charging station customers really want, and why Autel Energy is investing so much in futureproofing technology integration like Plug and Charge and bi-directional charging.

The Buzz: www.thebuzzevnews.com
Autel Energy: www.autelenergy.com

Tires wear faster on EVs as a result of the added weight of the vehicle and the near-instant torque provided by the all-electric drivetrain. Can tiremakers really combat this by tweaking the compounding or materials and putting an EV stamp on the sidewall of the tire?

The short answer: Yes! The long answer: Yes... but maybe we're asking the wrong question.

Tires are complicated and offer endless varieties of combinations of cost, performance and longevity for all styles of vehicles and applications. On this episode of The Amped EV Podcast, Tire Review Editor Maddie Winer explains the attributes of a good EV tire, how much training tire shops need to handle EVs, and if the EV tire stamp is all marketing or if there's more to it.

The Buzz: www.thebuzzevnews.com
Autel Energy: www.autelenergy.com

Efficiency is a critical pillar in EV powertrain design. Ideally, EV components manufacturers want to convert every single available kilowatt stored within the battery into energy capable of driving the vehicle, and getting as close to perfect as possible is one of the holy grails of design. That's why engineers spend endless hours finding ways to mitigate the effects of heat and friction, because even seemingly tiny saves in these areas can make a huge difference when it comes to an EV's performance.

With over 2.5 million electric drive systems (and counting!) delivered, GKN Automotive knows this as well as anybody. 

"It's really critical that the EV powertrain is designed to consume the least amount of waste possible to increase the range availability of the vehicle and give the driver a better experience when it comes to things like range anxiety or charging," says Ben DeLand, director of electrical hardware engineering, GKN Automotive. "In EVs, a mountain of R&D money and effort has been spent, and I think over the past 10 years we've seen massive gains in efficiency."

In this episode of The Amped EV Podcast, DeLand gives his thoughts on the overlap and complexity in EV and all-wheel drive systems, how GKN Automotive aims to provide versatility in its EV powertrain solutions, the significant EV powertrain advancements that have been made over the past decade, and more.

The Buzz: www.thebuzzevnews.com

It's easy to read the headlines on social media and pontificate on where the market is headed in the comment sections of all your best friends' posts, but if you really want to develop a solid understanding it's best to talk directly with those making waves in the industry. There's no better place to do that than on the tradeshow floor.

Sustainability and electrification seem to be all the rage in the trucking industry today, but it isn't always about swapping a diesel truck for an electric one. Instead, for America's truck fleets it's oftentimes more about a reduction in emissions and the journey to eventually hitting zero. Companies focusing on truck maintenance are approaching zero-emissions differently than OEMs designing new EV offerings, and telematics offerers have their own focus.

In this episode of The Amped EV Podcast, Fleet Equipment Editor Jason Morgan talks us through his electric truck market expectations based on what he's seen at this year's heavy- and medium-duty truck-centric tradeshows.

The Buzz: www.thebuzzevnews.com
Autel Energy: www.autelenergy.com

Ponder this, non-EV owners: Would you accept an EV as your next vehicle if, no matter your budget, you knew you'd always have the range you needed without ever having to plug in to charge up?

If you ask Jeremy McCool, founder and CEO of HEVO, this promise will be the catalyst that will convert the masses to EV owners.

"The one thing that wireless does better than anything else in terms of accelerating EV adoption is that it can provide the ability for drivers to drive and charge at the same time. And this year... we will be demonstrating in the Detroit area highway speed tests with 200-kilowatt wireless dynamic charging. So an [electric] vehicle will be driving at highway speeds, collecting charge as it goes," McCool says.

In this episode of The Amped EV Podcast, McCool talks us through reasons why fleets are switching to wireless EV charging, how wireless charging works and why tollways that charge your car while you're driving might be the next evolution of U.S. driveable infrastructure.

The Buzz: www.thebuzzevnews.com
Autel Energy: www.autelenergy.com

If you're an EV owner, you're going to want to own a home charging station too. However, about a third of the U.S. population rented the space where they lived in 2021. That complicates things and slows EV adoption rates across the board.

But where there are problems, so too are opportunities. On this week's show, we speak with the CEO of Refuel Electric Vehicle Solutions, a company that is helping the multifamily sector navigate the ins and outs of EV infrastructure and the advantages that can come with installing even just one charger.

"If you figure on average, even if the rent is $1,500 a month, that's $18,000 a year in rent that that one tenant brings you because they came to your apartment property. They pay you $18,000 a year because you have a charging station," says David Aaronson, the CEO of Refuel Electric Vehicle Solutions. "Now, the value of that $18,000 at a 5% cap rate is $300,000, $350,000. So you've created that much value with that one tenant."

In this episode of The Amped EV Podcast, Aaronson talks us through reasons why it might be a good idea to have charging available for tenants, how to know if your property is ready to install EV charging, how far in advance to start the project and how to future-proof your charging infrastructure.


The Buzz: www.thebuzzevnews.com
Autel Energy: www.autelenergy.com

As EV adoption grows, so too does the basic understanding of how these vehicles function. While it may still seem bonkers, EVs are managing to take us from Point A to Point B using only a few dozen moving parts, in stark contrast to the tens of thousands you may find in vehicles with internal combustion engines. As you could imagine, this ultimately leads to fewer opportunities for something to go wrong, thus saving the owner a few dollars on repairs and maintenance over the lifetime of the vehicle.

However, throwing a wrench into this penny-pinching dream is the fact that the technology found in today's EVs is fairly new and generally more expensive to repair.

"In your typical ICE vehicle, you may have 20,000 individual and moving parts. In an EV vehicle, you may have 20 to 50 moving parts. The failure rate for those parts may be much smaller, but the cost to repair those parts is much, much higher right now," says Joshua Sonnier, vice president of product and strategy realization at insurance provider Assurant. "As with any new technology in its infancy, the cost to repair is much higher. So, from our standpoint, it actually gets you or the consumer to about the same risk profile."

In this episode of The Amped EV Podcast, Sonnier talks us through reasons why an EV might find themselves at their local auto repair shop, as well as how often, and also discusses factors that drivers have to weigh beyond the sticker price when it comes to overall vehicle value.

The Buzz: www.thebuzzevnews.com

If you're an EV owner, you can likely attest: Oftentimes, there's a problem with charging infrastructure. Maybe it was deployed in an area that doesn't make much sense, or the charging software is malfunctioning. Maybe it isn't well-lit. Maybe there isn't any security in the area for the EV driver. Plus, the driver is there for a while – wouldn't it be great if there was a snack or, even better, a restroom?

BP Pulse has noticed this too, saying "there has got to be a better way!" As a result, the company is planning to amp the EV charging experience up to 11 via new "Gigahubs" – a series of large electric vehicle fast-charging hubs that will be built near airports and other high-demand locations, to serve ride-hail and taxi fleets around the country. The first one is being deployed near LAX, and BP Pulse plans to have it up and running in time for the 2028 Olympic games.

To learn more about the ambitious project to change how we think of the charging experience as we know it, we invited Vic Shao, president of BP Pulse's fleet division, onto the show.

The Buzz: www.thebuzzevnews.com
Autel Energy: www.autelenergy.com

The EV headlines just don't stop coming, and each one poses more questions than it answers. We are expecting more than 100 new EV models between now and the year 2026. China is allegedly leading the EV arms race, but the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill is throwing billions of dollars at revitalizing the U.S. electricity grid as well as deploying new charging stations all around the country. Not to mention, a shift to EVs means a shift to generally more expensive parts, but less overall maintenance. It's a lot to consider, especially when it comes to the future of the automotive aftermarket.

Where are these trends leading the automotive industry? What does all this mean for vehicle care? What does it mean for you, specifically? You'll need to read the electric tea leaves to find out.

The Auto Care Association and MEMA Aftermarket Suppliers have partnered to release a Joint EV Trends and Outlook Forecast: An update on trends driving change in the EV market. The report covers topics such as projected growth for EV sales, the impact of adoption on aftermarket parts sales, data on the impact to the service and repair sector, and more.

It's an overwhelming amount of information, but thankfully today we have two guests more than capable of unpacking it all: Mike Chung, the director of market intelligence for the Auto Care Association (ACA), and Philip Atkins, the director of strategic research & planning for MEMA Aftermarket Suppliers.

The Buzz: www.thebuzzevnews.com
Autel Energy: www.autelenergy.com

Electric commercial trucks are out there, and fleets are starting to use them in shorter routes that work for their limited battery range. In these cases, the limited range has a workaround, but what about if you are limited in what cargo you can haul? That's what is happening to trucks hauling goods that need to be kept cool. Typically there's a workaround to that too – if you don't mind investing in a diesel generator to keep your load cool, and that doesn't make a lot of sense when the tractor is electrified.

Enter the electric transportation refrigeration unit (TRU). The industry is just starting to break the surface on these, but Carrier Transicold has been one of the refrigeration pioneers leading the way. On this episode of The Amped EV Podcast, we talk to Mike Noyes, vice president and general manager, Carrier Transicold – Americas, to learn about what it takes to keep goods cool on the road without the use of diesel.

The Buzz: www.thebuzzevnews.com
Autel Energy: www.autelenergy.com

In late October, the EPA announced nearly $1 billion was awarded through the Clean School Bus Rebate Lottery program to support 389 school districts across the country with their school bus electrification projects. The intention of this program is to accelerate electrification by giving schools the financial resources to transition their diesel bus fleets to all-electric.

On this episode of The Amped EV Podcast, we catch up with the transportation director, Rick Grisham, at one of those school districts, Richland One School District in Columbia, South Carolina, the 11th-largest school district in South Carolina, to understand why the district wants to transition to electric, what the process has been like and who the major stakeholders are to make the district's plans a reality.

One of those stakeholders is Proterra, who is working with Richland One from start to finish to guide them through the transition process. We also talk with Mabel Feng, the director of product management at Proterra, to hear about the technology that powers the school buses, charging solutions, infrastructure and management software Richland One is using.

The Buzz: www.thebuzzevnews.com
Autel Energy: www.autelenergy.com

What do you do when you're given a $1 million check to find an integrated Class 3-5 EV chassis? If you're working with The Shyft Group, you ask for $8 million more to develop one yourself.

The Shyft Group is betting that by designing and manufacturing its own Class 3-5 Blue Arc chassis and bodies in-house from the ground up, using well-respected component suppliers like Dana for eAxles and Hendrickson for single leaf-spring suspensions, the company can lead the pack when it comes to electrifying commercial fleets. Considering the company recently secured an initial pre-order of 2,000 units from one of the largest dealer groups in the Carolinas, the strategy looks to be coming up roses.

To tell us more about designing and manufacturing an all-electric delivery walk-in van in-house, we invite Daryl Adams, The Shyft Group president and CEO, onto the show.

The Buzz: www.thebuzzevnews.com

Everyone is talking about EVs, so getting caught up in the hype is easy. The problem is, EVs aren't yet suitable for every use case, and jumping into electrifying your fleet with eyes closed can have severe consequences. There's so much to think about: What are your routes? What infrastructure do you need? How much range do you need? The list goes on. Get the answer to any of these questions wrong and you might dig an electrified hole that isn't easy to escape.
Fear not, though – there is help to be had. Geotab's EV Suitability Assessment Tool is a great place to start the journey. To walk us through how it works and about saving money via the Inflation Reduction Act, we invite Charlotte Argue, senior manager of Sustainable Mobility at Geotab, onto the show.

The Buzz: www.thebuzzevnews.com

Fleet electrification is tricky. Many fleet locations never planned to one day convert their vehicles to run using electric powertrains, and therefore lack the adequate electrical infrastructure to easily make the switch. The good news is that upgrade solutions are typically available, and today there are lots of partners out there who can help fleets get started. The bad news is that the upgrade process can involve lengthy wait times – sometimes up to two years – due to factors like utility management and equipment shortages.

Tom McCalmont, CEO and co-founder of Paired Power, says his company has developed what he calls a novel solution that both circumvents the need for extensive grid upgrades and also significantly accelerates the installation process: PairTree, a pop-up solar canopy that offers freedom from costly construction and infrastructure upgrades required by traditional solar canopy installation.

"Over the last 10 or 12 years, solar has gotten dramatically cheaper, but the one type of solar that has not gotten dramatically cheaper is solar carports. And the reason they haven't is ... because they have a massive foundation, with steel and concrete going into the ground. It's a very labor-intensive process to construct the actual overhead canopy and it's slow," McCalmont says. "So, we thought about that problem. The PairTree has a ballasted foundation with a light attachment. It can be attached to the ground with ground screws, but it's not a massive foundation like you would do with a traditional canopy. All of that can be accomplished in one day with two workers."

In this episode of The Amped EV Podcast, McCalmont discusses the challenges related to fleet electrification, why some fleets are turning to microgrid EV charging systems, and the adaptability of these charging systems to different geographic conditions.

The Buzz: www.thebuzzevnews.com

EV charging is easier said than done, and it's one of the biggest hurdles to successful full-scale EV adoption. Now, imagine you own a fleet of electrified vehicles. If you don't have the right infrastructure in place, your what-seemed-to-be solid EV investment is now one built on sand.

On the surface, it can seem like that EV infrastructure rests solely on your shoulders – but it doesn't have to.

"Charging-as-a-service" is more than just industry buzzwords. It offers the opportunity for businesses with fleets of EVs to stay focused on their core business instead of being a "charging manager." Though, this opens a new challenge – there are a lot of new names in the charging-as-a-service space. Voltera is one of those new names, and there's no better way to kick the tires on a new service than to have a conversation. That's why we connected with Matt Horton of CEO, Voltera. Voltera sites, builds, owns, and operates strategically located, fit-for-purpose charging facilities to enable EV deployment and operation at scale. But how do they work with fleets to meet specific application needs, and what advice do they have in the Wild West that is charging infrastructure equipment?

The best way to explain what it's like to drive an electrified vehicle is to convince them to get behind the wheel, and that's exactly what Volvo Trucks North America recently did for us during its Electromobility Summit in Dublin, Va. The one-pedal driving, the instant torque, the regen braking... we get the full experience – all while carrying a 79,000-lb. payload behind us.

The goal for Volvo Trucks was to host customers, dealers and the media to dive into the nitty gritty of electric truck acquisition and operation–going beyond the VNR Electric truck itself to also discuss financial support and services, infrastructure development and more. And, of course, we came with a stack of electric truck questions a mile high.

Thankfully, we had the ever-cheerful Andy Brown, product marketing manager, Volvo Trucks North America in the passenger seat to give us a rundown on the truck's specs, how charging works, how truck drivers can manipulate regenerative braking while driving and all sorts of other topics.

By the way, you may remember that this isn't the first time Volvo Trucks invited us to experience the VNR electric, but last time we were just riding along. This time we took the hot seat for ourselves.

You know that old saying "if at first you don't succeed, try, try again"? Keep that one in the back of your head as you watch this week's episode, because when it comes to installing charging infrastructure at scale, chances are you won't get far if you give up early on.

It isn't easy. Installing charging infrastructure takes a lot of effort, time and money. But, West Michigan International – a truck dealer in Michigan – thought the reward would be worth the struggle, as the business hopes to use the chargers as a passive revenue source moving forward.

To walk us through the ins and outs of this charging installation project, we invited Ed Reitman, the dealer principal for West Michigan International and Jason Gies, vice president, eMobility business development at Navistar, onto the show.

When people start talking about EVs, the big ol' lithium-ion battery tends to get a lot of the limelight. But EVs have dozens of other components needed to make them operate as expected, including another, smaller battery. Just like a car with an internal combustion engine, most EVs require a 12V battery in addition to the big one at center stage.

In fact, the 12V battery is supremely important to successful EV operation. But why? And what makes a 12V battery in an EV different than one you'd find in any other vehicle?

To answer our questions, we've invited Allison Lentz Bubar, SVP of marketing & DIT strategy at Advance Auto Parts onto the show.

Here's the definitive truth: As the technology stands today, electric vehicles are a fantastic fit for some applications and not so great for others. Last-mile delivery, those routes that bring a product from the warehouse shelf to the customer’s doorstep, happens to fall into that first category. EVs fit in so well here because last-mile offers defined routes that can be planned to maximize the electric vehicle’s range and recharging opportunities.

We've already seen a few big names – including Walmart, FedEx and Amazon – jump into electrification with this application. So, now that electrification has had some time to mingle with last-mile, how are things going, and where do we see them headed? On today's episode, we find out.

For electric vehicles to ultimately work – I mean really work, at scale – it's going to take so much more than a fancy-looking new car or truck with a fancy new integrated electric powertrain parked in every driveway across the nation.

There's an underground component to this whole thing too, both metaphorically and literally. It takes groups of dedicated men and women willing to the often-thankless work involved with installing EV infrastructure, and that ecosystem is larger than simply erecting charging beacons as far as the eye can see. Trenches need to be dug, and, ideally, fiber needs to be run. There's a whole approval process that needs to be taken care of. Permits need to be pulled, and someone probably needs to install a new transformer.

[Excuse me a moment, the room is spinning.]

Whew! OK.

Thankfully, there are businesses out there that are designed to help with all of this. MD7, a telecoms tower & data center consultancy company, is one of those. On today's episode of The Amped EV Podcast, we invite Lew Cox, MD7's director of business development to dig into the EV infrastructure details. He explains the connection between EV charging and fiber deployment, the EV charger installation approval process and why the federal government's funding allocated to EV charging installation projects might not be enough.

There’s a moment when you’ve been working toward something where that “something” becomes very real and all the excitement you used to feel about it takes a back seat to the challenges that lie ahead. Moving forward means taking a deep breath, swallowing hard and remembering why you started down this path in the first place. Then you plow ahead.

That moment for commercial decarbonization efforts within the trucking industry happened at this year’s ACT Expo. Sure there was plenty of excitement with a bevy of new EV announcements from new players and established OEMs, alike, as well as a few teases of what’s to come. But there was also a very clear message that trucking industry decarbonization efforts need to happen faster to gain ground on transportation’s impact on climate change.

Of course, it's easy to point fingers at the logistics industry, but the fact is that there's a role for everyone to play, if they chose to accept it. On this episode of The Amped EV Podcast we discuss some of the automotive industry's latest decarbonization efforts on both the trucking and consumer sides; the latest infrastructure happenings, and what the open job market tells us about the future of electrification and fossil fuels.

Sono Motors might be on to something. The idea is that if a solar-powered electric vehicle can recharge its battery via the sun equal to a driver's average commute time, the driver will never have to worry about range anxiety creeping into their consciousness ever again. And that's the goal of the Sono Sion, the company's solar-powered consumer vehicle with production beginning in 2023.

"The purpose of this car is to cover the daily average distance driven by a commuter because it's actually not a lot. I believe in the U.S. it's about 24 km (approx. 15 miles) and in Europe, it's 16 km (approx. 10 miles) per day, and that's actually what we recharge by the sun," says Laurin Hahn, co-founder and CEO of Sono Motors. "It's four times more range on a single charge than with any other electric vehicle without solar with the same battery change."

It sounds like a good idea, but does it actually work in practice?

To find out the nitty-gritty details, we brought Hahn onto the show, who provided no shortage of insight into how this technology works, the benefits for drivers, and even where the potential lies for combining solar with other technologies to create what is essentially a sustainable power plant on wheels.

Hey, EVs need maintenance and repairs too. But working on an EV shouldn't be done by just anyone – it takes a very particular set of skills (perhaps even skills acquired over a very long career). These vehicles aren't your grandfather's, working via internal combustion engines, and it takes a skilled technician to know how to safely maintain these relatively new components.

This poses a problem. Today's job market is already facing a general worker shortage. A layer below that lies the technician shortage that's lasted for decades. Drill down a little deeper and you encounter the EV technician shortage. These EV technicians today are quite rare, and typically expect to be paid a premium for their services.

So, where does this leave us? Is there an answer to finding more EV shop help? To find out, I invited Nadine Battah, multimedia senior editor for Tomorrow's Technician, onto the show to talk topics like:

• Are instructors pushing EVs onto technicians?
• Are today’s students interested in working on EVs?
• Why would a tech want to be trained to work on EVs?
• Where should a tech seek out training for EVs if they’re interested?
• What are some of the barriers to entry for being a technician qualified to work on EVs?
• Should consumers be prepared to pay more for EV maintenance?
• And more!

As soon as Amped co-host and Fleet Equipment Director of Content Jason Morgan stamped his ticket to the 2022 ACT Expo in Long Beach, Calif., I knew we weren't going to be able to let him go at it alone. So I crawled into his backpack and stowed away across the country to join him in witnessing the reveal of all the latest mind-bending decarbonization technologies and sustainability-driving services the trucking world has to offer.

Well, it wasn't me personally in that backpack, it was a camera. But while Jason was there he was kind enough to show me around the show floor – and now, you too! Check out the video above to see get a sneak peek of some of the cool electrified technologies coming soon to the trucking world.

Editor's Note: During the show, I stumped Jason with a question on Xos's new medium-duty and heavy-duty truck availability. Here's the answer: The new chassis cab product will be hitting production in Q1 of next year, and then the tractor product will be later in 2023, according to Dakota Semler, co-founder, chairman and CEO of Xos.

First Student isn't messing around when it comes to its ambitions for school bus electrification – 30,000 school buses by 2035. At first glance, it may seem a bit pie-in-the-sky, but Kevin Matthews, head of electrification at First Student, assures that school buses may be the area that makes the most sense when it comes to fleet electrification opportunities in the U.S.

"That number was not a 'throw darts at a dart board approach.' We also believe this [growth will be] a little bit shallower than a hockey stick, where when you get to around the year 2029 or 2030 we'll see a real uptick in the percentage of buses that become electric," Matthews says. "The yellow school bus has been the redheaded stepchild of the automotive industry for a long, long time. But as we transitioned to electrification, we've actually moved toward the tip of the spear."

In this episode of The Amped EV Podcast, we discuss how mandates for electric school buses in various states line up with the natural replacement cycle of school buses, the dual approaches districts adopt in electrifying their fleets, and shed light on the timelines and complexities involved in transitioning to electric school buses.

Here on The Amped EV Podcast, we talk all the time about what it's like to drive a vehicle with an electric powertrain, but driving an electric Class 7 truck is a bit more intimidating... or is it? To show off all the nifty features of the Volvo VNR electric truck, Jason Morgan, co-host of The Amped EV Podcast and content director for Fleet Equipment was recently invited out to Greensboro, N.C. to have a chance to ride along and see what the drive is like. And, as a bonus, he also spills the tea on some of the features of the next iteration of this truck (more range and a faster charge time being a few of the big ones).

About a year ago, Daimler Trucks North America opened what it refers to as a "heavy-duty electric truck charging site, called 'Electric Island'" in Portland, Ore. The goal of Electric Island is to help accelerate the development, testing and deployment of zero-emissions commercial vehicles. A year later, that hasn't changed, but the team has learned an awful lot about what it takes to successfully run electric vehicles, as well as the necessary EV environment surrounding them.

Located across the street from DTNA headquarters, Electric Island opened with eight vehicle charging stations, the majority of which are now available for public use for the charging of electric cars, buses, box vans and semi-trucks. These charging stations aren't simply DTNA's own Detroit-branded chargers, mind you; the company consciously made the decision to feature chargers from a variety of companies in this space. The site is built to immediately provide charging for EVs of all shapes and sizes, and has allowed DTNA to study energy management, charger use and performance, and, in the case of DTNA, its own vehicles’ charging performance. It's a true proving ground for both the variety of charging stations and the physical space laid out to supply them.

On this episode of The Amped EV Podcast, we wanted to see this island for ourselves. So, we tracked down Nate Hill, DTNA director of zero-emission vehicle infrastructure & econsulting, who we've dubbed our "first on-location correspondent," to give us a little tour and tell us a bit more about what the company has learned with a year of electric island living under its belt.

Bi-directional charging has massive potential to be a game-changer in the EV world. It provides consumers an affordable way to store excess energy generation and reuse it on demand whenever they want. A driver can fill his or her car battery during the day when the sun is out and reuse it in the evening during peak hours, when electricity is more expensive. Or, the driver can fill up the car battery in the middle of the night when electricity demand is low and energy is cheap.

The problem is that today bi-directional charging technology is typically expensive and not easy for consumers to install – but this is where companies like Emporia Energy come in, working to develop a simple, affordable option for consumers and fleets alike.

Look, we just saw a charging station at a bank in Akron, Ohio! That must be a sign that these things have got to be darn near popping up everywhere at this point, right?

Not quite. Honestly, though, the numbers aren't terrible. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, there are 46,286 locations in the U.S. where you can charge your EV at a public charging station. But is this enough? On this episode, we dig into the EV charging infrastructure details.

Critical to the success of fuel cell vehicles will be the rollout of hydrogen refueling infrastructure and the production of cheap "green" hydrogen – low carbon hydrogen made from renewable electricity and water.

The folks at ACERTUS know a thing or two about EVs. Through a combination of technology, expertise and infrastructure, ACERTUS is a comprehensive automotive logistics company with the ability to move, store, recondition, title and deliver vehicles anywhere in North America.

That's why Trent Broberg, CEO of ACERTUS, is the perfect person to pepper with questions regarding just about any EV topic you can think of (and trust me, we can think of plenty). So, we invited him onto the show and ran him through a gauntlet of EV curiosities. We ask questions like:

What are some changes from the infrastructure bill that you are welcoming from a logistics standpoint, and where do you believe the bill falls short?
Are there any unexpected but common compliance issues you’ve seen fleets run into after adopting electric trucks?
What are some of the challenges for transporting EVs?
And more!

The EV charging infrastructure market is changing rapidly. Where is the charging segment going in 2022? What trends will emerge as infrastructure legislation is implemented?

It takes a real pro in the EV charging market to answer questions like this without just plain guessing. That's why on today's episode we've invited Rich Mohr, global vice president, fleet solutions at ChargePoint, to answer our charging questions. I swear I learn something new every time we talk, and this time, with hot mics and cameras rolling, was no different.

Range anxiety is a pretty big sticking point when it comes to EVs. So much so, that we're devoting an entire episode of the Amped EV Podcast to it. Range (or lack thereof) is what has stopped many an EV-driving would-be across the globe dead in their tracks. "No thanks," they say. "If I can't tote the family on vacation without stopping for a charge I don't want it." What we've discovered, though, is that in most cases, you really don't need the range you think you do. In this episode, we talk about some of the innovative ways OEMs are extending EV range for customers, how driver behavior affects EV range, how regenerative braking affects EV range and more.

The hydrogen hype is real. After all, well over 800,000 hydrogen fuel cell commercial trucks – including both heavy-duty and medium-duty trucks – will be sold by 2035, according to a study by Information Trends. But, how viable is it in the commercial and passenger automotive sectors, really?

While we can't see the future, we have a good idea of where both the commercial vehicle industry and the passenger automotive sectors are heading and where they cross over in this episode of the Amped EV Podcast. We chart the numerous partnerships that have come together to tackle hydrogen, tout the latest technology from a host of equipment manufacturers and give you our takes on whether hydrogen will take off.

On the previous episode of this podcast, I spoke with Jason Morgan, editor of Fleet Equipment, about the EV advancements we can expect to see in the next few years, the solutions to the biggest issues facing electrification today and what an evolving supply chain means for the consumer world. We had a great time – we laughed, we cried, we sang (at least one of those definitely happened) – and after that episode's debut we decided we wanted to take things a step further. So... welcome to the first taping of the Amped EV Video Podcast!

Jason is now this podcast's co-host, here to bring a fresh perspective on what electrification means for trucking and logistics, the yin to the consumer world's yang, if you will. And, there's more where this came from beginning in 2022. Double, actually, as we're bumping up our volume to produce two video podcasts a month.

In this episode, we discuss some of the latest electrification research from NACFE, as well as some of the fun EV-focused vehicles and products found at the 2021 SEMA Show in Las Vegas (including Jeep, Electra Meccanica, Hypercraft and Redline Detection).

Electric vehicle charging and grid management are both critical factors when it comes to handling the increased adoption rates of EVs. The fragmented nature of the electric utility industry mixed with the necessity for the intelligent management of EV charging on a hyperlocal level isn't an easy hurdle to cross – and it's hard to do it alone.

The good news is that the industry is intimately aware of this, and partnerships are cropping up to intersect well-designed hardware with advanced grid management. The partnership between Wallbox and Weavegrid is one of those.

WeaveGrid, a software company that enables rapid electric vehicle adoption on the electric grid, and Wallbox, a leading provider of electric vehicle charging solutions, recently announced their joint effort to expand access to utility-managed charging programs for North American Wallbox owners, beginning with Xcel Energy’s Charging Perks Program in Colorado, where Xcel Energy currently serves around 1.3 million residential customers.

"There's a very academic approach one can take to this sort of problem: It's looking at vehicles purely as batteries on wheels and drivers as just sort of an inconvenient human element to this problem of balancing out the batteries on those vehicles," says Yakov Berenshteyn, director, automotive & charging partnerships, Weavegrid. "I think that's a perspective that Wallbox and Weavegrid both have, and it's part of that shared value that led to this partnership. We need to make sure that this is a good driver experience and that's going to be manifested in this partnership."

In this episode of The Amped EV Podcast, we discuss the need for renewable energy generation, the benefits of managing EV charging intelligently at a hyperlocal level, and how the partnership between Wallbox and Weavegrid is making strides in Colorado's growing EV market.

The Buzz: www.thebuzzevnews.com

Just a couple of months ago, Santa Monica, California held a show for the transportation industry to swap electron talk, the official hub for executives to meet up with their peers to discuss the latest and greatest in fuels, technologies and vehicles driving the future of transportation. It's called ACT Expo.

This year’s show featured all kinds of major announcements from names big and small in trucking. International launched its new fully-electric eMV Series trucks. Toyota had a booth with a hydrogen engine on display. Hino Trucks had a Class 8 engine prototype. Newer names like Lion Electric were hosting ride-and-drives in their new Class 6 truck, and Hyzon Motors let those interested get up close and personal with its hydrogen-electric fuel cell technology.

In today's episode, I talk with Jason Morgan, editor of Fleet Equipment, who had the opportunity to speak with manufacturers in the EV space face-to-face on the show floor. We discuss what EV advancements we can expect to see in the next few years, the solutions to the biggest issues facing electrification today and what an evolving supply chain means for the consumer world.

Commercial trucks are going electric. It has already happened in all kinds of applications, from garbage trucks to Class 8 heavy-duty trucks, and all the major OEMs have electric truck options on the table. It’s an enormous opportunity for the EV world to have a chance to go mainstream with this key part of the automotive industry.

So, what happens when you replace the diesel engine in commercial trucks with an enormous battery? What are the trade-offs? Where have fleets found success, and where do the kinks still need to be worked out?

To help me find the answers, I talk with Alex Crissey, managing editor of Fleet Equipment, who has been studying trucking electrification closely for years. We discuss how the trucking industry is testing electric trucks, successful use cases, the work that needs to be done to make electric trucking more viable, the best trucking movie ever made and much more.

EVs with high voltage (HV) batteries can be a tricky thing for body shops to handle. If a vehicle is even a minor fender-bender, there's a lot that can go wrong if the battery – which in some cases can be up to 25% of the vehicle's overall weight – has been compromised.

So, what's a body shop to do to keep its technicians safe when working on EVs, while maintaining its reputation of doing great quality work?

To answer this question, I talk with Jason Stahl, editor of BodyShop Business, who has 15 years of experience reporting on the auto body repair market We discuss how body shops can determine if they're ready to work on EVs, the investment needed, the tools needed to get the job done right and much more.

Electric vehicles are coming – they’re here already, and adoption rates continue to grow in all areas of the automotive landscape. So, ready or not, here it comes. And that leaves me with a question: What does the rising popularity of electrification mean for the automotive aftermarket as a whole? To help me find the answer, I talk with Amy Antenora, editor of AftermarketNews, in the inaugural episode of The Amped EV Podcast. We talk about how the aftermarket as a whole is feeling about electrification; what electrification means for businesses manufacturing components for internal combustion engines; the biggest electrification issue that the aftermarket can help address today; and loads more.