NI to purchase Kratzer’s test systems business

NI (formerly National Instruments) has agreed to purchase the test systems business of Kratzer Automation, and expects the purchase to close in Q2 of 2022.

The acquisition will combine NI’s flexible EV hardware and software test platform with Kratzer’s application-specific EV software and integration capabilities. About 200 Kratzer employees will join NI.

“The addition of the products, service capability and experienced team from Kratzer Automation will help strengthen our ability to provide complete customer-centric solutions direct to automotive OEMs and further expand our serviceable market and customer footprint in the fast-growing area of electrification,” said NI Senior VP and General Manager of Transportation Drita Roggenbuck.

Startup Weev to build Northern Ireland charging network with 1,500 charging points

Belfast-based startup Weev Energy plans to invest £20 million in a new public charging network that will include over 350 locations across Northern Ireland.

The company plans to install 1,500 new charging points before the end of 2024. Some of these will be located at 6 “ultra-rapid charging hubs,” and some will be at strategic locations such as car parks. Weev will also offer managed EV fleet solutions and leasing.

“Our roll-out has just commenced, and we plan to have the first users on our network by mid-2022,” said Weev co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer Thomas O’Hagan. “In total by the end of 2024, we expect to have completed the installation of a network of 1,500 charging points in strategic locations across Northern Ireland.”

Polestar 2 gets upgrades to design, range, and sustainability thanks to blockchain technology

Polestar has announced a bunch of upgrades to the Polestar 2, including two new exterior colors, new wheels, and updates to its interior. By swapping out certain materials and components for those using renewable energy, Polestar has been able to lower the carbon emissions per car while also using blockchain to trace minerals from their source to the finished EV to ensure ethical mining.

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Source: Charge Forward

Judge tells Elon Musk he can’t get out of his ‘Twitter police’ deal with the SEC

A judge shut down Elon Musk’s effort to cancel the part of his settlement with the SEC over his ‘funding secured’ tweet that basically gave the agency the right to act as a sort of ‘Twitter police.’

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Source: Charge Forward

Whitepaper: Testing EV and EVSE safety, interoperability, and conformance

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Download the full whitepaper from Keysight Technologies

Electreon and partners to demonstrate in-road dynamic wireless charging

Wireless charging specialist Electreon, together with the ASPIRE Engineering Research Center, truck-maker Kenworth and project management firm Kiewit, plan to demonstrate a dynamic wireless charging system.  

Electreon’s in-motion dynamic wireless charging technology will be installed at ASPIRE’s research test track in North Logan, Utah in the summer of 2022.

Kenworth supplied a Class 8 T680 Classic diesel truck for the project, and Kiewit will provide expertise on the construction processes of electric roads.

“So far, Electreon has already demonstrated its dynamic wireless charging technology in four operational pilots across Europe. Our first US-based deployment [will display] the viability of our in-road wireless charging infrastructure,” said VP of Business Development for Electreon in North America Stefan Tongur.

“The ASPIRE demonstration will be essential in understanding construction considerations around installation and maintenance of dynamic and static inductive vehicle charging on public roads,” said Kiewit Senior VP of Infrastructure Markets and Strategy Mike Johnson.

The demonstration project will be composed of a test track, power management equipment and a charging communication system. Electreon’s dynamic in-road wireless charging hardware will be installed on 50 meters of the test track.

“We will discover the amount of energy actually generated from driving the Kenworth T680 over charging plates at various speeds, and collect data for possible real-world on-road testing in the future,” said Kenworth Director of R&D Ryan Reed.

In addition to demonstrating the technology for government and industry audiences, the demonstration will support upcoming and future projects. It will be used to validate the wireless technology for upcoming pilot projects at the Utah Inland Port Authority in Salt Lake City, the Central Florida Expressway in Orlando and other US projects. Electreon also plans to use the demonstration as a test bed for future vehicle integration programs with automakers.

“We believe that our findings will provide the blueprint for the nation’s path to deep electrified vehicle adoption and resulting energy, economic and environmental benefits through low-cost and ubiquitous charging infrastructure,” said ASPIRE Center Director Regan Zane.

Electreon also plans to work with the Michigan Department of Transportation to install its wireless charging technology on a public road in Detroit in 2023.

Hertz to purchase up to 65,000 Polestar EVs

Rental giant Hertz gave the whole EV industry a boost with last year’s announcement that it would add up to 100,000 Teslas to its fleet. Now the company has announced plans to buy up to 65,000 EVs from Polestar over five years. It expects to make the new EVs available beginning in Spring 2022 in Europe and late 2022 in North America and Australia.

Hertz will initially order the Polestar 2, the automaker’s first volume model.

In addition to adding EVs to its retail rental fleet, Hertz is making them available to rideshare drivers.

“We are excited to partner with Polestar and look forward to introducing their premium EV products into our retail and rideshare fleets,” said Hertz CEO Stephen Scherr. “Today’s partnership with Polestar further builds on our ambition to become a leading participant in the modern mobility ecosystem.”

“The partnership with a global pioneer like Hertz will bring the amazing experience of driving an electric car to a wider audience, satisfying a broad variety of our mutual customers’ short- and longer-term mobility requirements,” said Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath. “For many of them it may be the first time they have driven an EV, and it will be a Polestar.”