The $2 billion that Volkswagen has to invest in electric vehicle infrastructure in the US as part of its court settlement for the DieselGate scandal is starting to turn into real charging stations.

They opened the first fast-charging stations in the Washington, D.C. area. expand full story

It’s arguable but generally accepted that Tesla’s main advantage over other electric vehicle manufacturers is its pain-free network of fast-charging stations: Tesla Superchargers. Combined with Tesla’s range, the Superchargers enable real long distance driving – something painful with level 2 charging or even low DC charging (~60 kW).

Several alternatives to Tesla’s proprietary charging system are available and promise to soon deliver up to 150 kW, which can charge most vehicles in about 30 to 45 minutes. The latest system is going to come online in Switzerland this summer and will operate over 150 chargers at 100 locations by 2018. expand full story

A major new partnership between Blink, BMW, ChargePoint, Nissan and EVgo was announced today at the LA Auto show. The five partners created the ROEV association with the goal to access all 3 charging networks with a single account.

Between them Blink, ChargePoint and EVgo operate more than 17,500 electric vehicle charging stations or about 91% of all stations in the US.

Full press release below: expand full story