Monta hits US market with EV charging software

Industry News

Danish charging network operator Monta has launched operations across continents as it deployed its EV charging software to the US. Monta has set up its US headquarters in Miami for this purpose. The company hopes that operating in the US will open the door to add another 25,000 commercial charge points to its platform by the end of 2025 and 1 million charge points by the end of 2030. This success builds on the remarkable $87 million (€80M) round of funding secured by the company in January 2024. Expanding to the U.S. market also means the creation of jobs as Monta will engage 30 employees in its Miami office by the end of 2025. Monta’s EV charging platform in the U.S. seeks to mitigate the challenges with charging experiences caused by a wide range of issues including user interface problems, deficient software glitches, and complex payment processes on several mobile apps and credit card readers. To achieve this, Monta’s platform promises to deliver a better-optimized charging experience and unlock EV adoption at scale in the U.S. Speaking on the expansion to Miami, Casper Rasmussen, CEO and co-founder of Monta, remarked: “Across Europe, charging operators have been using Monta to scale up and deliver an improved experience for EV drivers for the last four years. Our customers and partners, many of whom already operate in the U.S. or have plans to expand here, have been asking us to bring Monta’s solution across the Atlantic to continue fueling growth across the EV charging infrastructure ecosystem.” Furthermore, in an attempt to scale its operations excellently in the US and North America at large, Monta has signed a partnership with Emobi, the largest EV charging ecosystem in North America. According to the press release from Monta, this partnership aims to deliver more than 118,000 charge points in the U.S. and Canada. “Monta’s expansion into North America is a critical step toward building a more accessible and comprehensive charging infrastructure,” said Lin Sun Fa, CEO of Emobi. “At Emobi, we share Monta’s vision for a future where sustainable transportation is within reach for everyone, and we are proud that our technology is helping power this expansion. By supporting Monta’s growth, we’re giving their customers instant access to charging networks and e-mobility partners across the U.S., accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles and making it a more seamless transition for all stakeholders.” monta.com Author: Abdulwaliy Oyekunle

Thailand plans to roll out EV charging facilities

Industry News

In a bid to become a leader in the EV charging business, the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) has announced plans to expand EV charging outlets across Thailand, building on its 50 years of expertise in electricity supply and transmission system development. With this expansion, 110 new EV charging outlets will be deployed, increasing from 211 at the end of last year. According to reports, the company hopes to add 100 more outlets by next year. The director for innovative energy solution business management at EGAT, Nissara Thammapala, says that the expansion will enable EGAT’s EV charging outlets to gain traction in the EV solution sector. Nissara added: “We believe the EV charging business is still a blue ocean market.” EGAT’s promise to deliver more EV charging outlets comes after Thailand’s Department of Land Transport reported a total of 141,008 battery EVs in the country. It is also said that the Thai Industrial Standards Institute and the Energy Regulatory Commission are developing standards for EV chargers used in the country, while the Engineering Institute of Thailand is drafting standards for charger installation. Amidst all these developments, EGAT is dedicated to evolving to take centre stage in Thailand’s EV ecosystem. Thus, apart from the deployment of EV charging facilities, EGAT provides a smartphone app to manage queues at charging stations, and consultation on the technical aspects of charging infrastructure. The company also recently unveiled its EV charging facilities at the Bangkok EV Expo 2024. EGAT’s effort to expand its charging outlets indicates its efforts to scale up its EV solution businesses compared to already large-scale rivals. thethaiger.com, egat.co.th Author: Abdulwaliy Oyekunle

Legal dispute over German motorway charger Autobahn GmbH has an advantage over Fastned

Industry News

The Advocate General of the European Court of Justice (ECJ), Manuel Campos Sánchez-Bordona, has presented his opinion in the legal dispute over the installation of fast chargers at managed motorway service areas in Germany. In his opinion, he presents a series of arguments based on economic law, culminating in the statement that he does not believe that the thesis of Fastned and the EU Commission “is correct on the merits.” In other words, he believes that Autobahn GmbH is right. The Autobahn GmbH des Bundes is a German limited liability company under the responsibility of the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport, which was founded on 13 September 2018. It took over the planning, construction, operation, maintenance, financing and asset management of the motorways in Germany at the beginning of 2021. What is at stake? Put simply, Fastned does not want to put up with the fact that Autobahn GmbH awards contracts for the operation of fast chargers at motorway service areas without a tender. For its part, Autobahn GmbH is relying on existing concession agreements that established Tank & Rast’s current quasi-monopoly in the 1990s. The dispute has been before the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court since 2022. The plaintiffs: Tesla and Fastned. However, the now published Opinion shows that Tesla withdrew from the national legal proceedings on 5 July 2024 and therefore did not appear at the hearing scheduled for 9 July like all other parties involved. Will the judges follow the Advocate General’s advice? The case is now being dealt with by the ECJ, as the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court needs a preliminary ruling from Luxembourg for its own judgment. In the summer of 2023, the Düsseldorf court referred certain questions regarding the admissibility of amendments to existing concession agreements to the European Court of Justice for clarification. Since then, those responsible there have collected written statements from Fastned, Tesla, Autobahn GmbH, the German government and the European Commission and arranged for the aforementioned oral hearing (already without Tesla) a year later. With the now-published Opinion of ECJ Advocate General Manuel Campos Sánchez-Bordona, the next legal stage has now been reached. It remains to be seen whether the ECJ judges will agree with the Advocate General’s opinion. However, this is often the case. The ruling from Luxembourg is expected this autumn. The Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court, where the underlying proceedings are being heard, must then issue a judgement based on the ECJ ruling. This is not expected before spring 2025. The background to the complex legal dispute is that more than 90 per cent of motorway service areas in Germany are operated by the concessionaire Tank & Rast. The contracts date back to the privatisation of the service stations in 1998. The focus of the legal dispute is a contract awarded by Autobahn GmbH to Tank & Rast two years ago for the installation of fast chargers at the motorway service stations. Tesla and Fastned sued because Autobahn GmbH had not initiated a formal award procedure and they, for their part, wanted to build charging parks on the motorway. In view of the lack of legal certainty, the expansion of fast chargers at managed motorway service areas in Germany has since come to a standstill: In March 2024, it was announced that Autobahn GmbH and Tank & Rast had frozen further expansion for the time being. The freeze is intended to minimise the risk of an expensive reversal – should the charging stations that have been installed since 2022 be declared illegal. The background to the complex legal dispute is that more than 90 per cent of motorway service areas in Germany are operated by the concessionaire Tank & Rast. The contracts date back to the privatisation of the service stations in 1998. The focus of the legal dispute is a contract awarded by Autobahn GmbH to Tank & Rast two years ago for the installation of fast chargers at the motorway service stations. Tesla and Fastned sued because Autobahn GmbH had not initiated a formal award procedure and they, for their part, wanted to build charging parks on the motorway. In view of the lack of legal certainty, the expansion of fast chargers at managed motorway service areas in Germany has since come to a standstill: In March 2024, it was announced that Autobahn GmbH and Tank & Rast had frozen further expansion for the time being. The freeze is intended to minimise the risk of an expensive reversal – should the charging stations that have been installed since 2022 be declared illegal. This has some curious consequences. For example, Autobahn GmbH has replaced old chargers that were at the end of their useful life with new Alpitronic HYC300 hyperchargers. The 300 kW columns are limited to 50 kW charging power so that they fall under the previously applicable regulations. When the go-ahead is given for the initial electric truck charging network, the federal government itself is sparing the managed motorway service stations for the time being – and is making do with truck charging parks at unmanaged car parks until the matter has been legally clarified. trans.info (in German), eur-lex.europa.eu

Freyr Battery expects €122 million grant from the EU

Industry News

The project in Vaasa aims to develop an industrial-scale LFP cathode material plant with an initial nominal capacity of 30,000 tonnes per year. “We are very grateful to be selected for this grant award from the EU Innovation Fund, which demonstrates the EU’s continued support for Freyr’s ongoing industrialization efforts of sustainable battery value chain solutions,” commented Freyr CEO Tom Einar Jensen. “Freyr is focused on its development efforts in the U.S. while we continue to explore avenues to unlock shareholder value from our portfolio of real assets and potential projects in Norway and Europe such as the proposed CAM facility in Finland. We look forward to collaborating with our colleagues at the EUIF to finalize this grant,” added Jensen. The EUIF grant is linked to a proposed active cathode materials (CAM) project in Vaasa. According to the company, the selection for a grant is an important step towards the final award of the grant after fulfilment of various criteria, which are expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2025. At the same time, Freyr continues to work with its technology licensor, partners, customers and other stakeholders to further develop the basis for the cathode material project. Freyr Battery had already secured a plot of land in Vaasa, Finland, in 2021, and at the time the company was still considering building a battery cell plant there. Now, however, the plan is to produce cathode material there, a key component for battery cells. Freyr Battery has had a turbulent few months. After just ten months in office, CEO Birger Sten stepped down in June and his predecessor and Freyr co-founder Tom Einar Jensen took over again. Freyr Battery had previously put plans for its Giga Arctic in Mo i Rana, Norway, on hold last autumn in order to focus instead on building a factory in the US state of Georgia called Giga America. The company headquarters have now also been relocated to the USA. The change in strategy resulted in a number of employees being let go. freyrbattery.com, businessportal-norwegen.com (CEO), highnorthnews.com (staff)

Ford’s electric car division reports another billion-euro loss

Industry News

With a loss of a whopping 2.46 billion dollars in the first half of the year, Ford Model e has already incurred a loss of 3.66 billion dollars after three quarters. In all three quarters, the division recorded an EBIT loss of over one billion dollars. In Q3/2023, the annual report already showed an EBIT loss of 1.3 billion dollars. This is mainly due to the high expenditure for investments in development and the plants combined with low sales – meaning that the electric car division is missing out on revenue. In the third quarter, Ford Model e achieved a turnover of 1.2 billion dollars with 32,000 vehicles sold – or 37,500 dollars per vehicle. By comparison, the van division Ford Pro was able to increase its deliveries by nine per cent to 342,000 vehicles in Q3, generating a turnover of 15.7 billion dollars. The combustion engine division Ford Blue is still the largest division of the group and achieved sales of more than 26 billion dollars with 721,000 vehicles (-2%). While Ford Blue and Ford Pro are highly profitable, the situation is different in the e-car business. “The $500 million of year-over-year cost improvements were offset by expected industrywide pricing pressure,” Ford writes. “The segment continues to improve its profit trajectory, achieving almost $1 billion in cost improvements year-to-date.” While Ford has repeatedly reduced investment in this area due to losses and the slower transformation to electric cars and announced more hybrid vehicles instead of new electric models, it remains committed to eMobility. “Ford continues to remove barriers to EV adoption by offering customers greater access to charging both at home, through the Ford Power Promise, and on the road through a growing charger network. And the nearly 3,000 Ford dealers now able to sell electric vehicles are a competitive advantage as Ford reaches new customers in areas of the U.S. that might otherwise be slow to adopt electric vehicles.” “We are in a strong position with Ford+ as our industry undergoes a sweeping transformation,” says Ford CEO Jim Farley. “We have made strategic decisions and taken the tough actions to create advantages for Ford versus the competition in key areas like Ford Pro, international operations, software and next-generation electric vehicles. Importantly, over time, we have significant financial upside as we bend the curve on cost and quality, a key focus of our team.” However, the US group is less optimistic for the current year for the time being: while company-wide EBIT of around ten billion dollars is expected, the management at Ford Model e anticipates an annual loss of around five billion dollars. In other words, the fourth quarter will probably see another billion-dollar loss. ford.com (PDF), ford.com

Northvolt holds onto prospect of short-term financial boost of $300 million

Industry News

According to media reports, the Swedish company is expected to close a financing round totalling around 300 million dollars in the coming week. A person familiar with the matter told Bloomberg that the troubled battery cell manufacturer wants to use this to put its finances on a more stable footing. However, it is still unclear whether the deal will actually be finalised next week: due to the complex documentation for the deal with customers, investors and lenders, the final steps could still take some time. Earlier this month, it became known that the investment subsidiary of the major US bank Goldman Sachs is reportedly considering rescuing the ailing battery manufacturer Northvolt together with other investors. And it is precisely this consortium that is probably now involved: as part of the rescue financing, both new equity and new loans are in prospect, reports Bloomberg. Northvolt itself declined to comment to the news agency. The financial injection would give Northvolt time to stabilise production and establish longer-term financing. Meanwhile, there is some good news on the customer side: truck brand Scania, which belongs to Volkswagen’s Traton Group, has announced that it intends to equip all of its future electric vehicles with Northvolt batteries, giving the struggling manufacturer a boost. “We are now shifting over. For the future, all of our currently sold battery electric vehicles will come with Northvolt cells,” said Christian Levin, CEO of Scania. “We are on our way out of our production hell. I think we have the toughest period behind us,” commented Northvolt CEO Peter Carlsson in an interview. The CEO declined to say when the production rate at Northvolt’s main plant in Skellefteå, near the Arctic Circle, will reach full capacity. The plant is currently operating at just five to ten per cent of its total capacity. Volkswagen, Northvolt’s largest shareholder, has so far stated that it will support Northvolt in the expansion of battery cell production. However, Scania CEO Christian Levin declined to give details of any funding, but pointed out that Scania will continue to support Northvolt. “It lies in our interest to make sure they can continue to deliver cells to us,” said Levin. “So we can continue to deliver vehicles to our customers where we have a customer contract.” The situation surrounding Northvolt has come to a head since the summer. At that time, it became known that shareholder BMW had cancelled an order for battery cells worth billions – apparently because the Swedish company was behind schedule and BMW would no longer need the ordered prismatic cells at a later date. At the beginning of October, it then became known that the subsidiary Northvolt Ett Expansion AB, which was responsible for the cancelled factory expansion, had filed for insolvency. This is said to have been the subsidiary in which production for Audi and BMW was bundled. “Audi, too, as confirmed by high-ranking Group and brand managers, has therefore initially withdrawn its order from Northvolt,” the article states. bnnbloomberg.ca (financing), bnnbloomberg.ca (Scania)

Tesla discloses patents for 48-volt system

Industry News

In the short blog post, Tesla describes the 48-volt architecture as “the optimal long-term choice, requiring ¼ of the current to deliver the same amount of power.” It has been developed “enable reliable autonomous vehicles, it utilizes robust single wire sealing and independent secondary locking mechanisms while minimizing the package size.” As is so often the case with Tesla, the core aim is to simplify production and thus lower costs. According to a Deloitte study cited by Tesla, modern comfort and assistance systems have doubled the complexity and cost of electronics in the automotive industry. Today, more than 200 connections are usually required for a single vehicle, and the trend is rising. The LVCS is intended to put an end to this trend: Engineers have defined just six plug designs for the LVCS. These are “designed to meet the power and signal requirements for over 90% of typical electrical device applications. This standardization unlocks further operational efficiencies, cost reductions and manufacturing automation,” Tesla wrote. The US car manufacturer invites “all device suppliers and vehicle manufacturers to join us in this initiative.” The email address lvcs@tesla.com was set up for this purpose. The background to the project is clear: if the Tesla system becomes a (de facto) industry standard, the quantities of LVCS-compatible components will increase significantly and prices will fall, which could theoretically also make repairs easier and cheaper. However, shortly after the publication of the Tesla proposal, it remains to be seen whether the LVCS is attractive enough for the rest of the industry to throw its own systems overboard. When Tesla disclosed the patents for its own charging connection and coined the name NACS for ‘North American Charging Standard’, the reaction was initially rather muted, until around six months later, when two US heavyweights, Ford and GM, adopted the NACS. Today, almost all car manufacturers rely on the NACS for their electric North American models. However, the adaptation of a charging standard – especially in view of the much better developed Tesla Superchargers in the USA compared to CCS fast chargers – has been attractive for companies and end customers alike, while it is of secondary importance to the customer which 48-volt plugs are installed in their vehicle. As long as the functionality is right. tesla.com

Ioneer wants to build lithium mine in Nevada

Industry News

Construction is now scheduled to begin in 2025, with production set to start in 2028, according to Ioneer. During the construction phase, 500 jobs are to be created and later will be followed by another 350 jobs “with high wages” spanning “decades of operation.” According to the company, Rhyolite Ridge is the first US lithium project to receive approval from the Biden administration. The approval itself is an important interim step but does not yet mean that construction will begin. Ioneer still has to make the final investment decision. This is expected to take place in the first quarter of 2025. The management is making this estimate “accounting for the Sibanye-Stillwater agreement, U.S. Department of Energy Loan Programs Office conditional loan and anyother required funding close.” Nevertheless, Ford, Prime Planet Energy & Solutions, the battery joint venture between Toyota and Panasonic, and EcoPro have been finalised as customers. In order to obtain the licence, Ioneer had to change some points in the planning over time. For example, this involved protecting a rare plant species called Eriogonum tiehmii, also known as Tiehm’s buckwheat. To this end, the location of the western quarry face was “significantly” relocated in 2022, and “all possible infrastructure and associated disturbances were relocated to areas outside the critical habitats.” Separately, there were also requirements to conserve water and monitor dust and noise. Ioneer accepted these conditions because, according to Executive Chairman James Calaway, “there are few deposits in the world as impactful as Rhyolite Ridge.” “Today’s approval of Ioneer’s federal permit is the culmination of countless hours of work and a testament to our remarkable team’s dedication to developing and building one of the most sustainable mining projects in the country,” Calaway said. The Rhyolite Ridge project is scheduled to run for 26 years. On an annual average, 20,600 tonnes of lithium carbonate/hydroxide are to be mined together with around 174,400 tonnes of boric acid per year. “The dual production of lithium and boric acid allows Ioneer to produce lithium not only in the US, but at the lowest end of the global cost curve,” it was stated in 2022 when the agreement with Prime Planet Energy & Solutions was signed. At that time, however, there was still talk of a planned start of production in 2025. Now, construction is set to start next year. ioneer.com (PDF)

Stellantis rolls out its Free2Move Charge Go charging service

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Last year, Stellantis announced the launch of an ecosystem for charging infrastructure and energy management under the name Free2move Charge, which would cover the areas of home charging, business charging and public charging. Now Free2move Charge is being launched – the second of the three strategic pillars ‘Free2move Charge Home’, ‘Free2move Charge Go’ and ‘Free2move Charge Business’. As is usual with most charging services, there is an app as well as a classic RFID charging card. Customers can choose between two variants: The ‘pay-as-you-go starter tariff’ with no basic monthly fee but with a charge of 90 cents per charging session plus the electricity costs incurred. With the ‘Pay-as-you-move-Advanced’ tariff, there is no charge per charging session, but a basic fee of €4.99 per month. This means that the Advanced tariff is worthwhile from six charging sessions per month. However, if you look at the details, Free2Move Charge Go turns out to be a rather expensive roaming service with an unrivalled confusion of tariffs. Unlike with other providers, there is not just a flat-rate AC and DC price, regardless of who owns the charging station, so users have to take a close look at the prices. For the DC chargers from EnBW it is 0.82 euros per kWh, for Aral Pulse 1.02 euros and for Mer even 1.16 euros. However, it does not appear to be possible to use Ionity charging stations at present. And AC chargers can also be expensive: In Leipzig, for example, prices vary between a rather hefty €0.66 and a rather exaggerated €1.06 per kWh, depending on the provider. The service therefore turns out to be a rather confusing and expensive maze of tariffs. By way of comparison: EWE Go is introducing a tariff on 1 November that charges just €0.62 per kWh at all roaming partner charging points, regardless of whether they are AC or DC. And only €0.52 is charged at the company’s own charging stations. And most other providers also have much clearer tariffs. But perhaps the aim of Free2Move is to establish a Europe-wide range first. Mathilde Lheureux, CEO of Free2move Charge, says: “With the launch of Free2move Charge Go, we are empowering EV drivers to travel freely across Europe, with peace of mind experience. By giving our customers access to an extensive charging network, combined with intuitive tools that simplify their experience, we are removing the key hurdles to adopting electric mobility. Free2move Charge Go marks a significant step forward in our mission to make EV charging seamless, accessible, and tailored to the individual needs of every driver.” The service can be used via a free app for iOS and Android. Users can use it to find charging stations, call up the status of the charging stations in real-time, check the power capacity and start, monitor and pay for charging processes. Alternatively, there is also an RFID charging card. This simplifies charging, especially when data reception is weak or the mobile phone battery is low. stellantis.com

Ford rolls out a new software update for EVs

Industry News

Product Manager at Ford Motor Company, Anthony Phillips, has announced that Ford is rolling out a software update to Ford F-150 Lightning and Mustang Mach-E electric vehicles. The new software update is to enable EV routing for Google Maps through Android Auto. Anthony Phillips explained: “Our team saw an opportunity to provide customers with an end-to-end EV routing experience in Google Maps, and we’re proud to work with Google to make it happen.” Ford had previously stated at the CES 2024 that the latest update would provide electric vehicle customers with an estimated battery level upon arrival at a destination. Furthermore, drivers could be informed about charging stops along the way and how long charging will take based on live information from the vehicle. With this update, Ford enabled the integration between Android Auto and Tesla Supercharger as Android Auto users can view compatible Tesla Supercharger locations to top up the charge for their EVs. Ford says that drivers who want to enjoy this new feature and have received the Ford software update should download the latest version of Google Maps to their smartphone and access the app in Android Auto. linkedin.com Author: Abdulwaliy Oyekunle