The EC Tech Desk is a monthly resource compiled by the EC’s technical services team that aims to curate transportation electrification’s most relevant news, tools, and resources in a brief, readable format.
Cool Tool Pool
- Charging-As-A-Service: The EC’s latest tool is out now! The EVSE Pricing Calculator helps local governments determine cost viability for installing charging infrastructure. This serves as a way to get baseline estimates for costs and return on investment. Check it out today!
- Holistic Analysis: Atlas Public Policy recently revived its Opportunities & Outcomes Dashboard, making it easier to track state-level funding policy. This will be especially helpful for following transportation electrification prospects across states and identifying where funding, implementation, and policy outcomes align.
- EV Cost Savings: Coltura’s Weekly EV Cost Savings Index provides a practical snapshot of how much drivers can save by switching to electric, using assumptions such as 10,000 miles driven annually. The tool is useful because it translates fuel and electricity price differences into state-level numbers that are easier to communicate than abstract total-cost-of-ownership estimates.
- District of Columbia: $963
- Utah: $1,325
- Washington: $1,785
- National average: $1,134 annually
Vehicle News
- BloombergNEF’s 2026 Electric Vehicle Outlook expects another record year for global EV sales, though growth remains uneven across major markets. The U.S. remains the third-largest market for passenger EVs.
- Ford is now building low-cost LFP battery cells in Michigan for its upcoming, roughly $30,000 midsize electric pickup, expected in 2027.
- Hyundai announced a larger Kona EV overhaul, with a boxier design and updated infotainment system expected.
- Slate unveiled details for its electric pickup, including a roughly $25,000 starting price, 205-mile range, and deliveries targeted by year-end.
- Toyota revealed pricing for its first electric pickup, the Hilux BEV, starting at $66,500.
Charging Infrastructure News
- bp pulse expanded its U.S. fast-charging network with new sites in Texas, Virginia, and Louisiana offering CCS, NACS, and up to 400 kW.
- ChargePoint and Powers Parts are teaming up to provide service and support for electric bus operators, highlighting the importance of charger uptime.
- Electrify America opened a Santa Barbara public charging station with 20 chargers rated up to 350 kW, with plans to convert some of the CCS connectors to NACS as part of an ongoing pilot program.
- PositivEnergy plans about 435 public charging ports across Philadelphia, an EC State Fleet Electrification cohort city, with a focus on accessible charging.
- Rivian announced broader managed and bidirectional charging efforts to test how EVs can support the grid.
- Volvo continues to expand plug & charge public charging capabilities for drivers of its electric models, including the EX90 and EX60.
- Waymo is sending retired robotaxi batteries into second-life stationary storage through B2U.
Freight News
- EZGO signed a framework agreement to develop a U.S.-assembled autonomous vehicle platform using lithium battery and iChassis technology.
- Kalmar Ottawa is demonstrating heavy-duty electric equipment that operates more like an industrial slot car, using electrified infrastructure to avoid conventional plug-in downtime. The concept is niche but shows how off-road and port-adjacent applications may use very different charging models than passenger EVs.
- Horizon Motor showed a new Class 8 electric truck, adding another option to a heavy-duty market that continues to sort out the right mix of range, payload, charging, and total cost of ownership. As more models enter the field, fleet suitability will likely depend as much on duty cycle and depot strategy as on the truck itself.
Securing the Supply Chain
- Colorado has approved a requirement that automakers process end-of-life batteries. The first of its kind, the legislation also bans landfills from accepting battery-powered devices starting in October 2028.
- Arizona-based EVelution Energy lined up U.S. and Finnish export credit support for its cobalt refinery plans. With a majority of global refined cobalt processed overseas, this will create the U.S.’s first commercial-scale domestic refinery. Construction will begin in 2027, with commercial operations beginning in 2029.
- The newly launched American Battery Leadership Coalition is pushing to establish sodium-ion batteries as a U.S. national priority for energy storage and manufacturing competitiveness. Sodium-ion is not a direct replacement for every lithium-ion use case, but its reliance on more abundant materials could make it especially relevant for stationary storage, grid resilience, and data-center demand.
In the Weeds
- A new Charged EVs piece looks at whether the transition to EVs could translate to lower energy bills for consumers and commercial fleets. The main takeaway is that EV load is not automatically good or bad for the grid; outcomes will depend on managed charging, rate design, utilization, and whether charging can be shifted away from peak demand.
If you come across any tools or resources you think should be added to the next edition of the Tech Desk, please reach out to Senior Program Associate Steph Wagner at steph@electrification.org