NEWSNOTES | March 21, 2025
News Notes

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Stellantis and IVECO have announced plans to supply two all-electric light-duty vehicles for the European market starting next year. Stellantis Pro One, the dedicated business unit for commercial vehicles, will manufacture the vans across plants in Italy, Poland, and France to then be delivered to Iveco Group for distribution through established sales and service channels. The new vehicles will be modeled after the Stellantis Pro One mid-size and large van platforms and will have gross vehicle weights ranging from 2.8-3.1 tons and 3.5 to 4.2 tons. The agreement is based on a 10-year supply contract, affirming the commitment of both companies to accelerating Europe’s transition to BEVs.

Range Energy’s eTrailer System has successfully completed rigorous winter testing, validating its performance, safety, and reliability regardless of the conditions. Engineers ran the platform in Northern Michigan amidst subzero temperatures and roads covered with ice and snow. The eTrailer System turns large diesel trucks into hybrid electric, utilizing a high-voltage battery, e-axle, and collection of sensors that detect the tractor’s motion. The technology integrates seamlessly with existing braking and stability control systems, and the recent testing confirmed the Range platform makes driving a truck and trailer in adverse conditions feel easier and safer. Want to see for yourself? Range shared a video of testing highlights, available on youtube.

From record-breaking sales to “God’s Eye” technology, 2025 has been a banner year for BYD. The Chinese automaker has now confirmed a new 1,000-volt platform that can charge in minutes, making a charging session on par with a gas station refuel. The platform is reportedly capable of charging up to 249 miles of range in 5 minutes. While the “Super E-Platform" is far from being widely available, it’s yet another development widening the gap between BYD and other industry giants like Tesla.

InductEV, a leader in the wireless charging market, has partnered with bus manufacturer ENC to give transit operators more options for transitioning their fleets. ENC will begin offering wireless inductive charging on their electric buses via InductEV’s hardware, providing new and improved options for transit agencies amid other supply chain and performance issues in the industry. The inductive charging pads instantly activate when aligned with a pad placed on the vehicle’s underside, delivering up to 450kW of power. The hands-free system reduces the infrastructure footprint, enhances safety, maximizes uptime, and is interoperable across all vehicle classes. With over 3 million miles driven by municipal fleets across several states, InductEV’s technology is well suited for transit applications and might just be coming to a town near you soon.

Acquiring or upfitting vehicles is only half of the equation when it comes to electrification – well-planned charging infrastructure is essential for sustainable operations. This article by Brendan Harney, the president of Camber, operator of North America’s largest fast-charging network for mission-critical fleets, outlines key considerations to ensure the fleet electrification process is handled with infrastructure considerations top of mind. To quote directly from Brendan’s article, “Smart fleet managers are learning to map their vehicle deployment schedules to infrastructure readiness, not the other way around.”

In 2013, the then-governors of California, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Vermont agreed to boost policies and public information to help spur zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) sales in their states. The Memorandum of Understanding set a collective target of 3.3 million ZEVs on the roads of the signatory states by 2025, which has been achieved. In Oregon, for example, there are now over 100,000 EVs registered in the state, compared to just 300 in 2013. During this time of considerable uncertainty at the federal level, it’s encouraging to see states still prioritizing the adoption of clean transportation technologies for the benefit of their communities.

Companies like Moment Energy, Connected Energy, and Zenob? are building successful business models around repurposing truck batteries for grid storage, renewable energy, and other applications. Learn how this translates to more affordable financing terms for fleets—plus energy resilience and reduced battery imports—in a Q&A with CALSTART’s EV Industry Assessment Specialist Kabir Nadkarni.  

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