Qoolers has introduced BTMS CORE, a tube-based liquid heat exchanger for battery modules that the company says can reduce cooling-system weight by more than 70% compared with conventional aluminum designs while maintaining tighter thermal control.
The Czech company says BTMS CORE is designed to keep cells in the 20 °C to 40 °C operating window through direct tube contact, supporting both cooling and heating. According to Qoolers, the architecture improves thermal uniformity across the module, helping avoid hotspots that can accelerate degradation and undermine fast charging performance.
Qoolers claims BTMS CORE delivers heat transfer that is 3.4 times faster than conventional systems and improves efficiency by 29%. The company is also says the system is more than 90% recyclable, and its modular tube-based architecture is intended to simplify integration into series or parallel battery module layouts.
Qoolers is targeting EVs, energy storage, robotics and other high-power applications—basically any battery pack where thermal performance matters, but pack mass and packaging also matter. In battery systems, lighter cooling hardware can be an underrated win: every kilogram not spent on thermal management is a kilogram that can go to cells, payload or range.
The UK Battery Industrialisation Centre has opened a new Flexible Pilot Line in Coventry aimed at helping UK battery startups and SMEs move promising technologies out of the lab and prove they can scale at lower cost and lower risk.
According to the Department for Business and Trade, the new line is the only facility of its kind in Europe and is intended to fill a gap between laboratory development and full commercial production. UKBIC says the facility gives smaller companies a way to validate new chemistries and materials at a meaningful scale before moving to its Industrial Scale Line for commercialization.
The first two companies set to use the line are Echion and Ilika, both working on next-generation battery technologies. Ilika will use the facility in collaboration with Jaguar Land Rover and Oxford University. The government says the line will support battery development not only for EVs, but also for defense and maritime applications.
The facility was backed by £38 million in government funding through the Faraday Battery Challenge. “The FPL further strengthens our offering to industry, giving start-ups and SMEs a great opportunity to bring their innovative chemistries and materials to us to prove at scale before moving onto our ISL for full commercialisation,” said UKBIC Managing Director Sean Gilgunn.
Over just a year, Ionna—the high-speed charging network backed by 8 automakers—has opened 100 sites that are reliable and pleasant. And it has 340 more in process.
Two years after the Ionna EV fast-charging network was announced, and 13 months after it officially opened its first handful of sites, it switched on its 100th site today—with another 340 already contracted and in process. Today it has just under 1,000 live charging bays, with 3,700 more in process.
To mark that occasion, Ionna also launched new benefits that will roll out to drivers of EVs sold by the eight automakers that funded the network. Those makers are BMW, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis, and Toyota.
The first such benefit appeared two weeks ago for drivers of General Motors EVs: a 10-percent discount on all Ionna charging sessions initiated via either Plug & Charge or the appropriate app from Chevy, GMC, or Cadillac. Another founding maker will launch its own discount in March, said Ionna CEO Seth Cutler. That will be followed by a third maker in April, with the rest rolling out over the balance of the year.
Coming up: loyalty programs
Speaking with Charged, Cutler laid out a further range of options its automaker backers can choose to provide to their EV buyers. They include charging credits for new buyers, maker-specific subscription programs, prepaid discount charging cards, and loyalty rewards for frequent use. Makers can mix and match benefits depending on which they feel best suit the needs of those customers.
While many other EV charging networks stress membership for users and offer different price tiers to members, those programs are usually limited to discounts on charging within that network. Automaker loyalty programs span a much wider range of products and services, from parts and maintenance at dealerships to discounts on vehicle purchases or leases, merchandise, and more.
Once Ionna’s eight makers have these features launched and available, Cutler said, Ionna can then assess whether its site partners—including convenience stores like Caseys, Sheetz, and Wawa—want to integrate EV charging into their own loyalty and rewards programs. Those programs can be powerful, with estimates of 40 to 60 percent of “C-Store” customers belonging to the programs, though adoption and results vary greatly,
Meanwhile, what would Cutler say to drivers of EVs from Audi, Ford, Lucid, Nissan, Rivian, Tesla, and Volkswagen—the makers who are not financial backers of Ionna? “Come and charge with us!” he responded, noting that the Plug & Charge protocol works for cars from several makers that are not its founding partners.
Reliable, pleasant experience
With a staff drawn from a variety of other charging networks and EV makers, Ionna’s goal from the start was to “right the wrongs of the past” and create an EV charging experience that was better than any competitor’s—because its automaker backers knew that was table stakes for success in selling EVs in the long term.
By and large, Ionna stations have garnered rave reviews (for instance, here and here). And anecdotally, this reporter has heard no notable complaints from EV drivers about failed charging sessions or unpleasant experiences at Ionna sites. Of course, part of that may be lack of awareness: The Ionna network is only a year old, and Cutler admits, “We don’t do a lot in marketing right now, because I’m more worried about delivering the best quality I can.”
That includes keeping stocks of spare parts around the country and, he said, occasionally putting parts in a suitcase and putting an employee on a plane to get to the site of a station to fix a problem as quickly as possible. Still, Cutler admits Ionna has been learning as it goes.
Customer complaints have included overflowing trash cans—“We’ve had a whole team focus on how to do better at trash”—and it’s had to understand local circumstances along the way. “Hey, guess what, you can’t use water-based Squeegee fluid in the middle of winter! In Minnesota, you have to use an alcohol blend, because otherwise it freezes.” Left unsaid is that most of Ionna’s competitors don’t offer squeegees, or windshield washer fluid, or air pumps, in the first place.
Canopies, another major user preference, are now in place at roughly one-third of Ionna sites, Cutler said. They generally require additional layers of permission from C-store operators, their landlords, and often local zoning authorities, whereas Ionna’s bias has been to get reliable stations up and running as fast as possible. Most of its competitors have few to zero canopies over their charging stations.
Shoutouts to utilities
In the release announcing its second anniversary and new benefits, it’s notable that Ionna lauded its electric-utility partnerships. To get its 100 locations to date up and running, it named nine utilities as “MVPs” for powering up multiple Ionna sites, some of them in multiple states. It listed a further 35 utilities that have energized single Ionna sites. With utilities often the unspoken and unmentioned partner in EV charging network publicity, it’s a move that’s both smart and gracious.
Today, Ionna’s sites are largely located in the “smile zone” along the West Coast, across the southern and central states below Interstate-80, and then up much of the East Coast. Notably Michigan and New York still lack sites, among several other larger states.
A full map of Ionna sites shows the states still lacking Rechargeries, as the company calls its sites. With 100 sites live but more than 300 to come, it’s reasonable to expect considerably more diverse locations within the year, certainly two years. Cutler told Charged the company is on track to achieve its goal of 30,000 EV charging bays by the end of 2030.
For further details of the different programs for EV drivers from each of Ionna’s backers, see:
ACT Expo has announced its 2026 speaker roster, bringing nearly 400 fleet operators, vehicle engineers and technology leaders to Las Vegas, May 4–7, to explore the electric powertrain, autonomy and advanced vehicle systems transforming commercial transportation.
AI, autonomy, advanced safety systems and alternative powertrains, as well as speakers sharing deployment experience and investment insights, will all be part of a comprehensive program of keynote talks and sessions.
“Fleet leaders are trying to make long-term technology and infrastructure decisions amidst an absolute tsunami of new technology options that includes not only a range of advanced powertrains, but now a rapidly expanding suite of digital and AI-powered technologies,” said
Erik Neandross, president of TRC’s Clean Transportation Solutions group, the producers of ACT Expo.
Held at the Las Vegas Convention Center, ACT Expo’s program is designed to mirror the decisions fleets are actively making right now, with speakers sharing on-the-ground experiences as well as investment insights.
For the first time the show will also offer a continuing education program in partnership with NAFA Fleet Management Association and Green Business Certification Inc., with more than 25 conference sessions and 10 workshops approved for continuing education credit.
Speakers include leaders advancing the next generation of electric, autonomous and commercial vehicle platforms: RJ Scaringe (Founder & CEO, Rivian), Raquel Urtasun (Founder & CEO, Waabi), Don Burnette (Founder & CEO, Kodiak), Ossa Fisher (President, Aurora), Dan Priestley (Director of Semi-Truck Engineering, Tesla), Joanna Buttler (GM of Product Strategy, Daimler Truck North America), John Harris (Co-founder & CEO, Harbinger), Michael Halbherr (CEO, ABB E-Mobility), Doug Gould (Operations Infrastructure & Strategic Partnerships, Zoox), and Mustafa Samiwala (Fleet Development, Amazon).
Registration for ACT Expo 2026 is now open.
Register using code 26AE-CEVM50 to receive an exclusive discount: ACT Expo – More Information & Registration
Integrating InductEV’s assets and intellectual property enables Electreon to offer a comprehensive wireless EV charging portfolio spanning passenger vehicles, light delivery vans and heavy-duty Class 8 trucks.
The combined company will offer operators a suite of charging solutions for different charging use cases including in-road dynamic charging while driving, top-up charging during planned stops along routes, and overnight charging in depots and parking facilities.
A hands-free charger provides increased safety for drivers in all weather conditions, eliminating the need to handle cables and connectors. Proper route design can help to reduce range anxiety even with smaller and less expensive batteries, which increase payload capacity and reduce vehicle purchase prices.
The platform supports diverse fleets from transit buses to freight trucks, and uses specialized in-ground technology for every use case. Integrated Flow software optimizes energy delivery to avoid peak demand charges and costly utility upgrades.
The integrated product suite includes LINE, a dynamic solution that charges vehicles at high speeds on highways and urban corridors and DASH, a semi-dynamic option that provides high-power burst charging at stop-and-go locations like taxi queues, bus stops and traffic lights. For stationary charging, DOT delivers automatic, hands-free charging for parked vehicles in depots and logistics hubs, while Ultra DOT supports specialized high-power, hands-free charging for heavy-duty transit and freight, powered by InductEV technology.
The combination of Electreon and InductEV also brings together nearly 400 granted and pending patents. It also balances Electreon’s offshore manufacturing efficiencies with InductEV’s Build America Buy America (BABA) compliant offerings. This ensures North American transit agencies and federal contractors can access wireless technology while remaining eligible for government funding and incentives.
“By combining our proven dynamic wireless product with InductEV’s leadership in ultra-fast stationary charging, we offer powerful synergies in manufacturing and technology, helping fleets go electric without compromising their operations,” said Oren Ezer, CEO and co-founder of Electreon.
Drive System Design says it has cut electric motor optimization testing time by more than 75% with a new automated eMotor and Inverter Optimization Test Programme aimed at speeding electric propulsion development across automotive, aerospace, marine, defense and off-highway applications.
The company’s platform tackles one of the most time-consuming parts of e-powertrain development: motor optimization mapping, which typically requires heavy engineer supervision and long dyno campaigns. DSD’s new system uses a proprietary MATLAB/Simulink-based automation routine to run four-quadrant Max Torque Per Amp optimization loops and can execute roughly 20,000 test points in under 48 hours.
According to DSD, the setup is designed for continuous unmanned operation and automatically manages thermal conditions while maximizing dyno utilization. The company says that not only shortens testing time, but also produces more repeatable datasets for model correlation and digital twin development. In customer programs, DSD says the approach has reduced optimization testing time by more than 75% compared with typical OEM best-practice processes.
DSD is also adding rig and fixture techniques to replicate real-world wheel or propeller loads earlier in the development cycle, allowing engineers to validate mechanical behavior and durability before integration into vehicles or aircraft. “By combining high-performance test rigs, automation and repeatable engineering methods, we’re helping customers generate the data and confidence they need earlier in the programme,” said Rob Smith, Head of Development & Test.
In the Internet Age, consumers have gotten used to buying products directly from their makers, and many see the traditional arrangement by which automakers can sell their wares only through independent dealerships as a vestige of a previous century.
“Not so!” say dealers. “We provide essential product information and after-sales service.” But EVs require less service than legacy vehicles, and most (not all) dealers have done a poor job of educating car buyers about EVs. Dealer groups have also actively lobbied against pro-EV policies.
Newer EV-only brands (Tesla, Rivian) have been selling directly to consumers since their beginnings, and have fought lengthy legal battles to win the right to do so. Legacy OEMs might like to have a go at selling direct too, but this is more or less prohibited by law in every US state.
Now, two Volkswagen dealerships (Sunrise Imports LLC of Long Island, New York and Curran Volkswagen Inc. of Stratford, Connecticut) have lodged a class-action lawsuit against VW, accusing the automaker of attempting to skirt its legal obligations under the Volkswagen Dealer Agreement by selling Scouts directly to consumers.
The lawsuit, which was filed March 3, 2026, in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, states: “To avoid these obligations, VW formed separate companies (defendants Scout Motors, Inc. and Scout Motor Sales LLC) to effectively act as shell corporations for distribution.”
According to the lawsuit, Volkswagen sought to shirk its legal responsibilities “based on the fiction that Scout is separate from Volkswagen,” despite Scout CEO Scott Keogh’s statement in a recent podcast that “100% Scout Motors is part of the Volkswagen Group.”
Law firm Hagens Berman has brought successful litigation against Volkswagen on behalf of dealership owners in the past. “We believe Volkswagen was fully aware of its legal responsibilities to dealership owners when it chose to sell Scout vehicles directly to consumers online,” said Managing Partner Steve W. Berman. “It appears that VW has violated its own contract with its dealerships…and we intend to uphold the contractual rights of these small businesses.”
Scout’s web site offers pre-production reservations for $100 a pop. According to the lawsuit, over 150,000 individuals have already paid for reservations.
“VW dealerships are accordingly being deprived of their right and ability to sell these cutting-edge vehicles,” the lawsuit states. “Not only are the dealers losing their opportunity to collect $100 from every purchaser and make a profit from the vehicle’s sale, they are also injured by lost opportunities to finance, service and repair the vehicles, and to cross-sale [sic] these and other VW vehicles.”
Of course, one of the reasons plug-in vehicle brands don’t want to sell through dealerships is that they don’t believe dealers really do want to sell cutting-edge vehicles (but may be happy to “cross-sell” gas vehicles to customers who come in looking for EVs).
Whichever way the court decides this case, it won’t be the last battle in this long war.
