Webinar: Why axial flux motors are powering the hybrid shift

This transformation is occurring globally, and axial flux technology is the answer.

Across on-highway, off-highway, marine, and industrial equipment sectors, the path to decarbonization is rarely linear. Real-world duty cycles, infrastructure limitations, cost pressures, and regulatory diversity mean that a single powertrain solution cannot meet every operational need. Hybrid systems have emerged not as an interim compromise but as a durable and scalable architecture for the future of mobility and work machines.

Join this webinar where experts from Turntide Technologies discuss the hybrid transformation and how axial flux motors are the X-factor for smart and efficient systems.

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May 19, 2026 11:00 AM ET

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In Costa Rica, Chinese EVs are squeezing out US and European brands

As US and European automakers struggle to stall the EV transition, the countries described by the automotive media as “Rest of World” are increasingly choosing Chinese EVs. Electric vehicle sales in Latin America, Africa and much of Asia grew by 48 percent in 2025, according to Benchmark Mineral Intelligence.

The latest country to hit the headlines for its growing EV parc is Costa Rica. The New York Times reports that EVs accounted for 18 percent of new car sales in Costa Rica during Q1 2026, a market-share figure that’s second only to Uruguay in Latin America, and three times the number in the US.

In Costa Rica and other developing-world EV hot spots, electrification is not the politically divisive issue that it is in the US. Costa Rica’s president, Rodrigo Chaves, generally described as a right-wing populist, refused to ratify the 2018 Escazú environmental treaty, and has encouraged the expansion of his mining and oil drilling. However, he is expected to sign pending legislation to encourage the construction of EV charging stations.

Costa Rica, which is famous for its ecotourism industry, began encouraging adoption of EVs in 2018 by exempting them from taxes and fees. However, a recent poll by EV advocacy group Asomove found that 70 percent of respondents were driving electric to save money, not the environment.

Costa Rican car buyers can choose from a huge selection of Chinese brands, including BYD, Geely, MG and dozens of others. At least three electric models are available for less than $20,000. Imported Chinese cars (including EVs, hybrids and fossil-burners) account for more than a third of the Costa Rican car market, according to car dealership chain Grupo Purdy. Toyota remains the most popular brand, but its market share is sliding. Teslas are scarcely to be seen.

Charger compatibility issues are emerging as a roadblock. Some Chinese EVs are shipped with Chinese-standard connectors that require adapters to work with the CCS chargers used in the US and Europe. One EV driver told the Times that he was happy to see multiple public EV chargers along a busy route that connects San José to the Pacific coast, but puzzled that the plugs were designed for European models that few Costa Ricans buy.

It’s not only passenger cars that are electrifying. Costa Rican grocery chain Auto Mercado told the Times that it has cut the cost of making deliveries by 5 to 10 percent since switching to electric vans from BYD and Maxus, a division of Chinese automaker SAIC.

Biusa, a private bus company, is replacing its entire 60-bus fleet with battery-powered models made by King Long, a Chinese brand. The electric models cost $50,000 more than legacy diesels, but the company expects to quickly recoup the difference in fuel and maintenance savings. A Biusa executive told the Times that ridership has increased because passengers like the quiet ride and superior air-conditioning.

Source: New York Times
Image: TECHNOLOGY FACTORY – stock.adobe.com

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Fluke’s FEV500 acts as a virtual EV to test DC fast chargers, replacing three separate instruments

One in five DC fast charging stations in the US isn’t operational, according to a Harvard Business School study that Fluke cites as the impetus for its new product. The FEV500 is an all-in-one testing tool for Level 3 DC fast charging stations that simulates the role of an electric vehicle—letting technicians run comprehensive safety, communication, and interoperability checks without bringing an actual EV to site.

That last part is the crux of why DC fast charger testing is more complicated than testing AC equipment. Level 3 stations don’t just push current—they negotiate a full digital handshake with the vehicle before a session begins. The FEV500 supports ISO 15118 and DIN SPEC 70121, the two main international standards governing EV-to-EVSE communication, so it can validate the protocol stack, not just basic electrical parameters. It also consolidates what would otherwise require three separate instruments: a digital multimeter, an insulation tester, and an oscilloscope.

The tool works through a single connection point with no disassembly required. It delivers PASS/FAIL results via guided workflows designed for field technicians without advanced training—auto-test sequences reduce manual input and test data logs directly to the device. Fluke says it can cover commissioning, maintenance, and troubleshooting from the same interface.

The chassis is built for field use: a rugged wheeled design for moving between depots and sites, plus a removable battery for air travel.

“Fast DC charging is the backbone of the EV transition, but the truth is, reliability is still the industry’s weakest link,” said Theo Brillhart, Technology Director at Fluke. “We built the FEV500 to close that gap.”

The FEV500 is available now.

Source: Fluke Corporation

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Investors start to question Daimler Truck’s anti-EV stance

As regular Charged readers know, most of the legacy auto and truck OEMs follow a dualistic approach when it comes to EVs. When speaking to pro-EV media outlets, they tout their newest electric models, and wax poetic about sustainability. Away from the headlines, they lobby, litigate and maneuver to slow down the EV transition.

At Daimler Truck’s recent annual general meeting, a group of activist investors challenged this strategy. The Association of Ethical Shareholders Germany presented a countermotion that raised concerns that the company’s lobbying against climate regulations “jeopardizes progress in Daimler’s most important market [the US] and threatens global electrification efforts and the competitiveness of the enterprise.”

At the meeting, the gadflies highlighted the recent start of Tesla Semi mass production in the US and the advent of Chinese EV manufacturers in Europe. Daimler execs gave evasive or non sequitur answers. “We do not currently see Tesla as a relevant competitor in the European electric truck market,” said one. (But what about the US market?) Another said, “If the customer does not want it, then one must accept that there are only limited options.” (But regulations like the Endangerment Finding, which Daimler and other OEMs are helping to dismantle, are intended to create customer demand.)

The activist investors aren’t talking climate change, they’re talking dollars and cents: Daimler Truck’s 2025 financial results show a 34% plummet in profit compared to the previous year, and a 26% slide in sales in North America. Daimler controls over 38% of the US diesel truck market—the biggest share of any manufacturer—but just 18.9% of the electric truck market. 

The Tesla Semi, which recently began volume production in the US, is already stealing customers from Daimler. In the latest round of applications for California’s vouchers for Class 8 tractors, covering January 2025-February 2026, the Tesla Semi received 90% of the applications (965 of 1,067), while Daimler, PACCAR (Peterbilt and Kenworth) and Volvo combined received fewer than 100 applications. This represents a turnaround from 2024, when 61% of the funding went to buy trucks from legacy manufacturers such as Daimler.

Investors questioned Daimler about its “aggressive steps to slow down or reverse regulatory controls in the US to accelerate the transition to cleaner trucks.”

These include:

• Suing California to block to block the state from enforcing truck emissions standards.
• Intervening on the side of the Trump administration against a lawsuit aiming to protect the EPA’s Endangerment Finding, a policy that underpins US air pollution law. 
• Publicly supporting the repeal of the Endangerment Finding. 
• Lobbying the EU to weaken rules on CO₂ emissions, which the EU member states  recently signed off on. 

In 2025, Daimler Truck CEO Karin Radstrom said, “We are the heavy-duty diesel champ!” and unveiled a new strategy that pivots away from electric trucks.

Unsurprisingly, environmental groups have made some scathing comments about Daimler’s anti-EV strategy. (To be fair, such remarks could apply to a greater or lesser extent to just about any of the US, European or Japanese OEMs.)

“It is a masterpiece of strategic incoherence to pledge carbon neutrality in a press release while your lawyers argue in court that no climate action should be required,” said Craig Segall, a former exec at the California Air Resources Board. “While Daimler fights for diesel, its own US electric market share is slipping and competitors are already on the road winning on economics.”

“Weakening regulation while trying to scale electric trucks competitively is a contradiction. Investors are right to ask whether prioritizing short-term diesel profits over long-term success risks undermining the transition, the company’s competitiveness, and ultimately the future of its workforce,” said Merlin Jonack, Project Lead Heavy-Duty Vehicle Decarbonisation, NABU Germany.

“With Chinese OEMs entering the EU market this year, the luxury of ‘wait and see’ has expired. Daimler leads the race to electrification in Europe today, and slowing down now is not an option,” said Stef Cornelis, Fleets and Freight director at Transport & Environment. “Any weakening of transition goals would be a self-inflicted wound.”

“Daimler is acting like a dinosaur in a digital age, clinging to a legacy business model while the meteor grows ever closer,” said former Daimler Truck exec Rustam Kocher. “By starving its electric transition of necessary resources and lobbying aggressively against the regulations that incentivize adoption, the company is leaving the door wide open for Tesla and other electric entrants to seize its throne.”

“Daimler’s recent anti-climate lobbying surpasses even many of the largest global emitters, including many oil majors, in its ambition to completely stop the US government from regulating greenhouse gases,” said Leo Menninger, Analyst at InfluenceMap.

Sources: The Sunrise Project, Idle Giants

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FlixBus and Green Drive Mobility to launch electric intercity bus services in India

Green Drive Mobility, an EV mobility and logistics platform, has partnered with intercity transport provider FlixBus to launch electric intercity bus services in India.

As part of the first phase of this partnership, four electric buses will be launched on the high-demand Vijayawada-Visakhapatnam corridor, one of Andhra Pradesh’s busiest travel routes.

The Vijayawada-Vizag corridor connects two key economic and cultural hubs of Andhra Pradesh and experiences strong passenger demand throughout the year.

Green Drive Mobility plans to expand its electric intercity bus operations across additional routes in South India.

The collaboration brings together FlixBus’s global travel-technology platform and digital ticketing network with Green Drive Mobility’s electric fleet operations and mobility infrastructure. Passengers on this route will enjoy electric long-distance buses equipped with modern amenities, as well as seamless digital ticket booking through the FlixBus platform.

“Deploying EV buses on the Vijayawada-Vizag corridor allows us to provide a sustainable travel option while reducing carbon emissions and enhancing passenger comfort,” said Harikrishna, founder and CEO, Green Drive Mobility.

“India is one of the most dynamic markets for intercity travel, and we see significant potential for technology-enabled and more sustainable transport solutions,” said Surya Khurana, Managing Director, FlixBus India. “Through our partnership with Green Drive Mobility, we are bringing FlixBus’s global travel-tech platform to support electric bus operations while improving access to reliable, affordable, and more environmentally responsible travel.”

Sources: Green Drive Mobility, FlixBus India

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Germany to invest one billion euros in electric truck charging infrastructure

Germany’s Federal Ministry of Transport (BMV) has announced an investment of one billion euros over four years to build charging infrastructure for heavy commercial vehicles. The new funding is available both for fleet operators and public charging providers.

The new funding represents one of the key measures of Germany’s Master Plan for Charging Infrastructure 2030. In addition to the charging infrastructure itself, funding is also available for the necessary grid connections, battery storage and charging load management systems.

“Heavy road freight transport is essential for Germany’s economy, [but] it faces the challenge of becoming climate-friendly,” said Federal Minister of Transport Patrick Schnieder. “With our billion-euro funding program, we are creating the conditions for a rapid expansion of charging infrastructure and facilitating the transition to battery-electric commercial vehicles for freight forwarding and logistics companies. We support companies that want to equip their depots with charging points, as well as investors who establish publicly accessible charging infrastructure for heavy-duty vehicles.”

In the first round, the ministry will make 200 million euros—one-fifth of the total budget— available through three separate funding calls. “Beyond 2026, we will launch further funding calls over the four-year term of the scheme, adapting them to market developments,” said the ministry. “In the competitive selection process, the key criterion will be the amount of funding per kilowatt of installed charging capacity.”

The first three funding calls:

• Non-publicly accessible charging infrastructure for small and medium-sized enterprises. This call focuses on charging points for company-owned vehicles or a restricted user group. Applications can be submitted from 5 June 2026. Approval of the flat-rate funding will be granted in the order of application receipt, with no selection process. Each charging point must have a minimum capacity of 50 kW, and every installed kilowatt will be eligible for 500 euros in net funding.
• Non-publicly accessible charging infrastructure for all enterprises. This call also targets charging points for company-owned vehicles or a restricted user group. Applications can be submitted from 26 May to 7 July 2026. Approval will follow a competitive selection process. Each charging point must have a minimum capacity of 50 kW, and every installed kilowatt will be eligible for 500 euros in net funding.
• Publicly accessible charging infrastructure: This call focuses on charging points at rest areas, charging hubs or public transshipment sites. Applications can be submitted from 26 May to 7 July 2026. Approval will follow a competitive selection process. Each charging point must have a minimum capacity of 100 kW, and every installed kilowatt will be eligible for 500 euros in net funding.

Interested parties can participate in a free online event on May 19, 2026, to learn about the funding and ask questions. The online event is organized by the National Center for Charging Infrastructure.

Source: Transport

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Chalmers’ researchers develop AI charging strategy to extend EV battery life 23% with no increase in charge time

Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology have developed a reinforcement learning-based fast charging strategy that extends lithium-ion battery life by around 23% compared to standard protocols, with charging time affected by only a few seconds.

The method addresses a real problem with current practice: fast charging degrades batteries differently depending on their age, but today’s charging systems don’t account for this. The most damaging consequence is lithium plating—metallic lithium depositing on the electrode rather than intercalating correctly into the anode structure. This reduces capacity and can, in severe cases, cause a short circuit. The risk grows as the battery ages, yet standard protocols apply the same current and voltage to a new pack and a five-year-old one alike.

The Chalmers approach trains a reinforcement learning model to adapt charge current in real time based on two inputs: instantaneous state of charge and accumulated state of health. In simulation, using a model of one of the most common EV batteries on the market, the AI-controlled strategy extended cycle life—measured as equivalent full cycles to 80% of original capacity—by roughly 23% over the industry standard.

“We show that it is possible to charge more or less as fast as today, but with significantly less long-term degradation of the battery,” said Meng Yuan, now an assistant professor at Victoria University of Wellington and co-author of the study.

Deployment wouldn’t require new hardware. The strategy could be pushed as a software update to existing battery management systems, though it needs calibration for each battery chemistry. The team says transfer learning can speed that process, letting the trained model adapt to new chemistries without retraining from scratch.

Results so far are simulation-based. Physical battery validation is the next step. The study, co-authored by Changfu Zou, professor at Chalmers’ Department of Electrical Engineering, was published in IEEE Transactions on Transportation Electrification.

Source: Chalmers University of Technology

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