ChargePoint and Mercedes-Benz partner to offer fleet charging solutions

EV charging giant ChargePoint has partnered with Mercedes-Benz to offer a new fleet charging service. The partnership provides Mercedes-Benz business customers with “a fully integrated charging solution, from initial site planning through to installation, operation and ongoing service.”

The new service covers charging for drivers of company cars, including passenger cars as well as light- and medium-duty vans. The companies are now rolling the offering out in the UK and Germany, and plan to expand it to other markets later this year.

Mercedes-Benz fleet customers will have access to ChargePoint’s AC and DC charging hardware, smart energy management and fleet charging software, as well as the company’s expert team for site assessment, infrastructure planning, professional installation and ongoing support.

“As part of our long-standing relationship with Mercedes-Benz, we have been providing the company with a range of charging solutions,” says Rick Wilmer, CEO of ChargePoint. “We are now taking our partnership to a new level, delivering a seamless, comprehensive experience that helps business customers lower the total cost of ownership with charging infrastructure that meets operational requirements.”

“Our business customers expect solutions that extend beyond the vehicle itself,” says Nico Dettmer, Global Head of Mercedes-Benz Charging Solutions. “With our new workplace charging offering, we are closing a key gap in the charging ecosystem for fleet customers, complementing both home and public charging.”

Source: ChargePoint

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Kite Magnetics secures A$2-million grant to scale Aeroperm motor core material

Melbourne-based advanced materials company Kite Magnetics has secured an A$2-million grant (about US$1.4 million) through the Australian Government’s Industry Growth Program, funding an A$4.1-million project to commercialize its Aeroperm stator core material.

The money will go toward scaling the company’s pilot manufacturing line in Victoria, generating automotive-grade validation data and delivering prototypes to customers. Kite Magnetics expects the work to move Aeroperm from Technology Readiness Level 4 to Level 6.

Aeroperm is a nanocrystalline soft magnetic material intended to replace conventional electrical steel in electric motor stator cores. The company rates its stator core losses at up to 97% below electrical steel under specified operating conditions, and says the substitution neither requires a full motor redesign nor compromises motor torque.

“Electric motors are one of the most important technologies in the electrification economy. Electric motor-driven systems account for around half of global electricity consumption, but the materials inside our motors have not fundamentally improved in decades,” said Kite Magnetics founder and CEO Richard Parsons. “This support from the Australian government helps us bridge a critical commercialization gap,” he said. “It allows us to turn breakthrough material performance into a scalable and repeatable manufacturing process.”

Energy lost in a stator core becomes heat, and that heat raises cooling requirements and forces compromises across the battery, inverter, motor and thermal management system. Kite Magnetics estimates the resulting battery and system savings at up to about A$1,140 per vehicle, equivalent to up to about A$1.14 billion per million vehicles produced, depending on the vehicle platform and motor design.

The company is delivering samples and paid prototypes to more than 20 organizations, including OEMs, Tier 1 and 2 suppliers and electric mobility partners.

Kite Magnetics is also preparing an A$22-million Series A funding round to scale manufacturing and complete customer qualification.

“Most EV range increases are fought for at the battery pack, software or power electronics level. We are attacking a more fundamental source of loss: the magnetic material inside the motor,” said Parsons.

Source: Kite Magnetics

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Integrals Power to supply cathode material for UK project to develop LMFP battery technology

UK battery materials company Integrals Power has been chosen as the cathode active material supplier for a £2-million UK government-funded project to develop lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP) battery technology for defense and electric vehicle applications. The 30-month program is led by battery supplier Denchi Group and funded through the Battery Innovation Programme.

Integrals Power will produce hundreds of kilos of its manganese-rich LMFP cathode material at its multi-tonne facility in Milton Keynes. The material will go into pouch and cylindrical cells, the latter in 21700 and 4695 formats, manufactured on the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre’s new Flexible Pilot Line in Coventry. Denchi will then assemble the cells into battery packs at its Thurso, Scotland plant, including its BB-2590 design, a rugged, waterproof pack built for military communications equipment, sensors and drones. Initial validation trials will replace the nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) cells in BB-2590 packs with the new LMFP cells.

Integrals Power’s LMFP has a manganese content of 80%, which the company says delivers up to 20% greater energy density than conventional lithium iron phosphate (LFP).

“By eliminating reliance on critical minerals such as cobalt and nickel while delivering higher energy density than LFP, LMFP is well suited to the evolving requirements of both defence and automotive applications,” said Behnam Hormozi, Integrals Power’s founder and CEO.

China currently dominates global LFP supply. The International Energy Agency estimates that a halt in battery supply chain exports from China would cost EV plants outside the country about $17 billion a month in lost output. This program uses an end-to-end battery supply chain based in the UK and Europe, and Integrals Power regards it as a demonstrator for the sovereign capability needed for defense applications within NATO.

“With more than 20 years’ experience supplying the military with British designed and built battery systems, we have a very clear understanding of what the defence sector needs as electrification becomes a core element of future strategy,” said Andrew Cowie, CEO of Denchi Group. “We look forward to building the first LMFP battery packs and getting them out into the field for validation trials.”

Source: Integrals Power

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i-charging secures Intertek ETL certification for its i-light 1.5 MW charger, clearing the way for North American deployments

i-charging, an EV charging company with headquarters in Atlanta and Portugal, has achieved Intertek ETL certification for its i-light charger, a key milestone in validating the equipment’s safety and compliance for the US and Canadian markets.

ETL certification, issued by Intertek and recognized by US and Canadian certification authorities as demonstrating compliance with the electrical safety standards required for high-power DC charging equipment (UL 2202 and UL 2231 and CSA C22.2#346), confirms that i-light meets the technical requirements to operate safely in commercial and industrial charging environments.

i-light is i-charging’s solution for medium and heavy-duty EVs. It delivers up to 1.5 MW per output using MCS (Megawatt Charging System) or up to 800 kW using CCS. It features a 10-inch touchscreen for the user interface and an available 37-inch transparent display designed to be visible from the driver’s seat.

ETL certification, issued by Intertek, verifies that electrical equipment meets applicable US and Canadian safety standards and can be legally installed and operated in these countries. For charging infrastructure operators, it removes a key barrier to deployment, confirming that the equipment has been independently tested for electrical safety before it reaches the field. This follows a series of certifications already secured across i-charging’s product range.

“ETL certification is a decisive step in bringing i-light to North America,” said Jeff Cohen, CEO of i-charging USA. “Fleet operators demand charging infrastructure that meets the mission-critical duty cycles of the medium- and heavy-duty EVs on the road today, and is ready for MCS as the standard matures. This certification confirms that i-light meets all the safety requirements to support CCS and MCS charging.”

Source: i-charging

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Kempower’s new leasing model enables UK operators to install EV chargers with low upfront costs

DC fast charging manufacturer Kempower has deployed eight new DC fast charging points at a service station in Astwick, in the UK.

What’s newsworthy about this, you ask? Kempower is one of the top-selling DC fast charger brands, and operators are regularly rolling out its hardware around the world.

What’s notable about this particular deployment is the financing behind it. Kempower’s first UK leasing-enabled EV charging project was funded through a flexible finance agreement provided by leasing partner DLL. Kempower and DLL partnered in 2024 in order to help lower the upfront costs of EV charging infrastructure for operators.

The financing model covers not only the hardware, but also regular maintenance services from Kempower. Hardware procurement, installation and long-term servicing for the project are provided by Kempower’s infrastructure partner, Yunex Traffic.

The Astwick site, located on the A1 near Hitchin in Hertfordshire, features four Kempower Double Satellites, providing eight CCS2 connection points. The Satellite chargers are connected to two Kempower Power Units, which enable each charger to supply up to 400 kW to connected EVs.

“Responses to our new chargers have been overwhelmingly positive. Financing the project through Kempower with DLL was a huge enabler,” said Shilan Raja, Director of Highway Stops Retail Limited (HSRL), the operator of the charging site.

“This flexible funding model opens the door for customers like HSRL who are in the early stages of expanding their EV charging services,” said Rolle Nieminen, Kempower’s Head of Sales for the UK & Ireland. “The agreement we have with DLL helps remove the financial risk for operators, making the decision to commit to EV charging easier than ever.”

“We partnered with Kempower because we wanted to enable its customers to be successful without the significant initial capex. In today’s world, where the initial cost of hardware is high, our financing solutions can make the deployment of EV chargers easier and more affordable,” said Mark McLoughlin, Energy Transition Country Commercial Manager for UK & Ireland at DLL.

Source: Kempower

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Paua and Easee partner to enable automated home EV charging reimbursement for fleets

Paua, a UK-based EV charging payment platform for fleets, has partnered with smart EV charging innovator Easee to simplify and improve how businesses reimburse drivers for home charging.

“For fleet managers navigating the transition to electric, home charging reimbursement remains one of the most complex and poorly solved challenges,” says Paua. “Many organisations rely on [the UK tax authority’s] Advisory Electric Rate (AER), which often fails to reflect the true cost of charging at home.”

By combining Easee’s charger data with Paua’s reimbursement platform, fleets can base reimbursement on actual energy usage and electricity tariffs rather than manual expense claims and estimated rates. Easee’s connected chargers provide the data foundation, and Paua Reimburse acts as a reimbursement and approval layer designed specifically for EV charging payment.

“For fleet drivers, home is where most EV charging happens; and until now, getting reimbursed fairly for it has been anything but straightforward,” said Steve Frost, Head of Automotive at Easee. “By combining Easee’s connected charger data with Paua’s reimbursement platform, we’re removing that friction entirely.”

“Home charging is where reimbursement breaks down,” said Niall Riddell, CEO and co-founder of Paua. “Drivers are left out of pocket, and fleet teams are left managing spreadsheets and guesswork. This partnership with Easee changes that. Together, we’re enabling a model where reimbursement is automatic, accurate and fair.”

Source: Paua

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Skyfly opens its electric aircraft propulsion system to other OEMs

Skyfly Technologies is making the electric propulsion system it built for its own aircraft available to other aircraft manufacturers through the secondary market, and has unveiled a separate hybrid propulsion system for unmanned aircraft that use distributed electric propulsion. The electric system is the one powering the company’s production-spec Axe, a two-seat aircraft that can take off vertically.

The Integrated Motor Inverter is the one piece available for OEM evaluation and integration. The combined motor and inverter unit was co-developed with German engineering firm SciMo, and Skyfly describes it as a direct swap for a 100 hp Rotax engine that supports a range of aircraft configurations. The company positions the swap as a way for an OEM to electrify an existing airframe rather than design a new installation around an unfamiliar powerplant.

A Power Distribution Unit and an 800 V class battery system complete the electric propulsion package. Skyfly built the distribution unit for its own architecture and light sport aircraft (LSA) safety requirements, and developed the battery system in-house. Both are in active development, and full specifications will follow ahead of availability, according to the company.

Skyfly says the propulsion technology is engineered to meet FAA LSA requirements, and that it holds a seat on the rule-making committee for the agency’s Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification (MOSAIC) rule. MOSAIC rewrites the light sport category, and its aircraft certification provisions took effect on July 24, 2026.

The Hybrid Propulsion System pairs a turbine generator with electric propulsion for unmanned platforms rather than the LSA segment. Skyfly puts the range at up to 400-plus miles and says the system can charge in flight, recharge on the ground when off-grid and run on JP-8, the US military’s standard jet fuel. It is in active development.

“Opening that technology to the wider OEM community means other manufacturers no longer have to build this capability from scratch,” said Michael Thompson, CEO of Skyfly Technologies. “Our Hybrid Propulsion System addresses a very different need, giving unmanned platforms using distributed electric propulsion the range and endurance that pure battery-electric systems can’t yet match.”

Source: Skyfly Technologies

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