Charging Infrastructure and Network Expansion

• Walmart marks its 100th EV charging site, framing the milestone around simple, affordable, convenient charging rather than technology
• Sheetz adds high speed Electrify America DC fast chargers across several states, blurring the line between fuel retailer and charging operator
• Tesla's charging history shows interoperability, not proprietary lock in, is what drove market wide standardization
• Home chargers are frequently oversized relative to actual overnight charging needs
• Norwegian charge point operators consolidate through mergers and acquisitions as scale becomes a competitive requirement
• Cable theft, from a Spanish mall to repeat targeted sites, pushes operators toward dedicated theft prevention technology

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Charging Economics and Market Competition

• Public fast charging hubs carry capital and operating costs most new entrants underestimate
• European charger buyers rank reliability, service and cable management above lowest price, signaling a shift from acquisition to retention
• High costs, not immature technology, remain the primary barrier to industrial electrification in Europe
• Hidden cost factors make public charging substantially pricier than home charging
• Aggressive pricing from newer entrants signals a genuine DC fast charging price war
• J.D. Power's latest satisfaction rankings show meaningful movement among major fast charging networks, making service quality a tracked differentiator

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Battery Health and Longevity

• A 2007 Prius hybrid battery lasts 172,000 kilometers before failing, with a $2,500 replacement quote covered partly by a manufacturer core rebate, showing end of life batteries retain real economic value
• Battery ageing can alter safety behavior even at consistent health metrics, meaning state of health alone is not a complete safety indicator
• BYD's flash charging test over 30,000 kilometers shows only minimal capacity loss
• A large UK study directly challenges widely held myths about rapid EV battery degradation
• A large European study similarly finds EV batteries retain most of their capacity over time
• Independent testing links notable capacity loss specifically to heat exposure, pointing to thermal management as the variable to watch

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Vehicle to Grid and Bidirectional Charging

• The AC versus DC bidirectional charging debate resolves around hardware and software compatibility rather than regulation
• An Australian vehicle to grid trial demonstrates real world EV battery support for grid demand
• PG&E expands its vehicle to everything program with more EV and charger options
• A new partnership brings bidirectional AC charging infrastructure to European parking decks
• A Massachusetts pilot pays households directly for letting EV batteries support grid demand, an early sign of a real V2G revenue model
• A Dutch study finds cost savings, not driving range, drive consumer interest in V2G adoption

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Heavy Duty, Freight and Fleet Electrification

• Reliable megawatt charging for heavy duty freight requires far more real world testing than passenger charging did
• Electric truck charging shifts toward service focus and specialization as a defining mid 2026 trend
• Economic viability, not charger choice, determines success in electric truck operations
• WattEV opens a new truck charging depot in Fresno built on PG&E's grid capacity program
• Tesla files for approval to build truck charging stations at Norwegian rest areas
• Einride commits to 500 electric Tesla Semis for major freight routes
• Port electrification moves from isolated pilots toward standardized, network wide investment

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Battery Manufacturing and Global Market Dynamics

• Ten leading companies dominate global EV battery manufacturing amid rapid market growth, with two Chinese companies alone holding the largest share
• Former EV battery factories increasingly pivot toward grid scale energy storage production
• Cummins will supply battery storage systems for a major US data center project, diversifying battery manufacturers beyond vehicles
• An Indian battery swapping infrastructure startup closes a funding round alongside an acquisition
• Chinese EV charging and battery swapping milestones continue to outpace slower US progress
• Chinese automakers push EV charging voltage and power toward the megawatt frontier
• Emerging markets may adopt EV charging technology faster than their power grids can support

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Thanks to Brandt Hastings, Craig Hinton, Jan Tore Gjøby, David Streitfeld, Stian Mathisen, Maksym Riznychenko, Mark Stubbs, Rachel Lai, Alexander Batrov, Lucy Shaw, Mack Hogan, Loren McDonald, Sally Bamber, Neza Lupsina, Pedro Pacheco, Andrew Nicholson, Richard Burger, Branden Flasch, Manfred Przybilla, Danny Thai, Sean Ness, Kristoffer Repstad, Ari Matusiak, Gonçalo Homem de Almeida Rodriguez Correia, Marie Hattar, Maren Rehnelt, Christian Gehring, Jason Glickman, Jaan Juurikas, Rikard Steiber, Jesse Makkonen, Munir Khan, Abby Hopper, Riyazahmad Kazi, Gyan Vardhan, Peter Kelly-Detwiler, Dr. Wilhelm Graupner and James Tillman for contributing insights to this edition.

Find the full list of entries and voices here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/best-linkedin-cw-34-35-charging-battery-technology-thomas-allgeyer-4aj1f/?trackingId=qkOSq5ocTgSpz5YMGupDOg%3D%3D