Each week, our team curates a selection of news articles, expert insights, and innovations related to electric vehicles, charging infrastructure, and the broader clean energy landscape. Whether you're an EV enthusiast, an industry professional, or simply curious about the future of transportation, our Weekly Radar will provide you with a comprehensive overview of the most relevant and engaging topics. Stay connected, stay informed, and join us on this electrifying journey towards a greener future.

• PennDOT will host interactive session in Reading on EVs and charging stations. (readingeagle.com) --> PennDOT will host an interactive community conversation this week in Reading about electric vehicles and needs that community members and businesses may have for charging stations in their area. The session scheduled for Thursday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the GoggleWorks Center for the Arts, 201 Washington St., is the fifth of six interactive communication conversations being held in different regions of the state.

• EV infrastructure will soon get $80 million boost in Alabama - al.com --> City officials and gas station owners were among attendees at an application workshop in Montgomery last week, all in the hopes for a piece of $80 million in federal grant money set aside for the construction of electric vehicle charging stations. Approximately $7.5 billion was allocated in the 2021 Infrastructure bill for the construction of EV charging stations, nearly $80 million of which will be awarded to Alabama over the next five years. That money will in turn be awarded by the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs as grants to applicants, many of whom raised several questions at a workshop to determine their eligibility.

• Tesla gets $100 mln US ultra-fast charger order from BP EV charging unit | Reuters -->  BP's (BP.L) electric vehicle charger unit is ordering $100 million worth of Tesla (TSLA.O) ultra-fast chargers for rollout in the United States, the first deployment of Tesla's chargers on an independent network, the companies said on Thursday. The purchase is part of BP Pulse's plans to invest up to $1 billion in charging stations across the U.S. by 2030 and it offers EV market leader Tesla a new revenue stream.

• Pritzker joins EVBox to unveil new Illinois-made fast-charging stations - CBS Chicago (cbsnews.com) --> Gov. JB Pritzker is doubling down on electric vehicles. The governor joined electric vehicle supply company EVBox on Friday in north suburban Libertyville to celebrate the launch of their new Illinois-built modular DC fast charging station.

• Biden’s electric vehicle charging network should use open source (federaltimes.com) --> Seven years. That’s how long the U.S. has to make half of vehicle sales electric if it wants to stay on course to meet net-zero emissions by 2050.

• Starbucks powers up Nampa with EV chargers (idahobusinessreview.com)--> Starbucks Corporation and Volvo Cars have partnered to install electric vehicle (EV) chargers at the Starbucks store in Nampa, powered by ChargePoint (NYSE: CHPT). These chargers are open to the public, in line with both companies’ sustainability goals. At the Starbucks store on Northside and Highway 84, two EV chargers have been set up as part of a pilot project to electrify a key route connecting Seattle, Boise, Salt Lake City and Denver for EV travel.

• Google Maps update: What's new (cnbc.com) --> Google Maps is expanding preexisting features and unveiling some new ones, according to a Thursday announcement. The company said AI allowed for improvements to Google Maps’ EV charging station feature, more specific recommendations of nearby activities and more in-depth visualization. Many of the new features use radiance fields, an AI subset that allows for using 2D images to construct a 3D scene.

• Hertz To Cut Back On Tesla EV Fleet Citing Poor Resale And High Repair Costs - AutoSpies Auto News -->  Hertz is pumping the brakes on plans to electrify more of its rental car fleet after EV repair costs came in higher than the company anticipated, and after Tesla price cuts reduced the resale value of the majority of electric cars in its fleet by about one-third. CEO Stephen Scherr said on the company’s third-quarter earnings update on Thursday, “our in-fleeting of EVs will be slower than our prior expectations.”

• Madison's 100 EVs are the largest city fleet in Wisconsin -->The city accepted a gray Ford Mustang Mach E, its 100th electric vehicle — the most among municipalities in the state. The city’s fleet numbers roughly 1,400, but Madison plans to add more electric vehicles as it aims to become the first large government fleet in North America to get out of gas engines altogether by 2030.