DeCharge Launches in the U.S. to Build the World's First Community-Owned EV Charging Network
SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 5, 2025 /CNW/ -- DeCharge, a decentralised EV charging infrastructure network, today announced its official U.S. launch, bringing its community-powered charging model to American drivers and businesses. DeCharge enables anyone, from small business owners to parking lot operators, to host EV chargers and earn revenue, helping solve the critical shortage of public charging infrastructure.
DeCharge brings global innovation to local communities through its decentralised, AI-powered energy model. The company recently raised $2.5M in seed funding to build an autonomous EV charging network. Its U.S. rollout begins with pilot deployments in the DMV area, New York, and California. Over the next 12 months, DeCharge aims to onboard 1,000+ hosts across 10 states and launch pre-orders for its next-gen, community-owned fast chargers.
Mohan Kuldeep Ponnada, Founder & CEO of DeCharge said, "EV adoption is skyrocketing across the US, but infrastructure hasn't kept pace. Our vision is to decentralize energy access and create an open network where anyone can earn by powering the future of mobility. The U.S. launch marks our commitment to accelerating EV infrastructure growth through community and commercial partnerships in high-demand regions like the DMV area and high-usage areas in California."
DeCharge transforms everyday spaces like small business lots and fleet depots into clean energy hubs. Its host‑powered model offers transparent pricing, real-time payments, and zero-capex rollouts, ideal for commercial fleets and last-mile operators. With flexible revenue sharing, hosts maintain control and enjoy long-term earnings. Blockchain integration ensures secure, instant transactions. DeCharge's flagship Beast 7.4kW chargers are easy to deploy, allowing hosts to set pricing. EV drivers can locate and use chargers via the upcoming DeCharge app and web portal.
DeCharge is a decentralized EV charging network built to empower communities and businesses to monetize their space by hosting EV chargers. Through smart hardware, IoT-based energy payments, and tokenized incentives, DeCharge is building the future of distributed energy and mobility infrastructure.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Volkswagen's St. Thomas plant: thousands of jobs coming
The Volkswagen EV plant in St. Thomas is hiring for hundreds of job positions. CTV London's Sean Irvine has the details. It is 'full steam ahead' for the biggest automotive facility southwestern Ontario, and the nation, has seen for decades. Volkswagen subsidiary PowerCo. Canada has begun ramping up hiring for its $7-billion plant in St. Thomas, Ont. 'I think the answer at the moment is thousands of jobs,' said Norman Wickboldt, the firm's chief human resources officer, in an interview with CTV London. When announced in 2023, the PowerCo. facility was predicted to employ 3,000 people and create 30,000 spinoff jobs. The up to 185,000-square-metre, or two-million-square-foot, plant is set to open in 2027. Site infrastructure is nearing completion, and a groundbreaking for phase one construction is now only weeks away. St. Thomas VW battery Norman Wickboldt, Volkswagen subsidiary PowerCo.'s chief human resources officer. (Sean irvine/CTV News London) But just how fast the plant expands and the size of its workforce is unknown. Wickboldt acknowledged the unpredictability of U.S. tariffs and trade discussions. 'We are monitoring the trade topic very closely,' he confirmed. 'It then depends on the demand of the Volkswagen Group and how many of those blocks we will initially build and what final capacity looks like. But, for the next couple of years, our message is full steam ahead, because that's what we really want to achieve, the start of production here in St. Thomas.' To meet its goal, PowerCo. has begun a marketing campaign to attract specialized talent, including chemists and IT professionals. In the coming weeks, the company will launch a new jobs website for front-line workers. Wickboldt said initial hires will be trained at a purpose-built local training facility. 'We're also working very closely with our education partners here, in the community. And, we will also send them [new hires] to our other plants, mainly to Germany, because they are just ahead of us.' St. Thomas VW battery - Volkswagen - PowerCo. The majority of hiring is expected to take place throughout 2026. 'So, the big wave would start next year, and then you would see the growth into the years to come, until we ramp up to full capacity.' A large, skilled workforce was a major reason Volkswagen selected southwestern Ontario as the site for the massive PowerCo facility. At the 2023 rollout, attended by then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ontario Premier Doug Ford, PowerCo. CEO Frank Blome stated, 'It is important that we get the right workforce here. We think this is the case.' Asked if Blome's vision has been met two years on, Wickboldt said, 'I'm surprised by the level of qualification that we find. It may not all be in the vicinity of St. Thomas, but we're also targeting other regions, including Windsor, obviously, but also the GTA region and the west coast.' PowerCo. has already hired more than 200 people. Most work in a temporary office building near downtown St. Thomas. Wickboldt indicated that all are looking forward to the ground-breaking ceremony. 'The foundations are the next focus for our first production building. And then, the other big milestone this year is steel construction. So, we want to get as far ahead with overall steel construction.' Once the initial phase is complete, production is expected to begin, Wickbolt said. 'I think our commitment is to start production in 2027. So, we need to see how good we progress on our construction timeline now, whether it's mid-year or the third quarter, I can't tell you, but we are definitely aiming for sooner rather than later in 2027.' More than 40 jobs are already posted at
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Trump's planned 100% computer chip tariff sparks confusion among businesses and trading partners
President Donald Trump's plans for 100% tariffs on computer chips that aren't made in the U.S. are stoking confusion among businesses and trading partners — boosting stocks for leading semiconductor companies while leaving smaller producers scrambling to understand the implications. 'We are still waiting for official guidance,' said Limor Fried, founder and engineer at Adafruit Industries, a small electronics maker in New York. The chips that go into Adafruit's products come through U.S. sales and distribution companies as well as direct from companies in the Philippines and Taiwan. If those chips aren't exempt, 'it would increase the costs that go into our designs as the semiconductors are the most expensive component in our assemblies,' Fried said. 'For many of these tariffs, we often have to wait until we get a bill to know our exposure, and then we adjust our pricing to account for the increases.' The U.S. imports a relatively small number of chips because most of the foreign-made chips in a device — from an iPhone to a car — were already assembled into a product, or part of a product, before it landed in the country. 'The real question everybody in the industry is asking is whether there will be a component tariff, where the chips in a device would require some sort of separate tariff calculation,' said Martin Chorzempa, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. Trump said Wednesday that companies that 'made a commitment to build' in the U.S. would be spared the import tax, even if they are not yet producing those chips in American factories. 'We'll be putting a tariff of approximately 100% on chips and semiconductors,' Trump said in the Oval Office while meeting with Apple CEO Tim Cook. 'But if you're building in the United States of America, there's no charge.' Wall Street investors interpreted that as good news not just for U.S. companies like Intel and Nvidia, but also for the biggest Asian chipmakers like Samsung and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company that have been working to build U.S. factories. But it left greater uncertainty for smaller chipmakers in Europe and Asia that have little exposure to the artificial intelligence boom but still make semiconductors inserted into essential products like cars or washing machines. These producers 'probably aren't large enough to get on the map for an exemption and quite probably wouldn't have the kind of excess capital and margins to be able to add investment at a large scale into the United States,' Chorzempa said. It's also not clear how the chip-specific tariffs would apply to trading partners that already made broader deals with Trump — such as agreements with the European Union, Japan and South Korea that tax most goods at 15%. The announcement came more than three months after Trump temporarily exempted most electronics from his administration's most onerous tariffs. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a shortage of computer chips increased the price of autos and contributed to higher inflation. Chorzempa said chip tariffs could again raise prices by hundreds of dollars per vehicle if the semiconductors inside a car are not exempt. 'There's a chip that allows you to open and close the window,' Chorzempa said. 'There's a chip that is running the entertainment system. There is a chip that's kind of running all the electronics. There are chips, especially in EVs, that are doing power management, all that kind of stuff.' Much of the investment into building U.S. chip factories began with the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act that President Joe Biden signed into law in 2022, providing more than $50 billion to support new computer chip plants, fund research and train workers for the industry. Trump has vocally opposed those financial incentives and taken a different approach, betting that the threat of dramatically higher chip costs would force most companies to open factories domestically, despite the risk that tariffs could squeeze corporate profits and push up prices for electronics.
Cision Canada
an hour ago
- Cision Canada
FP Canada™ Announces June CFP® Exam and QAFP® Exam Results
Of the first-time writers who completed the CFP exam, 81% passed. Seventy-five per cent of first-time QAFP exam writers passed. TORONTO, Aug. 7, 2025 /CNW/ - FP Canada has announced the results for the June sittings of the Certified Financial Planner ® exam and the Qualified Associate Financial Planner ™ exam. There were 385 candidates who wrote the CFP exam (and 81% of the first-time writers passed), while 50 candidates wrote the QAFP exam (and the first-time writer pass rate was 75%). FP Canada administered a survey to all candidates who wrote the exams. According to that survey, 82% of CFP exam writers decided to pursue certification so they could enhance their skills and better serve their clients. The same was true for 76% of candidates pursing QAFP certification. Forty-nine per cent of CFP candidates and 48% of QAFP candidates indicated that provincial legislation requiring them to obtain an approved certification to use the "financial planner" title was a major motivator. Likewise, 30% of CFP exam writers and 24% of those who wrote the QAFP exam stated that their pursuit of certification was driven largely by an employer requirement. "We at FP Canada would like to sincerely congratulate everyone who successfully wrote the CFP exam or QAFP exam in June," says Tashia Batstone, President and CEO of FP Canada. "Completing this critical step toward certification is a tremendous accomplishment—one that brings you closer to being fully qualified to help Canadians find their paths to financial well-being." To obtain CFP certification, candidates must complete a comprehensive education program that includes professional education, pass a national exam, have (at minimum) a bachelor's degree or 10 years of qualifying work experience (or have held QAFP certification for at least five years), and demonstrate three years of qualifying work experience. QAFP certification candidates must complete a comprehensive education program, pass a national exam, have a post-secondary diploma or five years of qualifying work experience, and demonstrate one year of qualifying work experience. To maintain certification, CFP professionals must ensure their knowledge and skills remain current by completing 25 hours of continuing education each year, including two hours in the professional responsibility category. QAFP professionals must complete 12 hours of continuing education each year, including one hour in the professional responsibility category. CFP professionals and QAFP professionals must also adhere to high professional standards established by the FP Canada Standards Council ™. CFP certification and QAFP certification have been approved by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (FSRA) as valid credentials for individuals using the "financial planner" title in Ontario. Established in 1995, FP Canada is a national not-for-profit education, certification and professional oversight organization working in the public interest. FP Canada is dedicated to championing better financial wellness for all Canadians by leading the advancement of professional financial planning in Canada.
