Episodios

  • Chevy BrightDrop 400 Walkaround Review

    Chevy BrightDrop 400 Walkaround Review
    Sep 25 2025
    The Chevy BrightDrop 400 is a compact, all-electric delivery van built for last-mile fleets. It’s smaller than the BrightDrop 600 but still delivers strong cargo capacity, flexible charging, and driver-friendly features. In this walkaround, we cover driving impressions, cargo space, and charging capability to show how it performs in daily fleet use.

    BrightDrop 400 Features and Specs:
    Size: 238.6 inches long, a width of 89.4 inches (without mirrors), and a height of 109.2 inches. (About nine feet tall, seven feet wide, and just under 20 feet long)
    Service: No belts or oil changes; only coolant and washer fluid
    Efficiency: Regenerative braking and one-pedal driving extend brake life and return energy
    Safety: Park sensors, forward collision alerts, heated mirrors, and a surround-view HD camera
    Interior: Cushioned passenger seat, multiple cupholders, charging ports, and power outlets (120V/240V, up to 7.2 kW)
    Cargo: 3,710-lb payload, 412 cubic feet of volume, sliding doors for safe street-side deliveries, upfit-ready interior
    Charging: Supports scheduled charging, DC fast charge with preconditioning, and on-screen charge status. Delivery mode auto-opens/closes doors to save time at stops

    The BrightDrop 400 blends cargo space, safety tech, and EV efficiency into a smaller footprint for last-mile delivery.

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    6 m
  • Inside Redline Detection’s Rise in EV Service Innovation

    Inside Redline Detection’s Rise in EV Service Innovation
    Jul 31 2025
    Redline Detection has become a name that no one in the EV service world can ignore. Perhaps best known for its Battery and Coolant Leak Detector (BCLD), the company now supports EV battery leak detection and diagnostics throughout the EV lifecycle, from battery R&D to collision repair and end-of-life handling. In this episode of the Amped EV Podcast, Redline Detection President Alex Parker talks about the company’s explosive growth, how it developed the BCLD using patented nano leak technology, and why this tool plays an essential role across every stage of an EV’s lifecycle, from battery R&D to collision repair and end-of-life reclamation.

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    19 m
  • Switch Vehicles on Building an EV Training Program for the Real World

    Switch Vehicles on Building an EV Training Program for the Real World
    Jun 9 2025
    What if students could learn about EVs by building and driving one themselves? Switch Vehicles, a company that combines hands-on education with industry-relevant training, provides that service. Its EV training program enables students and teachers to assemble fully functional electric vehicles.

    In this episode, Brandon Watt, Marketing Director at Switch Vehicles, and Dan Vincent, lead instructor and retired professor, explain the Switch Lab program. Instead of using emulators or theory alone, students wire, assemble, and test real EV systems. They work on 12V, high-voltage, regenerative braking, and torque response systems – and then get to drive the finished vehicle.

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    19 m
  • How Bosch Mobility Re-Thought EV Technician Training and the Future of EV Education

    How Bosch Mobility Re-Thought EV Technician Training and the Future of EV Education
    Apr 14 2025
    How do you train today’s technicians to work on powertrains that barely existed a decade ago—and keep evolving each year? Bosch Mobility took on that challenge with its nationwide EV technician training tour, a hands-on program designed to meet technicians on-site.

    Brittany Kearns, Project Manager for EV Service Concept at Bosch Mobility, joins The Amped EV Podcast to discuss this mobile training initiative. Bosch launched the tour in 2024 to address the growing demand for EV technician training across the United States.

    Kearns explains how the one-day, face-to-face program brings cutaway vehicles, diagnostic tools, and essential equipment directly to workshops. The tour targets technicians, students, and educators – giving them the confidence to work on EV platforms like the Toyota Prius, Nissan Leaf, Tesla models, Ford Lightning, and Chevy Blazer EV.

    Expanding Technical Depth and Responding to Feedback

    Feedback from the field led Bosch to expand the curriculum with advanced training modules and deeper diagnostic content. Kearns shares how Bosch is also addressing regional training needs, including diesel education and ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems).

    Bosch supports shops as they transition to servicing connected, software-defined vehicles. She emphasizes that technicians must go beyond mechanical repairs and understand software updates, sensor calibration, and system diagnostics. As EVs evolve, Bosch continuously updates its tools and educational offerings to keep pace.

    Evolving EV Technician Training Curriculum and Public Education

    Kearns notes a growing number of hands-on EV training programs across the industry and sees that trend as critical. These resources help close knowledge gaps—not just for technicians, but for the public as well.

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    10 m
  • The Effect of ABB E-mobility's C50 Charger on Destination EV Charging

    The Effect of ABB E-mobility's C50 Charger on Destination EV Charging
    Mar 17 2025
    As more drivers switch to EVs, businesses must expand reliable, convenient charging in shopping centers, public parking, and other high-traffic areas. Brant Hastings, North American President of ABB E-mobility, joins The Amped EV Podcast to discuss the ABB E-mobility C50 charger. This 50-kilowatt DC fast charger serves retailers, urban areas, and public charging locations. Hastings explains how the ABB C50 charger meets the rising demand for EV destination charging. It offers dual-port functionality and a compact design that fits shopping malls and parking garages.

    How Retailers Can Adapt to EV Charging

    Hastings says retailers have much to consider when adjusting to EV growth and the barriers faced when installing chargers. He also examines why destination charging drives EV adoption. Hastings shares insights into charging infrastructure changes and the role of digital integration and loyalty programs. He explains how public chargers help drivers who lack home charging access.

    "When drivers can charge during their normal activities – when they can check it off as part of a routine that they already have – it reduces that perceived effort and that time commitment and alleviates a lot of this range anxiety," he says.

    How the ABB E-Mobility C50 Charger Hopes to Make EV Charging Simple for Businesses

    Hastings explains ABB E-mobility’s strategy for simplifying charger management, ensuring retailers support EV adoption without adding complexity. Watch the episode above for a deep dive into the future of destination charging and the challenges of expanding EV infrastructure. Learn how solutions like the ABB C50 charger create a more accessible EV charging network.

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    14 m
  • Electric Vehicle Battery Life Holds Up Better Than You Might Think

    Electric Vehicle Battery Life Holds Up Better Than You Might Think
    Jan 31 2025
    When you think of electric vehicle battery life, what's the first thing that comes to mind? Anxiety? Degradation? With EV adoption being a fairly recent concept, it's fair if you set your expectations low. However, real-world data shows EV batteries degrade by just 1.8% per year, according to Charlotte Argue, Senior Manager of Sustainable Mobility at Geotab. In fact, after 10 years, an EV battery should retain over 80% of its original capacity.

    Geotab analyzed 5,000 EVs in fleet applications and found battery degradation rates improved, dropping from 2.3% per year in 2019 to 1.8% today. The study focused on light-duty fleet vehicles, including those in municipalities, government agencies, and field service operations – cases when vehicles often experience harsher conditions and higher usage than personal EVs.

    On this episode of The Amped EV Podcast, Argue explains how EVs can offer fleet operators a cost-effective investment. A Geotab study of 750,000 fleet vehicles across seven countries found that 75% of gas-powered vehicles could switch to EVs and still meet their range requirements. Forty-one percent of fleet operators would save money by transitioning to EVs, she adds.

    Frequent fast charging and high temperatures accelerate battery degradation. Vehicles relying on DC fast charging in hot climates degrade faster. However, many fleets can reduce stress on batteries by using slower charging methods during natural downtime. This approach lowers costs and extends battery lifespan.

    “We’re seeing that battery health is not something fleet owners need to fear,” Argue tells us. “In fact, with the right data and operational strategies, EVs are proving to be a cost-effective and long-lasting alternative to internal combustion engine vehicles.”

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    22 m
  • Why battery testing is the hidden hero of EV evolution

    Why battery testing is the hidden hero of EV evolution
    Aug 28 2024
    The complexities of EV battery technology are getting more and more... well... complex. But, while attributes like range, longevity, durability and chemistry tend to get much of the limelight, there's one aspect of EV battery R&D that sits in the background without getting the fanfare it rightly deserves: Testing.

    "As the battery is becoming more and more important as the propulsion energy storage system, there's a lot of testing and a lot of validation that needs to be done," says Don Wright, Unico vice president of engineering. "Those tests are very demanding, and as the battery packs start to change and we're getting into higher voltages and higher powers, the test equipment that goes along with it needs to change as well. This is where we're starting to see the transition to much higher power systems and higher voltages for our test equipment; we even have battery pack test systems that go up to 2,000-3,000 volts for very large applications."

    On this episode of The Amped EV Podcast, Wright highlights the importance of adapting test equipment to accommodate emerging trends, expectations and new business possibilities regarding the future of battery-swapping technology, and what we know about the integration of solid-state batteries in EVs.

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    21 m
  • Hyzon CEO explains why hydrogen-powered refuse trucks are the only viable zero-emission option

    Hyzon CEO explains why hydrogen-powered refuse trucks are the only viable zero-emission option
    Jul 23 2024
    Imagine the difference an additional 40% payload per trip could make to a refuse fleet. That's what Parker Meeks, CEO of Hyzon, is hoping to give haulers in the North American market looking to move away from diesel via Hyzon's hydrogen fuel cell-powered electric refuse trucks, which are now being tested in the U.S. in partnership with New Way, a refuse truck body manufacturer, and Recology, a San Fransisco-based hauler.

    "While [all-electric refuse trucks] can do the work on a micro level going job to job house to house, the weight of the batteries creates a situation where most battery trucks can only do about 40-50% of a day's work, because there's a significant weight penalty that's on the truck because of how heavy those batteries are," Meeks says. "So, what we're seeing in most battery-electric trucks is up to a 40% payload penalty, meaning they can carry only 6-7 tons of trash. That's a big problem, because to accomplish the same refuse collection in a single day, you're either making 40% more trips or you're buying 25-40% more trucks. That is the fundamental reason why refuse fleets are so excited to try our truck because we believe we have a vehicle that is the only viable zero-emission refuge collection vehicle on the market today."

    In this episode of The Amped EV Podcast, Meeks breaks down how the performance of Hyzon's hydrogen fuel cell-powered electric refuse vehicle compares to all-electric or trucks with internal combustion engines, how Hyzon is addressing common hydrogen-related challenges like fueling and infrastructure, and how Hyzon has adapted what it learned from running this truck in Australia for the North American market.

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    25 m