#54: Revel bets big on charging

Revel quits rideshare, NEVI lives(!!), fleets get autonomous wireless charging

Author

Steve Taylor
August 16, 2025

The Business and Policy of Charging Infrastructure

The 3 big stories

  • Revel exits NYC rideshare to focus on EV charging

  • Trump DOT relaunches NEVI charging fund with stripped-down guidance

  • HEVO and STEER announce autonomous wireless charging for fleets

Plus, featured jobs and news.

Steve

Industry News

Revel is shutting down its NYC rideshare operation at the end of 2025 after four years to focus on charging infrastructure. The company's fleet of 500+ blue Teslas will be pulled from the city as the company redirects all resources toward charging deployment.

Revel currently operates 100 chargers across six stations in NYC and San Francisco. The company plans 400 stalls by end-2025 before scaling to 2,000 stalls by 2030 across New York, LA, and San Francisco.

In March 2024, Uber and Revel announced a partnership that guarantees Uber driver usage at Revel charging stations in exchange for discounted rates. The partnership has improved Revel's charging economics with utilization increasing from 18% to 45%.

Steve's take

Rideshare is a tough business, especially in New York, and the economics are challenging. 

Given Revel’s existing partnership with Uber and the $275M they’ve raised since 2018 (according to Pitchbook), focusing their efforts exclusively on urban charging infrastructure is a smart pivot. 

Uber drivers are the perfect anchor for Revel. They drive predictable routes, log high mileage, and often don’t have access to home charging.

If Revel can successfully expand their charging network while growing their partnership with Uber in other markets, they’ll be difficult to compete with in urban charging.

Power and Policy

The Trump administration has reinstated the $5B NEVI charging infrastructure program, which had been temporarily halted. This relaunch follows a federal court ruling that deemed the freeze unlawful. The new interim final guidance simplifies the process for states to access funds and build EV chargers more swiftly. States now have 30 days to resubmit deployment plans for approval. 

The key changes in the revised guidance are:

  • Streamlined Application Process: The guidance “slashes red tape,” simplifying application and approval for states. 

  • More Flexibility for States: States gain control over station spacing, deployment timelines, and may use NEVI funds statewide, beyond designated fuel corridors.

  • Removal of Equity, Labor, and Environmental Requirements: The updated guidance notably strips away Biden-era requirements, including mandates on:

    • Serving disadvantaged communities (e.g., Justice40 standards),

    • Union labor preferences,

    • Consumer protections, emergency planning, environmental siting, grid integration, resilience, and terrain considerations.

    • Emphasis on Speed: Encourages charging stations at sites where that owner also hosts the station—akin to modern gas-station models for quicker deployment.

While NEVI was designed to distribute funding for public EV chargers—especially in underserved areas—progress had been slow. As of early 2025, only about 378 NEVI fast chargers were operational nationwide, and 84% of funds remained unobligated.

A federal judge’s ruling in June mandated the release of $875 million for states that had taken legal action (e.g., California, New York, Illinois). However, litigation continues involving over 20 states and D.C., which allege delays are unlawful and disruptive.

Rob’s Take

No question this is good and welcome news for the industry.  The revised NEVI guidance signals a shift toward a faster, less regulated deployment strategy. While efficiency may pick up, it does raises legitimate questions about who benefits and whether vulnerable communities will see equitable access to EV infrastructure. States have a narrow window to deliver, making the next months critical—both for infrastructure rollout and for shaping equitable outcomes in the nation’s EV transition.

Emerging Tech

HEVO and STEER Tech have partnered to launch the first autonomous wireless charging solution for fleets.

The system integrates STEER’s depot navigation software with HEVO’s wireless pads, enabling vehicles to park, align, and charge without cables or human input.

Manual charging is a hidden cost in fleet operations. Drivers spend 10-15 minutes per shift plugging in. This time is multiplied across hundreds of vehicles. Automating that process cuts labor, reduces errors, and maximizes uptime.

The first pilot will pair Ford E-Transits with HEVO’s pads at the company’s Brooklyn HQ this fall.

Steve’s take

Fleet electrification won’t scale if every vehicle needs a person to plug it in. This partnership solves that bottleneck with no cables, no downtime, and no training required.

This partnership works because it targets the controlled environments of fleet depots.

The two companies will be hosting a public demonstration of this autonomous wireless charging in the fall. I’ll be curious to speak with the fleet operators in attendance.

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⚡️Steve and Rob

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