#61: JOLT expands into U.S. market

JOLT buys Volta Media from Shell, NYC Curbside Charging Pilot results, SparkCharge launches SparkAI

Author

Steve Taylor
November 22, 2025

The Business and Policy of Charging Infrastructure

The 3 big stories

  • JOLT acquires Volta Media Network to enter U.S. market

  • NYC’s Curbside EV Charging Pilot Results

  • SparkCharge launches AI dispatch assistant for fleet operators

Plus, featured jobs and news,
Steve

Industry News

Australian charging company JOLT signed an agreement to acquire substantial portions of Shell's Volta Media Network, gaining thousands of charging locations across 34 states and 64 major metro markets including LA, Chicago, and Dallas–Fort Worth.

The deal is expected to close January 1, 2026.

Shell bought Volta in 2023 but announced in August 2025 it would dismantle the network of over 2,000 stations as part of its broader pullback from retail charging. JOLT operates EV chargers with integrated digital-out-of-home screens across Australia, New Zealand, the U.K., and Canada.

Unlike Volta's failed free-charging model, JOLT offers drivers a daily allowance of free energy with paid charging beyond that, while monetizing integrated screens through programmatic advertising and audience targeting. Global brands including McDonald's, Amazon, Toyota, Target, and American Express already advertise on JOLT's network

Steve’s Take

Shell paid $169M for Volta in 2023, couldn't make the unit economics work, and is now selling the problem to a buyer willing to bet on subsidized charging plus ad revenue. JOLT gets instant U.S. scale without capex. I love this arbitrage if JOLT can execute better than Volta did.

The model only works if three things align;

  • Charger uptime stays high (Volta's Achilles heel)

  • Ad inventory actually fills at defensible CPMs

  • Property owners stay patient while JOLT figures out unit economics

Volta's core mistake was relying too heavily on free charging funded entirely by advertising. JOLT's hybrid approach is more defensible but still unproven at scale in the U.S..

The real question is whether programmatic DOOH revenue in parking lots can subsidize infrastructure that costs tens of millions to maintain. BP and others are pulling out of similar bets. JOLT's existing markets are smaller and easier to manage, but the U.S. is a very different challenge.

I’ll be watching the uptime data in 2026 and whether advertisers decide to renew. If not, JOLT just bought Shell's problem.

Power and Policy

Bill Pierce at EVinfo.net has a worthy read out this week (link above ☝️) providing a comprehensive analysis of the results of New York City’s experiment in curbside electric-vehicle charging.  The results are taken from Consolidated Edison’s (“ConEd,” the NYC power utility) recently released Q3 2025 progress report.

Borrowing from Bill’s piece:

“The findings, covering four years of deployment, usage, and public feedback, highlight surging demand, near-perfect uptime, and growing EV dependence on curbside infrastructure. But they also point to stubborn challenges, including low community satisfaction and intense parking pressures.

The demonstration project, launched in 2019 and jointly implemented by Con Edison (Consolidated Edison), the NYC Department of Transportation, and charging provider FLO, deployed 118 Level 2 chargers throughout the five boroughs. The initiative tested whether curbside chargers could be widely accepted, heavily used, and ultimately viable as a long-term business model for a dense urban environment.”

Rob’s Take

The ConEd report on NYC’s curbside EV-charging pilot is a treasure trove of data and lessons learned for state and local governments, as well as operators, around the country. The pilot’s successes outweigh the challenges it identifies, and should provide further encouragement to non-federal actors to lead on accelerating the EV-charging infrastructure build out.

Take a few minutes this morning with your coffee to read through Bill’s piece as well as the ConEd slide deck (also linked above). It’s rich in data and customer feedback, giving us what I think is one of the most detailed and comprehensive looks at what is working and what is not in the most real world conditions possible…the streets of NYC.

Emerging Tech

SparkCharge launched SparkAI this week, a charging infrastructure planning platform built for commercial EV fleet deployment.

Over 80% of electrification projects face grid capacity constraints. SparkAI addresses this by analyzing location data, weather, terrain, and fleet composition to design off-grid, hybrid, or grid-independent charging systems. 

SparkCharge claims the platform can reduce infrastructure and operating costs by 15-30% through accurate forecasting that prevents overbuilding.

The tool integrates with SparkCharge's mobile battery trailers and off-grid power hubs, allowing for deployment in rural areas, congested zones, and locations where utility upgrades aren't viable.

Steve’s Take

SparkCharge is attacking of of the biggest bottlenecks in fleet electrification by bypassing grid upgrades, permits, and construction that push deployments 18+ months out.

Their AI planning platform delivers infrastructure plans in 60 seconds and can deploy charging in 3 days. SparkCharge claims 15-30% cost reductions through accurate forecasting that prevents overbuilding, but that trades upfront capex for ongoing opex.

This works for last-mile depots in congested metros and rural operations with weak grids. It’s less clear for large centralized depots where permanent infrastructure wins on total cost of ownership. I’ll be watching whether fleets treat this as temporary infrastructure or if off-grid becomes permanent.

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⚡️Steve and Rob

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