• EVPowerPulse
  • Posts
  • #74: Revel, Voltera create charging platform for fleets and AVs

#74: Revel, Voltera create charging platform for fleets and AVs

Revel and Voltera merge, Trump tariff uncertainty returns, InCharge raises $46M

Author

Steve Taylor
June 06, 2026

The Business and Policy of Charging Infrastructure

The 3 big stories

  • Voltera and Revel merge to create a charging platform focused on fleets and autonomous vehicles

  • Tariff uncertainty returns as the Trump administration’s trade policies face new legal and political challenge

  • InCharge Energy raises $46M to build the service and reliability layer for the next generation of charging infrastructure

The big takeaway. The EV charging industry is entering a new phase. Growth is increasingly being driven by scale, consolidation, and operational excellence, not just charger deployment. This week’s stories highlight two sides of that trend. Revel and Voltera are combining to build a larger fleet charging platform, while InCharge is betting that reliability and uptime will become the industry’s next competitive edge.

Enjoy,
Steve

Industry News

Revel and Voltera have agreed to merge, creating one of the largest urban fast-charging platforms in North America. The combined company will operate more than 1,000 charging stalls across 11 markets and focus on serving commercial fleets, ride-hail operators, and autonomous vehicle companies. 

The merger combines Voltera’s development and customer acquisition capabilities with Revel’s urban charging network and operating expertise.

The company will operate under the Voltera brand, with Revel CEO Frank Reig leading the business and current Voltera CEO Brett Hauser transitioning into a senior commercial advisory role.

Steve's take

Revel and Voltera were already competing for many of the same fleet customers in many of the same urban markets. By combining forces, they gain the scale, infrastructure footprint, and operational capabilities needed to meet the growing demands of commercial fleets and autonomous vehicle operators.

I’ll be watching how quickly the combined company integrates its assets onto a unified operating platform and whether Revel’s partnership with Uber becomes a blueprint for broader relationships with Waymo, Zoox, and other AV operators.

If they can successfully combine development, operations, and customer acquisition under one roof, the company could emerge as one of the most important charging infrastructure partners in the autonomous vehicle ecosystem.

Power and Policy

Trump Tariff Turbulence (...again)

Not to sound like a broken record, but it was another turbulent week for Trump tariff policy, with the administration simultaneously defending its existing tariff regime in court, expanding sector-specific tariffs, and threatening new country-specific trade actions. Let’s break it down:

1. The Administration Escalated Its Appeal of the Tariff Refund Orders

The biggest development this week came in the ongoing legal battle over Trump’s earlier “Liberation Day” tariffs. The Trump Administration formally appealed a recent ruling by the U.S. Court of International Trade (CIT) that would require Customs and Border Protection to refund roughly $166 billion in tariffs collected under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). The appeal goes to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and seeks to overturn both the refund order and related court directives.  

This case stems from the Supreme Court’s February decision holding that IEEPA does not authorize a president to impose tariffs, effectively invalidating Trump’s earlier emergency tariffs on Canada, Mexico, China, and the broader reciprocal tariff program.  

Why it matters: The appeal keeps alive one of the largest trade-law disputes in modern U.S. history. Importers are still waiting to learn whether they will ultimately receive refunds on billions of dollars in previously paid duties.

2. Trump Doubled Down on Section 232 Tariffs

While courts continue to constrain some tariff authorities, the White House moved aggressively under authorities that remain legally intact.

On June 2, President Trump signed a proclamation modifying Section 232 national security tariffs covering steel, aluminum, and copper imports. Section 232 tariffs have survived legal scrutiny because they are based on national security findings rather than emergency powers.  

This is another sign that the administration is increasingly shifting toward trade tools that courts have been more willing to uphold.

Why it matters: Expect more reliance on Section 232 investigations and tariffs in sectors such as metals, critical minerals, semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, and potentially other strategic industries.

3. New Threats of Tariffs Through Section 301

The White House also signaled it may launch a new round of tariffs against dozens of trading partners using Section 301 authorities.

Administration officials threatened tariffs of roughly 10–12.5% against approximately 60 countries over concerns about forced-labor enforcement. Countries cited include the EU, Canada, Japan, Australia, and the United Kingdom. The proposal remains in a review stage but reflects the administration’s effort to find new legal pathways after repeated court setbacks.  

Why it matters: Section 301 was the legal basis for many of Trump’s first-term China tariffs and is generally viewed as a stronger legal foundation than IEEPA or Section 122.

4. EU Trade Deal Pressure Intensifies

Trump also continued pressuring the European Union to fully implement the 2025 U.S.-EU trade accord.

This week, a European Parliament committee approved legislation necessary to implement portions of the agreement, including reduced tariffs on U.S. industrial goods and expanded market access for American agricultural products. The move comes amid repeated White House warnings that tariffs on European goods could rise sharply if implementation stalls.  

The July 4 deadline established by the administration is becoming a key date for U.S.-EU trade relations.

5. Brazil Emerges as a New Target

The administration proposed a 25% tariff on certain Brazilian imports following a USTR investigation into Brazil’s trade practices, digital-services taxes, treatment of U.S. technology companies, and other market-access concerns. Public comments will be accepted through July before any final action.  

Rob’s take

The central theme of the week was clear: the courts continue to narrow Trump’s ability to impose broad, economy-wide tariffs, but the administration is rapidly rebuilding its tariff strategy around authorities that remain available.

The result is another “whipsaw” moment for businesses:

  • Courts are still reviewing the legality of major past tariff actions.

  • The administration is appealing refund orders worth more than $100 billion.

  • Section 232 tariffs are expanding.

  • New Section 301 investigations and tariff threats are proliferating.

  • Country-specific trade disputes with the EU and Brazil are heating up.

For importers, manufacturers, and investors, the practical reality remains unchanged: even when courts strike down one tariff program, the administration continues to find new legal avenues to pursue its broader trade agenda.

Emerging Tech

InCharge Energy has raised $46M to expand its software-driven operations and maintenance platform as the EV charging industry shifts its focus from deployment to reliability. The company manages more than 30,000 charging and energy assets across North America and serves commercial fleets, school districts, and municipalities.

The funding will help accelerate InCharge’s expansion into distributed energy management, including battery storage, solar, and electrical infrastructure. With roughly half of U.S. non-residential chargers now outside their original warranty periods, demand for independent maintenance and operational support is expected to grow significantly in the years ahead.

Steve's take

The charging industry’s first chapter was about deployment. The next chapter will be about reliability.

Nearly half of non-residential chargers in the United States are now outside their original warranty periods, creating a growing need for maintenance, monitoring, and operational support. InCharge is positioning itself at the center of that opportunity with a hardware-agnostic platform designed to manage charging infrastructure regardless of equipment manufacturer.

The company’s $46M raise will help expand its national field service network and further develop InControl, its AI-powered operations platform. As vendor consolidation accelerates, independent service providers could become an increasingly important layer of the charging ecosystem.

The winners in the next phase of the market likely won’t be the companies deploying the most chargers, but instead will be the companies keeping the most chargers online.

Hiring?

Companies across the EV charging industry are filling open positions with overseas talent, which is why we’ve partnered with Somewhere.

Reach 20,996 executives, policy professionals, founders, and investors in the EV charging space across email and social. Reply to join our sponsor waitlist.

Share your feedback 

Reply with what you loved about this issue or want more of – we read every message.

Connect with us

Follow EVPowerInsights on LinkedIn.

See you next time!

⚡️Steve and Rob

Have friends or colleagues interested in the evolution of America’s EV charging infrastructure? Hit the share button below! If you were forwarded this, you can subscribe here.