When it comes to the public EV charging experience, it’s all about making it as seamless as possible.

That’s the thinking behind General Motors’ adoption of the North American Charging Standard (NACS), pioneered by Tesla and now the EV sector’s mainstream standard for charging connectors. GM previously announced plans to roll out a native NACS charging port starting with the launch this fall of the 2026 Cadillac Optiq-V.

To support this transition, GM Energy, the automaker’s energy-focused business unit, is introducing a new “PowerUp” charger with a NACS-native coupler and new adapters.

“The beauty is that the number of charging options in the market continues to grow, and as we transition to NACS, that technology will start to codify on one single standard, which will just make it that much easier for our customers,” William Hotchkiss, COO and head of public charging at GM Energy, told Tech Brew.

Adaptable: In 2023, Ford became the first automaker to announce it was adopting NACS, and was quickly followed by most other players in the EV market, including GM.

Last September, GM began offering a NACS adapter to its EV customers so they could start using Tesla Supercharger stations, which are widely considered to be the gold standard for public fast charging in the US.

Keep reading here.—JG

For some “shovel-ready” solar infrastructure projects, the cancellation of federal Solar for All grants means scrambling to find other sources of funding.

In the nearly a year and a half since the Biden administration announced the $7 billion in Solar for All funding, the Trump administration then froze and unfroze the money before the Environmental Protection Agency ultimately terminated it earlier this month.

According to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, a Trump appointee, the agency “no longer has the statutory authority to administer the program or the appropriated funds,” after the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill did away with Solar for All’s parent fund, the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.

The funding had been awarded to 60 states, nonprofits, municipalities, and tribal consortiums to bring solar power to nearly a million low-income homes across the country.

GRID Alternatives, a solar nonprofit, was awarded over $312 million via two grants to bring solar energy to affordable housing units in 29 states and in southwestern tribal communities. CEO Erica Mackie told Tech Brew that it was a huge disappointment for everyone involved to learn of the cancellation of the grant projects, which were aimed at lowering energy bills, providing more reliable electricity, and creating jobs for local contractors.

Keep reading here.—TC

When it comes to AI and bandwidth, you could say there’s a bit of a…disconnect.

That’s the concern about how AI is affecting network connectivity, according to new research from connectivity firm Expereo and polling company IDC. In its Enterprise Horizons 2025 survey, which polled IT leaders from the US, Europe, and Asia, the role of AI in connectivity was cited as often more a challenge than a benefit.

That’s because of how the technology can affect the infrastructure, Expereo CIO Jean-Philippe Avelange said.

“AI starts putting strain on the network because it’s much more data-intensive,” Avelange told IT Brew. “Each affects each other, because the increase of load affects the latency.”

Heavyweight. Further, many networks aren’t capable of managing the additional load necessitated by AI projects. Limitations include scaling, performance, bandwidth, and reach—and only single-digit percentages of those surveyed reported that their networks were ready for major AI projects.

But while that could indicate a lack of interest in AI, the reality is that respondents largely feel positive about the technology.

Keep reading here.—EH