Stories You May Have Missed This Week: EV, Charging & Intelligent Electrification Roundup (02/25/26 Edition)
By Keith Reynolds | Publisher & Editor, ChargedUp!
720 kilowatts. That is the new benchmark for high-speed charging ports, but the real story this week isn’t the plug, it’s the cell. We are witnessing a fundamental pivot from buildings as passive grid consumers to buildings as autonomous Cellular Power nodes.
This shift is being driven by a speed-to-power crisis. With utility interconnection queues now stretching past 100 weeks in many jurisdictions, the off-grid first strategy is no longer a niche play for data centers. It has become the new underwriting standard for resilient Commercial Real Estate (CRE).
In addition to ChargedUp!'s five extended features, here's a review of this week's energy news.
Grid stress, storms, resilience economics
SECURE Grid Act (H.R. 7257): New federal legislation introduced this week requires states to provide more detailed security plans against cyber and physical threats to the grid.
Daily Energy Insider: SECURE Grid Act | NCSL: Electric Transmission Role of StatesWinter Storm Fern Fallout: While the grid held, NERC issued a stark warning this week that the "slow development" of new generation means the system will likely fail to meet demand by the end of the decade.
The Center Square: U.S. power grid holds up in cold | TRC: 2026 Megatrends in Utility Landscape
Electrification economics at the property level
Data Center Construction Surpasses Office Buildings: U.S. Census data confirmed this week that construction spending on data centers is now poised to surpass general office building construction for the first time.
Goodwin Law: Commercial Real Estate Momentum | Data Center Knowledge: Data Centers are CRE's Jewel for 2026The "Power Proof" Mandate: Industrial manufacturers report that utilities and towns are now requiring "6,000 amp proof-of-need" before approving new site connections.
NAIOP: CRE 2026 Outlook - Power Availability | Goodwin: SECURE Grid Act ImplicationsInsurance NOI Squeeze: NAIOP board members identified rising insurance costs—directly tied to climate and grid risk—as the #1 drag on multifamily NOI in 2026.
NAIOP: CRE Key Issues for 2026 | Artemis: Insured Losses from Storm Fern
Solar + storage + VPPs
Illinois 3GW Storage Goal: Illinois officially adopted a target to deploy 3GW of battery storage by 2030, sparking a new wave of BTM incentive filings this week.
PV Magazine: Illinois Targets 3GW Storage | NCSL: Plugged In February 2026Duke’s Coal-to-Battery Pivot: Duke Energy completed the conversion of a retired coal plant into a 50MW battery hub this week, with another 167MW in the pipeline.
Daily Energy Insider: Duke Energy Battery Hub | Sol-Ark: Energy Storage Owners Get PaidAggregator Performance Data: Illinois announced it will release its first VPP performance data by year-end, following the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability (CRGA) Act.
Utility Dive: VPP Aggregators challenge Xcel | Sol-Ark: 2026 VPP Program Guide
Policy + market rules
FERC Streamlined Permitting: FERC finalized rules on Feb 19 to streamline environmental reviews for natural gas and hydropower projects at existing facilities.
FERC: Summaries February 2026 Commission Meeting | FERC: News Release - Environmental ReviewsStay Ready Solar Dismissal: FERC dismissed a complaint against Entergy New Orleans this week, reinforcing utility control over distribution-level interconnection.
FERC: Stay Ready Solar 1 Inc. v. Entergy Order | Washington Energy Report: FERC Meeting HighlightsCo-location Mandates: FERC sustained its December order directing PJM to establish "new pathways for co-location" to reduce transmission upgrade costs.
FERC: Energized for 2026 | PJM: Integrating Large Loads Reliably
Local governance and federal policy
Nuclear Innovation Campuses: The DOE is seeking states interested in hosting "Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses" to manage the resurgence of nuclear power for AI.
Reuters: US seeks interest from states in nuclear sites | NCSL: February 2026 Energy ReportAurora Data Center Moratorium: Aurora, IL city officials held a public hearing on Feb 18 regarding their own data center pause to assess fiscal and environmental impacts.
City of Aurora: Moratorium Planning Zoning Update | Denverite: Mayor Johnston's Data Center MoratoriumVineyard Wind Injunction: A federal judge issued an injunction on Feb 19 allowing the 800MW Vineyard Wind project to resume construction, defeating the federal stop-work order.
Utility Dive: Offshore Wind Projects Win Relief | NCSL: Plugged In February 2026
EV charging in real places
Multifamily "Operationalize" Phase Begins: New industry guides this week urge multifamily owners to pivot from installation to operations, highlighting billing and enforcement as the real ROI drivers.
AmpUp: 2026 Multifamily EV Charging Solutions Guide | Toyota: Treehouse EV OS for Home/MultiISO 15118 (Plug & Charge) Standard: Fleets were warned on February 13th that 2026 technical protocols (OCPP 2.0.1) are now mandatory.
The EV Café: 2026 Charging Standards Get Serious | ChargedFleet: EV Charging Advances Toward OptionsLoad Management vs. Upgrades: Smart charge management systems (CMS) are being marketed this week as the only way to avoid 100-week utility delays for fleet depots.
ChargedFleet: Smart CMS and Load Balancing | AmpUp: Site Electrical Capacity Assessment
EV market signals
40% Price Drop on Used EVs: Wholesale used EV prices are down 40% over last year, making 2026 the first real "buyer's market" in the sector's history.
GreenCars: Used EV Surge 2026 | Recurrent: Used EV Market StabilityLFP Battery Longevity: New data confirms Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) batteries are aging significantly slower than nickel-based counterparts, boosting used EV valuations.
Recurrent: LFP Batteries and Market Longevity | GreenCars: 2026 Year of the Used EVLease Turn-In Surge: Cox Automotive expects EV off-lease volume at auction to triple by the end of 2026, creating a permanent shift in the used car business.
Car and Driver: EV Lease Returns Pile Up | Recurrent: Model 3 and Model Y Price Stability
Upcoming Event: ChargedUp!™ Pavilion at NPC26
Join us in Detroit, April 25-28, 2026, at the National Planning Conference. We are bringing 5,000+ planners together with innovators in SST technology, microgrids, and AI-driven infrastructure.
Interested in exhibiting? Secure a turnkey kiosk or a 10x10 space in our dedicated "Cellular Power" zone.
