GM set to partner with 3 EV charging networks

US automaker General Motors said on Wednesday that it will collaborate with three leading electric vehicle charging networks to service its Chevrolet Bolt EV cars. “GM believes in an all-electric future, and this is a significant step to make charging easier for our customers,” said Doug Parks, GM vice-president of autonomous and electric vehicle programs. The three leading EV charging networks, EVgo, ChargePoint and Greenlots, have more than 31,000 charging ports in the United States. GM said in a statement that it plans to gather data from all three networks to enable Chevrolet Bolt EV drivers to have a “more seamless charging experience.” Officials from the US Federal Reserve “could afford to be patient” with future rate hikes, according to the minutes of the Fed’s latest monetary policy meeting released on Wednesday. “Participants expressed that recent developments, including the volatility in financial markets and the increased concerns about global growth, made the appropriate extent and timing of future policy firming less clear than earlier,” said the minutes of the Fed’s Dec 18-19 meeting. US online labor demand saw a modest increase in December after declines in October and November, according to Conference Board, a research group. The Conference Board Experimental Help Wanted OnLine (HWOL) Index stood at 101.7 in December, up from 99.3 in the previous month. The HWOL Index measures changes over time in advertised online job vacancies based on data collected in real-time from more than 28,000 different online job boards.