ECOtality Inc. (Nasdaq: ECTY) and Coulomb Technologies–two companies leading the development of electric vehicle charging infrastructure in the U.S.–made separate announcements concerning the rollout of their products and services.
ECOtality unveiled its flagship electric vehicle (EV) charging station, called Blink. The charger, created with design partner frog design, will be available as both a residential, wall-mounted unit and a commercial, stand-alone charger.
The chargers are connected to 240 V AC circuits, and Underwriters
Laboratories is currently in the process of testing the units for
certification.
ECOtality says Blink’s networked platform will communicate directly with
consumer systems and utility technologies, and work in conjunction with
smart grid systems.
"Blink is more than a place to plug in a car–it is the fulcrum between the driver, car, home and utility," says Jonathan Read, CEO of ECOtality.
ECOtality says the first Blink stations will be installed this fall. ECOtality is leading a DOE-funded initiative to establish smart grid infrastructures in key markets. The company also has established a joint venture for building infratructure in China.
Coulomb Technologies announced it will expand its ChargePoint electric-vehicle charging platform through partnership agreements with Leviton, Siemens (NYSE: SI) and Aker Wade.
Each of the partners will market and distribute their own brand of electric-vehicle supply equipment built specifically for the ChargePoint Network, which will handle customer billing.
Using the ChargePoint Network, drivers can locate, access and use any
charging station using a smart phone, iPhone or Blackberry application.
Station owners can set access pricing via a web-enabled user interface,
energy providers can manage grid load and billing, and fleet managers
can track the charging of their vehicles.
Leviton and Siemens will focus on residential and public charging stations for the U.S. and Canadian electric-vehicle markets. Siemens will also provide the stations in Europe. Aker Wade will work on networked fast-charging stations for electric vehicles worldwide.
In June, Coulumb received funding through a grant with Ford (NYSE: F) and the Department of Energy to provide nearly 5,000 home and public charging stations for electric vehicles in nine US regions.
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