Coulomb partners with Ford, Chevy, Smart to deliver 4,600 free EV charging stations in US
By Sean Hollister 
posted June 4th 2010 6:25PM
posted June 4th 2010 6:25PM
Coulomb Technologies to Create Electric Vehicle Infrastructure in Nine Regions by Offering No Cost Home and Public Charging Stations as Part of a $37 Million Project
Coulomb's ChargePoint America Program Expands the Largest Networked Infrastructure for EVs in the World: Immediate Installation in Nine US Regions
Campbell, Calif., June 2, 2010 – Coulomb Technologies today announced it will deliver free home and public ChargePoint® Networked Charging Stations for electric vehicles throughout the United States. The ChargePoint America program will provide nearly 5000 charging stations to program participants in nine regions in the United States: Austin, Texas, Detroit, Los Angeles, New York, Orlando, Fla., Sacramento, Calif., the San Jose/San Francisco Bay Area, Redmond, Wash., and Washington DC and is a strategic partnership with three leading automobile brands including, Ford, Chevrolet and smart USA. Coulomb currently has the largest established base of networked charging stations worldwide with more than 700 units shipped to more than 130 customers in 2009. Installation of the ChargePoint charging stations for electric vehicles will begin immediately.
The $37 million ChargePoint America program is made possible by a $15M grant funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act through the Transportation Electrification Initiative administered by the Department of Energy. ChargePoint charging stations are available now for installation in all nine designated regional metropolitan areas of the US. More than 1000 new public charging stations will be installed by December 2010, adding to the existing ChargePoint Network. The remaining stations will be installed by September 2011.
In support of the ChargePoint America program, three automakers have committed to deliver electric vehicles in designated US regions. The Chevrolet Volt, the Ford Transit Connect Electric and Ford Focus Electric through the "Ford Blue Oval ChargePoint Program", and the smart fortwo electric drive will be introduced along with this program.
"The Obama Administration has set significant and considerable goals for the widespread adoption of electric vehicles in the coming years," said Richard Lowenthal, CEO of Coulomb Technologies. "This grant will bring thousands of networked charging stations to nine US regions that are slated to receive the first electric vehicles from our automobile partners. These charging stations will build upon our already growing and established network of infrastructure and will accelerate the deployment of public and private charging infrastructure which will in turn encourage consumers to buy electric vehicles. Our Department of Energy grant, also known as the stimulus bill, was funded to provide jobs for Americans. Our products are built and installed with American labor. Every time we ship a ChargePoint charging station, three Americans go to work for a day."
ChargePoint America will offer both home and public charging stations to individuals and businesses. Businesses interested in receiving public charging stations should visit the ChargePoint America web site and sign up by completing the application form. Individuals interested in purchasing an EV can sign up at www.chargepointamerica.com to receive more information about qualifying to receive a home charging station. Additionally, the ChargePoint America web site provides a way to suggest public locations for charging stations.
ChargePoint Network stations are network-enabled, capable of reporting energy usage and communicating over the network with Software Application Services and Network Support Services to activate capabilities such as:
Providing open access for all drivers using any standards-based RFID card
Generating revenue for station owners to offset electricity and maintenance costs
Sending SMS or Email notifications to drivers for charging complete or interruptions in charging
Controlling access to eliminate energy theft and to enhance safety
Integrating with the utility Smart Grid for demand side management and preferred pricing
Charging stations owners can set their own prices for charging through the Flex Billing™ system. The Flex Billing system enables station owners to set pricing as a function of time of day, calendar date, and driver - much like a parking meter. Those same stations can also be configured to provide "free" access to EV drivers.
Coulomb's ChargePoint® Network, is open to all drivers of plug-in vehicles and provides authentication, management, and real-time control for the networked electric vehicle charging stations. The network of electric vehicle charging stations is accessible to all plug-in drivers by making a toll free call to the 24/7 number on each charging station, or signing up for a ChargePoint Network monthly access plan and obtaining a ChargePass™ smart card. Other future payment options include using any smart (RFID) credit/debit card to authorize a session or using a standard credit or debit card at a remote payment station (RPS) to pay for charging sessions. To locate available charging stations, visit mychargepoint.net and click "Find Stations".
About ChargePoint America
ChargePoint America will provide 4,600 public and private ChargePoint Networked Charging Stations by October 2011. Coulomb will work together with its distribution and industry partners to evaluate the demand from the respective geographic regions and allocate charging stations based on this and other factors. The ChargePoint America project will collect data characterizing vehicle use and charging patterns, and Purdue University and Idaho National Labs will analyze the data. For more program information visit www.chargepointamerica.com.
About Coulomb Technologies, Inc.
Coulomb Technologies is the leader in electric vehicle charging station infrastructure with networked charging stations installed in municipalities and organizations worldwide. Coulomb provides a vehicle-charging infrastructure, with an open system driver network: the ChargePoint Network (www.mychargepoint.net) provides multiple web-based portals for Hosts, Fleet managers, Drivers, and Utilities, and ChargePoint Networked Charging Stations ranging in capability from 120 Volt to 240 Volt AC charging and up to 500 Volt DC charging. For more information, follow Coulomb on Twitter at twitter.com/coulombevi. To request a charging station in your area, visit www.mychargepoint.net/request-station.php. To download the ChargePoint iPhone App, click here.
@Sinick You must have missed all the references to subsides in the article. Not exactly untainted capitalism at work here. Not arguing one way or the other, just saying.
Sure its zero emissions... If you only count from the charger to the car and ignore how the electricity was created, or how much nastiness is in the battery manufacturing process.
Buy them because you like tech and their cool, not to "save" the environment, because you won't.
@bp968 I make that arguement about batteries all the time. however, at the end of the day it's a different sort of poison. whcih atleast allows the planet and the shit we breath, to heal from one type of damage.
later we'll all be drinkign battery acid that's leaked into the water table, but hey, the air is clean.
baby steps
@bp968
Yeah, same old false argument all you mindless drones repeat ad-nausium. How about you do some research.
@fyrebug
I mostly agree with you. :)
I don't have the air quality problems because I don't live in a big city. I think they will do wonders for places like LA. I just hate 1) the government subsides that skew the real costs involved, and 2) how some people won't do any research and instead worship at the altar of eco-guilt. I think the things are great. I was experimenting with the lithium battery tech on RC heli's back when the stuff had a tendency to burst into flames when charging (charge them in a concrete brick. lol) I kept hoping for a A123 IPO to invest in, and lost some money on other battery/solar investments. I love the stuff, I just don't think its ready for prime time in a "utility" car form factor. Maybe a high performance track car, but people expect a lot from a econobox and most people are going to gag on a 30-35k$ econobox (thats *with* subsidies).
We really need to figure out a solidstate non chemical battery, or solve the problem of the expensive catalysts for hydrogen fuel cells. Once we can make fuel cells cheap enough and long lasting enough (as in lifetime service, not range/miles) they will make a *great* "battery" for electric cars.
I can't wait for a AWD "in wheel motor" electric sports car. though I will miss my subaru's boxer rumble (but not its 18-20mpg premium fuel diet)
@bp968 Eco-Cult (aka smugness) was losing members by the second last time I checked, so there is hope.
@bp968
Actually, you're thinking of NiMH and lead acid batteries. Lithium batteries are non-toxic and require no smelting during manufacture or recycling.
Oh, and charging an EV from the current mixture of fossil fuels, nuclear and renewables is still cleaner than refueling a car that runs solely on fossil fuels.
@bp968
Also, the Leaf isn't $35k with subsidies, it's $25k.
@DrScope
Why is it impossible to suggest better technologies without people thinking you're pointing accusatory fingers at them, and perceiving you as "smug"?
Who cares what kind of attitudes early adopters of EVs have? Objectively, they're a useful technology. Can't you look past petty partisan hatred and judge EV tech on it's own merits?
Hmmm, MAYBE two of those dots in California are close enough together that you could drive from one city to the other, charge and drive home.
Guess something is better nothing but I don't see these stations helping people get on board the EV bandwagon when EVs still tether you to your own city and thus only really have any potential appeal to suburbanites w/garages looking for a second car that will never be used for anything but local errands and a maybe a short commute.
@KC a lot of people don't travel between cities all that often. I don't... this doesn't work for everyone, but it sure works for a lot of people. and perhaps that's where some of the resentment is coming from.
@KC
Those only indicate the cities where about 250 charge points each will be installed. If you go on Coulomb's website you'll see that there are already plentiful chargepoints all over California. The chart above only shows the ones yet to be installed as part of this particular plan.
Or you could buy a nice long extension cable, walk in to a McDonald's and say you have to charge your phone.
@DrScope Or use your other cars cigarette lighter slot to charge your Leaf.
@DrScope
Or just plug into th public outlets at the base of most lightposts in parking lots. Or the outdoor outlets on the outsides of buildings. Or the outlets at the base of illuminated signs for places like Target, Wal Mart and so on.
Plenty of outlets available for EVs if you know where to look.
Hmmm.....I see 9.
This is excellent news!
I'm so getting a Volt.
Toyota made the inside of the Prius really ugly with the 2010 version. If my 2007 Prius were older (obviously it wouldn't be a 2007 version then) I would be buying a Volt and eligible to get the free charging station in my house. That would be great.
Next step - solar panels so I don't have pay the electric company to charge up my car.
It's not zero emissions until we get all of our electricity with zero emissions.
Nissan will be finalizing the the schedule date of my charging station install by June 30th. I can't wait.
Now if only they would give me the money for a Chevy Volt in the first place. It would cut my fuel costs by more than half.
Wth?!!! Why was PA excluded?!!!
CAN SOMEONE PLEASE JUST TAKE AWAY THE SUBSIDIES FOR THESE THINGS! I hate paying for other people's stupid trendy hobbies! FREE???!!! are you kidding me, when has anything ever been free? More like, subsidized battery factory, subsidized car factory, artificially mandated sales, subsidized sales, subsidized electric station for someone who is earning much more than your average joe to go out and buy his fancy trendy "GREENIE" play thing. All so he can drive down the block (for 10 blocks only) thinking he / she is green and ignoring where the electricity came from in the first place. Let alone the plastics, composites, heavy metals etc etc etc. the thing is made from. Far more environmentally friendly to buy an F150 and drive that instead!