ElectricCharger
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London is bankrolling an extra 1,500 residential EV chargers
London is already one of the best places to drive an electric car in the UK, with an abundance of chargers in car parks, hotels and side streets. London mayor Sadiq Khan wants more, however, to shift people away from gas-guzzlers and realise his dream of a zero-emission transport system by 2050. Today, Transport for London, London Councils and the Greater London Authority have announced £4.48 million in funding for new, street-side EV chargers. Twenty-five boroughs will receive roughly £300,000 each to install 1,500 charging points in residential areas.
GE rolls out WattStation and WattStation Connect for charging EVs
GE spent the second half of 2011 teasing its WattStation solution for powering electric vehicles. Now that the company has captured your attention with that slick, Yves Behar-designed "pedestal," it's ready to deliver. In case you forgot, the WattStation Connect is a charging station / software platform developed in cooperation with Hertz that lets EV owners manage the power-up process remotely via a mobile app and the WattStation's three connectivity options: 3G, Wi-Fi and Ethernet. The app, expected to hit iOS and Android in the coming weeks, also help users locate stations and lets them virtually pay for juicing up their vehicles. While the charging platform will work its way into the hearts and homes of those who own an EV, GE will also deploy this tech to retailers and fleet owners looking to zero in on their electricity usage. It's not yet clear where the WattStations will be or are already available, but GE is apparently ready to start the rollout now. Get the full details in the presser after the break.
SolarCity gets in the EV charging game, we're still waiting for our Leaf
Tired of trekking down the 101, just to charge your damn Tesla? Must be rough, but at least SolarCity's looking out for ya, as it'll soon install ClipperCreek's EV chargers in your digs, right alongside the company's residential solar equipment. The $1,500 SAE-J1772 compatible juicers will work with almost any plug-in vehicle we can think of -- including the Volt, Leaf, Prius plug-in, Focus BEV, iMiev and aforementioned Roadster (provided you'll spring for an adapter) -- and being of the Level II ilk, top-up your automobile 5x faster than a 120V plug. Pair that with a solar panel lease, and you'll apparently cut charging costs in-half -- according to SolarCity, anyway. We can't vouch for that, but if it doesn't work you could always try to install something just a tad bigger.
Leviton partners with Coulomb Technologies, makes EV charging stations plug-and-play
Home wiring may not be the hottest of topics, but get it wrong and, well, things can certainly get exciting. As electric vehicles become more commonplace, more and more people are going to start looking into what it will take to get more current running to their cars -- nobody's going to want to wait around for a 110V trickle charge. Leviton is a big name in home wiring and automation circles and has launched the Evr-Green sub-brand. One of its first products will be a pre-wiring kit for Level 2 charging stations, like GE's WattStation. Level 2 chargers offer 240V and, with the Evr-Green pre-wiring kit, will be basically plug and play. The kits are said to cost around $200 -- though naturally that won't include the cost of installation for the kit itself.
