ChargingNetwork
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Volta's EV network gives you 30 minutes of free fast charging
If you build a free high-speed charging network, will affluent EV owners come? Charging company Volta will soon find out, as it has unveiled plans to install 150 public-access DC fast-charging stations. EV owners heading to shopping centers, supermarkets, and sports stadiums will get a free half-hour of charging, equivalent to about 175 miles of range at 100kW stations. After that, they'll be able to pay to continue the charging session.
Shell preps for the future with acquisition of EV charging network
Royal Dutch Shell (or just Shell, if you're into the whole brevity thing) has already committed a billion dollars toward alternative fuels, and now it's showing us where some of that money is going. The gas station corporation has agreed to buy NewMotion, a Netherlands-based company that owns some 30,000 electric-vehicle charging points across Western Europe according to Reuters.
Estonia officially opens nationwide EV fast charging network
If certain reporters had lived in Estonia, how different things might be. The small European state has just cut the ribbon on its nationwide EV fast-charge network -- providing 165 charging stations no further that 60km apart. Implementing a national or state-wide network of charger locations is something either under way, or in place in locations from Australia to Indiana. The Estonian implementation is state-backed, has a unified payment system, and offers three tiers of service to customers, from a basic pay-and-go option to a €30 all-you-can-drive monthly electricity buffet. It's claimed that up to a 90 percent charge can be achieved in half an hour, with the range that achieves depending on your vehicle of choice. Estonia has 619 all-electric cars registered with the traffic office, and the network extends beyond the mainland, ensuring even those weekend road trips should be covered.
Houston will be home to America's largest car charging network, identity crisis
Everything is somewhat more gargantuan in Texas, so its only natural that Houston has its eye on having the largest network of electric vehicle chargers in the country. The plan is a privately funded brain-child of power plant operator NRG Energy, which hopes to install 150 charging stations in the 25 mile vicinity of downtown Houston starting in February. Chargers will be placed at common retail locations such as Walgreens and Best Buy, but given that 80 to 90 percent of charging will occur in homes, an $89 all-you-can-juice monthly plan will also include the installation of 240-volt charging systems in residences. NRG doesn't expect to turn a profit on its $10 million investment for several years, but hopes that taking the proactive step will create a lucrative business in the future as electric vehicle prices (hopefully) hit the skids. The company also wants to build a similar network in Dallas in early 2011, and perhaps San Antonio and Austin in the future as well. Still, while the plans are admirable for the home of big-oil, compared to London's government-backed 1,300 station plan, NRG's Houston aspirations still seem positively Rhode Island-sized.
