Coulomb Technologies Unveils first ChargePoint America
Electric Vehicle Charging Station in Michigan

Press Conference Thursday, September 2, 2010 10:00 am includes US Senator Debbie Stabenow, Coulomb CEO Richard Lowenthal, NextEnergy CEO Ronald J. Gardhouse and Michigan Department of Energy, Labor & Economic Growth Director Andy Levin

DETROIT September 2, 2010 – Coulomb Technologies today announced the installation of its first ChargePoint® networked electric vehicle charging station in Michigan from its $37 million ChargePoint America program. ChargePoint America will offer hundreds of free stations for public and home charging to individuals and businesses throughout southern Michigan – from Grand Rapids to Ann Arbor to Lansing to Detroit. Coulomb is working with Ford, General Motors and smart USA, all of whom have announced plans to introduce EVs in Southern Michigan in the coming months. The first ChargePoint America station is now installed at NextEnergy headquarters in downtown Detroit. Installation of the ChargePoint station was done by Coulomb distributor Shocking Solutions.

The ChargePoint networked charging station will be unveiled at a press conference today at 10:00 am EST at the NextEnergy headquarters in downtown Detroit (461 Burroughs Detroit, MI). United States Senator Debbie Stabenow, Coulomb CEO Richard Lowenthal, NextEnergy CEO Ronald J. Gardhouse and Director of the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor & Economic Growth Andy Levin will present. Also attending the ceremony will be ChargePoint America program vehicle partners Ford, GM and smart USA.

“Thanks to strong private-public partnerships, Michigan companies are creating jobs and leading the country in the development of electric vehicles and the advanced batteries that power them,” said Senator Debbie Stabenow. “Now Coulomb Technologies has unveiled the first of hundreds of ChargePoint America stations across the state here at NextEnergy, which was made possible by the Recovery Act. These stations will make it easier for drivers to charge their electric vehicles as we continue to build these new vehicles here in Michigan.”

“Michigan is the home of US automobile manufacturing including the next generation of transportation, electric vehicles,” said Richard Lowenthal CEO Coulomb Technologies. “Intelligent networked infrastructure will welcome the introduction of these vehicles. We are pleased to unveil our first ChargePoint America installation in the heart of downtown Detroit collaborating with NextEnergy.”

“We are pleased to be part of Coulomb Technologies ChargePoint America program and the site of its first installation” said Ronald Gardhouse, NextEnergy CEO. “In partnering with the ChargePoint America program, we will be able to accelerate the validation and acceptance of infrastructure critical to the successful introduction and launch of electric vehicles”.

Coulomb’s ChargePoint America program will provide nearly 5,000 charging stations 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, Bellevue/Redmond, Wash., and Washington DC and is a strategic partnership between Coulomb and three leading automobile makers: Ford, General Motors and smart USA. Coulomb currently has the largest established base of networked charging stations worldwide with more than 850 units shipped to more than 200 customers. Installation of the ChargePoint charging stations is underway now in all nine regions.

San Francisco has partnered with Toyota to pilot the company’s Prius plug-in hybrid demonstration program vehicles. The vehicles that joined San Francisco’s fleet on August 25 are the first commercial fleet deliveries for Toyota.

The Prius plug-in hybrid vehicles will charge at three recently-upgraded ChargePoint Networked Charging Stations in front of City Hall. These stations are now Level II, which offers charging at 240 volts in addition to the existing 110 volts. The Prius plug-in hybrid takes only an hour and a half to fully charge at 240 volts.

The ChargePoint stations outside of San Francisco City Hall are available for public use as well, so make sure you top off as you make your way through The City by the Bay.

Read the full press release here: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mayor-newsom-announces-partnership-with-toyota-to-test-new-plug-in-hybrid-vehicles-upgraded-charging-systems-101506244.html

British Columbia’s first Zero motorcycle owner charged up today as the first-ever visitor to use one of the two Coulomb charge stations available at Rapid Electric Vehicles’ Clark drive location.

Walter Coates, the owner, discovered the charging station at REV Headquarters through the ChargePoint iPhone app. The station was on his route home from the Vancouver Aquarium. He was able to stop at REV, plug-in, chat with REV CEO Jay Giraud and fellow REV employees, and walk to a Starbucks just a few blocks away while his motorcycle charged. The ChargePoint iPhone app alerts him when his EV is fully charged, and the networked station disconnects to save electricity.

Read the full story here, courtesy of Rapid Electric Vehicles: http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=118563331528030

In April, Whole Foods‘ Flagship Store in Austin, TX unveiled the first ChargePoint Networked Charging Station in the city. This weekend, the Whole Foods Market Field Report was released. Under “Sustainability”, the report reads:

The retailer also installed a charging station for electric cars at its flagship store in downtown Austin earlier this year. Part of Campbell, CA-based Coulomb Technologies’ ChargePoint Network, the station is open to all plug-in vehicle drivers who sign up for monthly access plans or pay one-time charges.

We’re happy to provide EV infrastructure to a wonderful organization that is dedicated to providing a green workplace for their employees and a green lifestyle for their customers!

Read the Coulomb Press Release: http://www.coulombtech.com/pr/news-press-releases-2010-0412.php

Read the Whole Foods Market Report: http://www.instoremarketer.org/article/61911

Early adopters of the Chevy Volt, along with the Ford Focus BEV, Ford Focus Transit Connect, and smart fortwo electric drive, are able to apply for a free ChargePoint America Charging Station.

Request more information about ChargePoint America charging stations for home and fleets here: http://chargepointamerica.com/sign-up-request.php

Directly below the industry’s Plug-In 2010 conference, Coulomb Technologies’ electric vehicle charging stations leaped from the show floor into the real world. During Wednesday’s plenary and breakout sessions, installation of two new ChargePoint America charging stations in the San Jose McEnery Convention Center Garage was under way!

On Thursday July 29, as Plug-In 2010 came to a close, San Jose Mayor Reed, Coulomb CEO Richard Lowenthal, and Silicon Valley Leadership Group CEO Carl Guardino helped present the first ChargePoint America charging station in San Jose. Behind them and happily charging were the Ford Focus ED, smart fortwo ED, and a Toyota Plug-In Prius.

“The installation of San Jose ’s first ChargePoint America station is an important step forward in our efforts to make the Bay Area the Electric Vehicle Capital of America,” said Mayor Chuck Reed. “Our partnership with Coulomb Technologies is the perfect example of how Silicon Valley can lead the world in clean tech innovation and create new green jobs in our community.”

Coulomb Technologies and ChargePoint America have partnered with three major car manufacturers so that early adopters of the Ford Focus ED, Ford Transit Connect Electric, smart fortwo electric drive, and Chevrolet Volt have an opportunity to get a free home charging station.

Coulomb Technologies Press Release: http://chargepointamerica.com/pr/pr-20100729.php

Event Photos by James Martin/CNET: http://news.cnet.com/2300-11386_3-10004328.html

“According to Coulomb, only this outcome will enable a market that will encourage competitive market forces to bring benefits to consumers and ensure rapid deployment of the charging infrastructure. Coulomb argues that by treating a charging station as competitive access to the grid as opposed to being a regulated utility, the Commission can foster competition in the nascent infrastructure marketplace and help facilitate rapid deployment.”

The decision not only sets a competitive framework for the California market, but will set an important precedent for other key states and a national policy around this issue.

“This outcome will encourage competitive market forces to bring benefits to consumers and ensure rapid deployment of the charging infrastructure,” said Richard Lowenthal CEO of Coulomb Technologies. “We applaud the decision as it not only enables a competitive framework for the California market, but will set an important precedent for other key states and for the nation.”

Read the rest of the Coulomb Press Release here: http://www.coulombtech.com/pr/news-press-releases-2010-0730.php

There were over 300 attendees in the room and although it seemed to go very quickly, it was a chance to educate many people on what Coulomb, ChargePoint America, and NovaCharge are doing to help.

Coulomb’s new CT500 Level II ChargePoint® Networked Charging Stations are designed for home and light commercial use.  The announcement expands Coulomb’s spectrum of products for EVs from home to Level III fast charging stations.   CT500 charging stations will be sold through Coulomb’s OEM and distribution channels. The ChargePoint Network is based on an open interface, standards-based architecture that provides station owners with a complete set of business applications to market and bill for electric transportation fueling services, and provides drivers with EV charging applications to make fueling easy.   The CT500 stations will be on display at the Plug-In 2010 Conference and Exposition in San Jose, California on July 26-29, 2010 in Coulomb booth #110.

The CT500 charging station is a 7.2 kw single output station designed for residential and light commercial applications. The station delivers Level II (208/240 V @ 30 A) charging and is compatible with plug-in electric vehicles that comply with the SAE J1772^TM plug-in electric vehicle-charging standard. The station’s small size and flexible network interfaces make it an ideal solution for utilities, homeowners, fleet managers, and auto manufacturers.  The CT500 is compatible with Leviton’s recently announced innovative Evr-Green^TM EVSE installation system. This industry-first prewire mounting system provides for simple plug-in installation for new charging stations.

Here’s a station in San Martino in Badia BZ, Italy. Wouldn’t it be fun to explore all of Europe in an EV?

Electro Clara posted on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J57oZC5Pe3U

Show us pictures of the ChargePoint station in YOUR neighborhood. If there isn’t one yet, request it!


Find more ChargePoint stations in Europe, Middle East, Africa: www.365-energy.com

Find more ChargePoint stations in Australia and New Zealand: www.chargepoint.com.au