Big news today! Coulomb Technologies and Aker Wade Announce
Availability of Level III Networked Fast Charging Stations for Electric Vehicles
New Level III Networked Fast Charging Station from Coulomb and Aker Wade
Powered by Aker Wade’s Fast Charging Technology and Coulomb’s ChargePoint Network, Agreement Brings Charging for EV’s in Less than Half an Hour: First Fast Charging Stations to Arrive in Q3 2010
Coulomb Technologies and Aker Wade Power Technologies today announced an agreement to deploy Level III networked fast charging stations for electric vehicles worldwide. The Level III charging stations will be capable of fully charging battery electric vehicles in less than half an hour. The Level III fast charging stations will be co-developed, distributed, marketed and supported by both companies. Designed in accordance with the TEPCO Level III specifications the charger will be qualified for use with several electric vehicle brands including the Nissan Leaf and the Mitsubishi i-Miev.
The Nissan Leaf
“Introduction of Level III charging stations broadens our product line so that we now offer Level I, Level II, and Level III stations,” said Coulomb Technologies CEO Richard Lowenthal. “This announcement is significant because the ChargePoint® Network is quickly gaining a foothold in cities, businesses, and utilities all over the world due to our advanced networking applications. Combining these capabilities with Aker Wade’s proven Level III solutions will accelerate consumer adoption of electric vehicles.”
Aker Wade Power Technologies CEO Bret Aker adds, “Field studies in Tokyo have shown that deploying fast chargers increased vehicle usage by more than 50 percent. This was with first generation battery electric vehicles that were yet to be optimized for fast charging. With coming improvements in Li-ion technology charge times will be reduced to as little as fifteen minutes. This is the point where consumers will abandon gasoline for electricity. This is the tipping point for electric vehicles.”
Managed by Coulomb’s open architecture ChargePoint Network, the new Level III networked fast charge stations will have all of the features of Coulomb’s Level I and II stations including:
• An integrated billing system
• Smart Grid integration tools
• Remote station management
• Ability to find available stations online
Forward thinking private companies, municipalities and other government agencies worldwide are planning deployment of Level III charging stations based on a desire to accelerate consumer acceptance of battery electric vehicles.
“We have more than 1000 vehicles in our County fleet and we have aggressive targets to make a large percentage of our fleet electric. The ability to use Level III fast charging to quickly and safely charge these vehicles in less than one tenth of the time it would normally take to charge will further advance our goals of a greener fleet,” said Jose Obregon, Director of General Services from the County of Sonoma. “The inclusion of Coulomb’s advance networking features, including the fleet portal, means that we will have the capabilities of the ChargePoint Network and the convenience of fast charging in one device.”
About Level III Charging Stations
Level III fast charging stations will charge an EV in less than one hour. Level III stations rely on an off-board charger that converts AC to DC, using a 480 Volt, three-phase electric service. The Level III ChargePoint® Networked Charging Stations provide unique benefits including the ChargePoint Network application suite. The Level III charging stations for EV’s will be available for purchase in Q3 2010. Pricing is available upon request.
