ChargePoint Making Big Moves In Electric Vehicle Charging In US And Europe

ChargePoint, one of the largest electric vehicle charging networks in the world, has made two significant moves this week that will see its network grow even larger. In the US, the company is taking over management of the GE electric vehicle charging network, which consists of 1,800 commercial and 8,000 residential chargers. ChargePoint will maintain GE’s existing software and commercial charging spots, helping to make the change to ChargePoint as easy and seamless as possible for existing clients and drivers.

ChargePoint In North America

Existing GE customers will have access to the ChargePoint app to locate available chargers, track their usage, and schedule charging sessions. “A reliable and consistent charging experience is crucial for fostering EV adoption and these are the key elements that ChargePoint has integrated into our business model for more than a decade,” said Pasquale Romano, CEO and president of ChargePoint.

“We are excited to expand our network with the acquisition of GE’s network and have worked closely with the GE team to ensure a seamless transition for customers and drivers. We are growing globally and are the best equipped to bring former GE customers and drivers into the ChargePoint family.”With its comprehensive lineup of electric vehicle charging products, ChargePoint is able to serve customers wherever they go, whether at work, at home, or while travelling. It is laying the foundation for a future where electric mobility is convenient for anyone wherever they go.

ChargePoint In Europe

In Europe, ChargePoint has obtained an additional $43 million in funding that will be utilized to further accelerate development of its electric vehicle charging network on the Continent. Its European expansion will be made in partnership with  Siemens, the German technology company. The new funds will add to the previous funding round of $82 million led by Daimler. Once completed, the ChargePoint network in Europe will offer a full range of charging solutions for passenger cars, electric buses, and electric trucks throughout the region.

“ChargePoint is committed to laying a foundation for the future of mobility and this latest investment by Siemens Energy Management will further catapult our vision of creating the most ubiquitous and easy-to-use charging network Europe has ever seen,” says Romano. “Investment and partnerships with technology leaders like Siemens will enable our team to accelerate the expansion in Europe and encourage EV adoption in the region. Growing support from influential industry players and investors demonstrates widespread confidence in our business model and product and service portfolio.”

ChargePoint currently has more than 35,900 charging spots globally. More than 7,000 companies have already partnered with ChargePoint and hundreds of thousands of drivers have chosen the ChargePoint network to meet their charging needs. With expansions now planned in both North  America and  Europe, it is well on its way to becoming the preeminent electric vehicle charging network in the world and is well positioned to be a leader of the coming electric vehicle revolution.

Source: ChargePoint

Workplace Charging For Electric Cars: Best Practices Revealed

MetLife electric-car charging station for employee use - Dayton, Ohio

As electric cars grow in popularity, workplace charging becomes more important.

Yet while it provides a convenient option for drivers--especially those without their own garages for charging at home--workplace charging can also pose management problems for the companies that offer it.

DON'T MISS: Workplace Charging Doubles in Two Years, 90% Of Charging Stations Full

The more employees who take advantage of workplace charging in coming years, the more carefully employers must consider access, infrastructure, and energy costs.

Simply filling a parking lot with charging stations isn't always the best way to go, according to advocacy group Plug-In America, which outlined best practices for workplace charging in a recent blog post.

While not offering a one-size-fits-all approach, the group says it hopes to create a baseline for companies looking to promote electric-car adoption at a sustainable cost and with minimal environmental impact.

MetLife electric-car charging station for employee use - Johnstown, Pennsylvania

That could potentially mean foregoing free charging.

While giving something away for free may seem like a good way to get people on board, Plug-In America notes that electricity costs generally aren't a barrier to electric-car ownership.

Plugging in is almost always cheaper on a per-mile basis than filling up with gasoline.

Instead, free charging can actually create too much demand--ultimately reducing the effectiveness of workplace charging through overcrowding and high costs to the company.

Instead, Plug-In America recommends charging employees a rate just above the market rate. This also encourages charging at home during off-peak hours, taking some stress off the grid.

Solar canopy at Ford World Headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan

The type of charging equipment installed also needs to be considered: Level 1 (120-Volt) or Level 2 (240-Volt)?

Level 2 charging stations add complexity, the group says, because they provide more range than is needed for the average commute.

Employees could end up paying for more energy than they need, and cars that have been charged to full capacity may need to be moved mid-day.

ALSO SEE: Why Electric-Car Charging At Work Matters: Explaining The 'Duck Curve'

Many cars charging simultaneously could also attract extra utility-demand fees, the post says.

The solution? Slower--but potentially more predictable--120-volt Level 1 charging using either dedicated stations or conventional wall outlets.

This means cars will likely have to spend an entire workday charging, but it's not like their owners will be going anywhere.

Houston's Tranquility Park Garage with GRIDbot charging stations

On the other hand, anticipating that cars will charge for a full workday allows employers to charge a set hourly rate that's easier to align with electricity use.

Cars also don't have to be shuffled as they finish charging.

With that in mind, Plug-In America recommends mostly Level 1 charging billed at slightly higher than the market electricity rate, with some Level 2 stations available at a higher rate.

The entire blog post is worth reading, as workplace charging continues to grow--and debates over these issues bubble up at more and more companies.

Hawaii Sets EV Charging Prices To Alleviate Cost Anexiety

Hawaiian Electric Companies (HECO) and the state energy office have announced today that regulatory approval has been achieved for differential rates on EV charging stations. In other words, EV owners can charge at EV charging stations without worrying about what rate they’re paying for the electric, or about peak demand charge hours.

The rates are an attempt to encourage EV ownership in Hawaii, a place where range anxiety is limited by geographic barriers (that’s the techy term for “an ocean on all sides”).

In addition to benefits for the consumer, the new Commercial Public Electric Vehicle Charging Facility Service rate (Schedule EV-F) will provide financial incentive for business customers to open new public charging facilities, which can be metered separately from other uses. According to the press release,

This new rate will encourage businesses to provide direct current (DC) fast charging, which delivers a quicker charge but at a higher demand. A DC fast charging station can bring an “empty” EV battery to an 80 percent charge in about 30 minutes. (Demand charge represents the electric utility’s cost to maintain the capacity to meet a commercial customer’s highest demand for a fixed period.)

 Also announced as part of the new set of tariffs is a second rate that will allow HECO to provide up to 25 publicly accessible DC fast charging stations in their service areas (Oahu, Maui, and the Big Island: Kauai has its own cooperatively owned utility, KIUC). It will allow HECO to offer drivers a “per session” charge fee, and will enable HECO to do more extensive research and data gathering on load control and demand response.

At the moment, according to the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT), there are just under 1500 electric vehicles in the HECO service area (not counting the new fleet of electric motorcycles the police have on the islands). The state is hoping to dramatically increase EV ownership on the islands, which will allow Hawaii to break its energy dependence on foreign oil, since EVs can be charged with domestically produced energy from wind and solar, which the state is working to increase as well.

Photo from Pavel L Photo and Video / Shutterstock.com

Secretary Chu Highlights More Than 1,800 Electric Vehicle Chargers Installed Under the Recovery Act

PRESS RELEASE

Investments in Electric Vehicles Helping to Reduce America's Reliance on Imported Oil

LOS ANGELES - As part of the Obama Administration's comprehensive plan to address rising gas prices and reduce oil imports one-third by 2025, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced that to date, more than 1,800 electric vehicle chargers have been installed under the Recovery Act. Coulomb Technologies, ECOtality, General Motors and others have been moving forward to install the charging stations as part of the Administration's investments in U.S. electric vehicle manufacturing and alternative vehicle infrastructure. Secretary Chu made the announcement at an event today in Exposition Park in Los Angeles, California, where he was joined by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Coulomb Technologies founder and Chief Technology Officer Richard Lowenthal. The event marked the installation of the 500th electric vehicle (EV) charger by Coulomb, which received a $15 million award under the Recovery Act.

"President Obama has set an ambitious goal of putting 1 million electric vehicles on the road by 2015. Investing in the U.S. electric vehicle industry will help us reduce our dependence on foreign oil, create jobs for U.S. workers, and provide American families and businesses with alternatives to protect them from future spikes in gas prices," said Secretary Chu. "Building energy-saving electric cars and trucks, and the infrastructure to power them, will help Americans save money at the pump and improve the nation's energy security."

Since 2009, DOE has invested more than $5 billion in grants and loans to spur the growth of America's electric vehicle and advanced battery manufacturing industry. These investments are supporting U.S. manufacturers and small businesses as they expand to better compete in this fast-growing global market.

Under the Transportation Electrification Initiative, which received $400 million under the Recovery Act, companies are developing, deploying and analyzing EVs and EV infrastructure, and educating the public to help accelerate the market adoption of advanced electric-drive vehicles. The eight projects under the Transportation Electrification Initiative, including Coulomb's project, represent the world's largest electric vehicle demonstration project and will result in the deployment of over 13,000 grid-connected vehicles and over 22,000 charging points in residential, commercial, and public locations nationwide by December 2013. Through these cost-shared projects, DOE will collect information about how consumers use and charge electric vehicles, which will be critical to informing the broader rollout of electric vehicles and chargers nationwide.

Coulomb's project includes the deployment of electric vehicles, including 2,000 GM Volt, 200 Ford Transit Connect, 100 Ford Focus EV, and 100 Smart EV vehicles, as well as establishing 4,600 EV charging locations nationwide. The vehicles and charging infrastructure will be deployed in residential, workplace, and public locations in Austin, Texas, Los Angeles, Calif., New York, N.Y., Orlando, Fla., Redmond, Wash., Sacramento, Calif., San Francisco, Calif., Southern Michigan, and Washington, D.C. In addition to DOE's investment, Coulomb is providing $22.9 million in cost share for a total project value of $37.9 million. Coulomb is based in Campbell, Calif., and manufactures its charging equipment in San José, Calif.

To further build on the foundation laid out under the Recovery Act, DOE recently announced the availability of $5 million in electric vehicle funding for local governments and private companies to continue to accelerate installation of electric vehicle charging stations and infrastructure. Communities will work to develop plans and strategies for EV deployment, update their EV permitting processes, develop incentive programs, or launch other local or regional initiatives that improve the experience of EV users and help bring these highly energy-efficient vehicles in the marketplace. These projects will leverage the best practices and lessons learned from the initial deployment projects under the Recovery Act. Learn more about DOE's Funding and Partnership with Google to Promote Electric Vehicles.

Additionally, DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is joining with Google Inc. and various industry leaders to provide consumers with consistent, up-to-date information about the EV charging stations in communities nationwide. Drawing on Google Maps, this new collaboration will coordinate an online network of all U.S. charging stations and will serve as the primary data source for GPS and mapping services tracking electric vehicle charging locations. More information is available on the Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicles Data Center (AFDC).

Hawaii Taps AeroVironment to Install 320 Public Charging Stations

PRESS RELEASE

March 18 2011

• AV to partner with Hawaiian Electric Company, University of Hawaii at Manoa and Hawaii Automobile Dealers Association

• Program includes deploying electric vehicle infrastructure statewide, collecting and analyzing charging data to study impact on electricity distribution and providing public outreach and educational programs to promote EV growth

HONOLULU, First Hawaiian International Auto Show, March 18, 2011 – Hawaii Lt. Governor Brian Schatz today announced that AeroVironment (NASDAQ: AVAV) has been selected to help lead the way to a cleaner transportation future through an $820,000 contract from the Hawaii EV Ready Grants Program. The contract will fund the deployment of up to 320 AeroVironment 240-volt electric vehicle (EV) charging docks throughout the islands. Once deployment is completed, Hawaii will have one of the nation's first statewide public charging networks supporting electric vehicle drivers.

AeroVironment (AV), the official home charging-dock provider for the Nissan LEAF and co-developer of the first modern-day electric vehicle, the GM Impact, will partner with Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO) to design and build public and semi-private charging stations at convenient locations for electric vehicle owners, including high-rise buildings, resorts and rental car facilities.

AeroVironment's charging docks, including the two-port or four-port EVSE-RS+ and EVSE-CS (commercial) dock, will be strategically located throughout Oahu, Hawaii Island, Maui, and Kauai to offer drivers a practical, safe and reliable EV charging experience. AeroVironment has installed more than 1,000 charging docks in more than 300 communities across 18 states since November 2010.

The State of Hawaii is offering a rebate of up to $500 for installing charging docks through its Hawaii EV Ready Rebate Program. Customers who purchase an EV are also eligible for a state rebate of up to $4,500. In combination with the Hawaii EV Ready Grant Program and other development efforts, the rebates aim to establish the state as a leader in the clean transportation movement.

"We look forward to working with AeroVironment to help reduce the use of oil for transportation," said Robbie Alm, Hawaiian Electric executive vice president. "Wide use of electric vehicles will not only help reduce our fossil fuel dependence, it will make it easier to increase our use of renewable energy sources such as wind power and others, all contributing to our energy, economic and environmental security."

Alm added, "AeroVironment shares this vision and is an outstanding example of a supplier with a comprehensive solution for the EV market, a history in Hawaii, experience working with leading auto manufacturers and consistent high quality customer support."

The Hawaii Natural Energy Institute (HNEI), University of Hawaii at Manoa will work with AeroVironment and Hawaiian Electric to collect data from chargers to analyze the impact of EVs and associated infrastructure on the power distribution grid.

"AeroVironment's team focuses on the entire user experience from the start by providing the right tools and a full range of practical, groundbreaking solutions," said Richard Rocheleau, director of the HNEI. "As a result, we'll have the unique ability to collect and analyze usage patterns that will help us project the increased demand on Hawaii's utilities as EV adoption accelerates."

AeroVironment has been working on clean transportation programs in Hawaii for more than a decade, beginning with deployment of fast charging stations for passenger EVs in the early 2000s. AeroVironment also established world altitude records with its solar-electric, unmanned aircraft systems at the U.S. Navy Pacific Missile Range Facility at Barking Sands on Kauai.

"AeroVironment and the state of Hawaii are pioneers in the EV movement and have a long partnership focused on introducing clean transportation solutions," said Mike Bissonette, senior vice president of Efficient Energy Systems for AeroVironment. "Together, we're deploying practical solutions for a game-changing electric transportation ecosystem that will dramatically alter the vehicle refueling paradigm for drivers in Hawaii, the United States and the world.

# # #

About AeroVironment, Inc.

AV is a technology solutions provider that designs, develops, produces and supports an advanced portfolio of electric transportation solutions and electric-powered Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). AV's comprehensive EV charging solutions include EV home charging, public charging, fast charging, data collection, grid-integrated communications and complete installation, training and support services for consumers, automakers, utilities, government agencies and businesses. AV's industrial fast charging systems support thousands of electric materials handling vehicles in mission-critical supply chains for Fortune 500 enterprises. AV's power cycling and test systems provide EV developers and EV battery manufacturers with market-leading simulation and cycling capabilities. Agencies of the U.S. Department of Defense and allied military services use the company's battery-powered, hand-launched unmanned aircraft systems to provide situational awareness to tactical operating units through real-time, airborne reconnaissance, surveillance and communication. More information is available at www.avinc.com.

Detroit Edison Sets EV Plug-In Price

Detroit Edison is rolling out special pricing for early buyers of plug-in electric vehicles.

State regulators gave Michigan's largest electricity provider the go-ahead Tuesday to offer a separate rate for electric vehicle owners. Detroit Edison is the first utility in Michigan to offer pricing specific to this new wave of auto technology.

The move shows utilities are beginning to address the infrastructure needs that will arise when the first electric vehicles -- including General Motors Co.'s Chevrolet Volt -- roll into dealer showrooms later this year.

Detroit Edison, the state's largest electricity provider, will start offering the special rate today as part of an experimental program that will allow it to explore different pricing models and gauge the impact of these vehicles on the power grid.

"We view -- as do a lot of people -- electric vehicles as something of the future," said Edward Falletich, manager for pricing at Detroit Edison. "What this does is let us be privy to how much power is used to charge a vehicle."

The program will require a separate meter and will be available to 2,500 residential customers. They will have two pricing options: a lower rate for charging during off-peak hours from 11 p.m.- 9 a.m. or a monthly flat rate of $40 per vehicle.

Detroit Edison, which is owned by DTE Energy, will pay up to $2,500 toward the cost of installing a residential charging station and the additional meter. A typical 220-volt charging station can retail for about $600, Falletich said.

While automakers and the federal government have pushed to put more electric vehicles on the nation's roads, many customers still have concerns about the lack of charging stations.

Power companies like Detroit Edison are working with automakers to address these worries. Experts predict plug-in electric vehicles will catch on as charging stations become more widely available at home and curbside.

Some automakers and industry analysts expect pure electric vehicles to account for 10 percent of the auto industry's global sales by 2020, driven by government regulations and ongoing efforts to reduce oil consumption.

Anticipating this influx, many utilities are experimenting with different pricing structures to better serve the customer and cover their own costs for needed upgrades, said Oliver Hazimeh, head of management consultant PRTM's global e-Mobility Practice in Southfield.

In California, for instance, San Diego Gas & Electric is working with Nissan Corp. to study three different pricing structures. Nissan's all-electric Leaf goes on sale later this year.

One problem for electricity providers is that upgrading the power grid to support these vehicles is going to be expensive and traditional metering won't collect enough to help recoup the costs, Hazimeh said.

"Eventually we'll see other models such as (monthly) subscriptions and bundling services," he said.

Detroit Edison worked closely with GM on developing its experimental pricing program, Falletich said. GM's much-anticipated Volt will go on sale later this year. The plug-in electric vehicle can travel 40 miles on electricity alone.

"We're seeing utility companies like DTE take a progressive step to incentivize people to drive electrically," said Rob Peterson, a GM spokesman. "They give customers more reason to go out and test drive

an electric vehicle."

Source: Detroit News

Japanese Firm Can Fill Up Your Electric Vehicle in Minutes - VIDEO

A Nissan Leaf could be charged up to 50% in three minutes! This is the technology that will cause the electric vehicle to become mainstream and widely adopted.