TXU Energy and City of McKinney Launch Public Electric Vehicle Charging Network

{"s" : "avav","k" : "a00,a50,b00,b60,c10,g00,h00,l10,p20,t10,v00","o" : "","j" : ""} Press Release Source: AeroVironment, Inc. On Monday May 16, 2011, 9:10 am EDT

MCKINNEY, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - News) announced today that it has been selected by TXU Energy to deploy electric vehicle (EV) charging stations to support a public charging network in the Dallas Metro-plex area beginning with a historic installation in the City of McKinney. TXU Energy CEO Jim Burke and the mayor of McKinney, Brian Loughmiller announced the new charging network at an event in front of the McKinney Public Library where the first of four charging stations was installed.

The installation of AeroVironment’s UL Listed charging stations throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex area is a demonstration of the commitment by the electric retailers and municipalities to meet customer needs and actively promote sustainability.

“Practical EVs are here today and it’s important for us to offer clean refueling options to EV drivers who are embracing this new and exciting technology,” said Jim Burke, chief executive officer of TXU Energy. “We are very impressed with the AeroVironment equipment and they were helpful and very knowledgeable in all aspects of the installation and operation.”

AeroVironment’s EVSE-CS system is listed by the Underwriter’s Laboratory and has met its rigorous requirements for safety, construction and performance measures. AV’s supporting network data systems are designed with an open architecture to ensure interoperability with the TXU Energy network, allowing the utility and its customers to track charge data and provide critical information and recommendations to utilities and users such as energy usage, efficiency and cost optimization.

“AeroVironment is committed to providing the most convenient and reliable charging solutions with the electric car owner in mind,” said Mike Bissonette, senior vice president and general manager of AeroVironemnt’s Efficient Energy Solutions business segment. “We look forward to working with TXU Energy to electrify McKinney, TX, one of the fastest-growing cities in the U.S.”

AeroVironment provides electric vehicle charging stations and installation services for NissanR North America’s Nissan LEAF?, NRG Energy’s eVgo network and the state of Hawaii’s EV Ready program.

About TXU Energy

TXU Energy is a market-leading competitive retailer that provides electricity and related services to approximately 2 million electricity customers in Texas. TXU Energy offers a variety of innovative products and solutions, allowing both its residential and business customers to choose options that best meet their needs, including exceptional customer service, competitively priced electricity service plans, innovative energy efficiency options, renewable energy programs and other electricity-related products and services. Visit txu.com for more information about TXU Energy.

About AeroVironment, Inc.

AeroVironment 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). AeroVironment’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. AeroVironment’s industrial fast charging systems support thousands of electric materials handling vehicles in mission-critical supply chains for Fortune 500 enterprises. AeroVironment’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 and www.evsolutions.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

Certain statements in this press release may constitute "forward-looking statements" as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are made on the basis of current expectations, forecasts and assumptions that involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, economic, competitive, governmental and technological factors outside of our control, that may cause our business, strategy or actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, our ability to perform under existing contracts and obtain additional contracts; changes in the regulatory environment; the activities of competitors; failure of the markets in which we operate to grow; failure to expand into new markets; failure to develop new products or integrate new technology with current products; and general economic and business conditions in the United States and elsewhere in the world. For a further list and description of such risks and uncertainties, see the reports we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We do not intend, and undertake no obligation, to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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London gets city-wide electric vehicle charging network

AeroVironment, selected to provide charging stations for the Nissan LEAF and BMW ActiveE, and co-developer of the first modern day EV, will install the fast charging stations along a 150-mile span of the I-5. The stations will be placed at convenient locations and will allow drivers to recharge their electric vehicles from a fully-discharged state in less than 30 minutes.

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Oregon's electric car charging network is behind schedule

Bruce Ely / The OregonianPGE public relations employee Elaina Media demonstrates the charging station in the utility's Portland garage. With its backyard chicken farms, recycling ethos, and nation-leading love affair with the Toyota Prius, Oregon has long been seen as the perfect test bed for electric cars.

So it was with some collective relief when Oregon's green credibility was reaffirmed in 2009 by its selection as one of six states to participate in the EV Project. The $230 million, stimulus-funded study is geared to put thousands of electric cars on the road across 18 cities, along with a network of more than 8,000 public charging stations, then watch how they get used.

But a funny thing may be happening on the way to the charging station. Oregon consumers, local experts say, haven't been beating the bushes to get their hands on a Nissan Leaf, the only mass-produced, all-electric vehicle currently on the market. Moreover, the vehicles have been slower to arrive than some anticipated.

And those public charging stations -- the plug-in infrastructure that will help wary consumers overcome the dreaded "range anxiety"?

Well, good luck finding one.

Ecotality, the San Francisco company awarded $130 million by the U.S. Department of Energy to build the network of public charging stations, was supposed to have 1,100 installed in Oregon by the end of next month. But as of last week it has yet to install a single public station in Oregon.

Not one.

A handful of charging stations funded by private companies and municipalities are scattered around western Oregon. But the EV Project was the first broad, coordinated effort to establish a public charging infrastructure. In addition, the state of Oregon received its own pot of stimulus money for charging stations. The state is on track to install eight public quick-charge stations along the Interstate 5 corridor between Eugene and the California border by September. But that's only one link in the B.C. to Baja Green Highway project -- and likely one of the least traveled.

"We thought we'd see the Ecotality stuff up and running by the time we got this corridor in place," said Art James, project director in the Oregon Department of Transportation's Innovative Partnerships office.

Of course, it's early yet in the electric vehicle industry. But as President Obama highlights his goal of putting 1 million advanced technology vehicles on U.S. roads by 2015, the slow rollout of the EV Project illustrates some of the chicken-and-egg problems involved in hatching an entirely new market and weaning the United States from its dependence on petroleum.

A U.S. Department of Energy official said last week that the department is modifying its contract with Ecotality, pushing back the deadline for the six-state public charging infrastructure to the end of the year. The official said the changes were being made to pace the charging station rollout with the arrival of the vehicles and better match the overall deployment with consumer demand across the six states.

Under the modified contract terms, the official said, the deployment targets in Oregon also have been reduced to 750 residential and 850 public charging stations by the end of the year, about 25 percent less than original earlier goals.

Ecotality wouldn't confirm those numbers. Indeed, Ecotality Chief Executive Don Karner says there are no hard targets. The company is in "market follow mode," he said, sequencing the charger rollout to the delivery of the vehicles across the six states and 18 metro areas where the EV project is taking place. As of May 6, the company had installed 164 residential chargers in Oregon -- well ahead of the number of cars delivered here.

While taxpayers are picking up the tab for the public charging station network, Karner says it makes no sense to install them only to gather dust and cobwebs.

"This isn't the field of dreams," he said. "We're not going to build the infrastructure and the vehicles will come."

Actually, that did seem to be one of the original motivations for the stimulus funding -- to seed the market.

"I'm sick of the chicken and egg argument," said George Beard, an EV advocate and instructor at Portland State University. "Ecotality better start delivering, or we run the risk of having the narrative become, 'I love my car, but I can't charge it anywhere.'"

Beard likens consumers' reluctance to test EVs to the process of learning to swim. "You'll take more risks swimming to the deep end if there's a string of those buoys sitting out there."

Ecotality's Karner insists that the plan all along was to match the commercial installations to the vehicle rollout. Business owners, Karner said, are reluctant to dedicate a parking space to a charger when there are so few cars in the market.

Nissan, too, insists that everything is right on track.

"Great Leaf demand continues in Oregon and our rollout is going exactly as planned," said Katherine Zachary, a spokeswoman for the auto manufacturer.

Yet, Portland General Electric's Aug. 5, 2009 press release touting the project said "up to 1,000 Nissan electric vehicles will be made available at Oregon Nissan dealerships in fall 2010, and 2,500 charging stations will be installed at homes and businesses beginning in the summer of 2010."

Zachary said Nissan had some production slowdowns due to the Japanese tsunami, but things are back on track. The company has 375 orders for Nissan Leafs in Oregon, the third highest of the six states in the EV Project. California has 3,000 orders and Washington 750.

All those orders, Zachary said, will be filled this summer. "We have no doubts on the power of the market," she said.

Locals are no less enthusiastic. But they acknowledge the reality on the ground.

"They're behind," Charlie Allcock, director of economic development at Portland General Electric, said of the EV Project. "We all know they're behind."

Allcock was one of the first Oregonians to take delivery of a Nissan Leaf. He has been an enthusiastic advocate of electric vehicles and was recently named one of the 100 most influential people in the electric vehicle industry. He offers a number of possible explanations for the delay.

Car makers took longer than anticipated to agree on universal standards for the plugs and chargers. It took Ecotality longer than anticipated to get its charger approved by Underwriters Lab. The lingering effects of the recession makes it tough for folks to contemplate buying an electric vehicle.

PGE and Pacific Power are local partners in the EV Project and say they'll lay the groundwork for the installations just as soon as Ecotality decides where to put them. There is some lead time, for planning, permitting then pulling conduit to the charging station location. So far, PGE hasn't received any commercial work orders.

The Oregon Department of Transportation has taken delivery of three Nissan Leafs for its fleet. James, the project director there, recently distributed an account of his own experience traveling back and forth in the Leaf from Salem to a meeting in Portland. With the car's dashboard range readout showing 105 miles, he set off thinking there was a comfortable margin of error for the 90-mile trip.

Instead, the car burned 70 percent of its charge on the way to Portland. And though it got two charges, one in Portland and one at the Nissan dealer in Wilsonville, James and his passengers were alarmed to see that they had nine miles of range remaining, with six miles left to drive. A hailstorm left them worrying whether there was enough juice to run the windshield wipers.

"The moral of this story," James wrote, "is that we have to get those charging stations installed!!!"

-- Ted Sickinger

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Electric Vehicle Charging Services Arrive at Oakland International Airport as Coulomb’s ChargePoint Network Expansion ...

Press Release Source: Coulomb Technologies, Inc. On Wednesday May 18, 2011, 10:15 am EDT

OAKLAND, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The Port of Oakland and Coulomb Technologies today announced that electric vehicle (EV) driver services have arrived at Oakland International Airport (OAK) with the installation of eight ChargePointR Network charging stations for EVs in the Premier Parking Lot.

Oakland International is the first Northern California airport to offer EV charging services as part of the ChargePoint Network, providing drivers EV services including real-time charging station status and reservations.

The ChargePoint charging stations will be unveiled today at a 10:00 am press event at OAK with Port of Oakland Director of Aviation Deborah Ale Flint, Coulomb Founder and CTO Richard Lowenthal and a testimonial by a Bay Area EV driver and OAK customer. A charging demonstration of numerous EVs at the eight dual-outlet stations includes a Chevrolet Volt, Nissan LEAF and Tesla Roadster.

“Oakland International Airport and Bay Area EV drivers are aligned in our mutual goal of environmental leadership,” said Deborah Ale Flint, Director of Aviation, Port of Oakland. “We are now ready for the next generation of alternative-powered vehicles and we appreciate that stimulus funding combined with new technology has transformed a vision to reality. Through Coulomb Technologies, we offer eight ChargePoint Network charging stations that can simultaneously serve up to 15 electric vehicles, giving our EV-driving customers the ability to charge while they are traveling or greeting a passenger inside our terminals,” she continued.

“Oakland International has been a long-time leader in environmental stewardship and because of this we are so pleased that the East Bay’s airport is the first in Northern California to install ChargePoint Network charging stations for their customers,” said Richard Lowenthal, Founder and CTO, Coulomb Technologies. “This is another example of the airport’s commitment to renewable energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, leading to a healthier community. Bay Area EV owners now have another reason to choose OAK for their air travel needs.”

ChargePoint stations are located in OAK’s Premier Lot, located directly opposite the terminals. There is no additional fee for EV charging. Parking rates are priced competitively at $3.00 per 30 minutes for up to 5 hours, and $36.00 for 5 to 24 hours. Other Premier Lot benefits include:

Exclusive entry and exit lanes to minimize waiting; Credit Card Express: just swipe the same credit card upon entering and exiting, with no parking ticket to keep track of; Access to the Premier Security Lanes at the terminal security checkpoints – a huge time-saver; and Premier Ambassador Service which includes a free newspaper and water, and outgoing fax service.

The ChargePoint Network expansion into Oakland International Airport brings EV drivers easy-to-use unique charging services including the ability to: check real-time status and location of unoccupied charging stations, reserve a charging station, track and report greenhouse gas and gasoline savings, and receive charging status notifications by SMS, email or smart phone (iPhone and Blackberry) applications. Coulomb’s ChargePoint Network is open to all drivers of plug-in vehicles and all manufacturers of electric vehicle charging stations.

The ChargePoint stations are a part of Coulomb’s $37 million ChargePoint America program, which offers thousands of free EV charging stations for public and home charging to individuals and businesses. The charging stations were supplied by Coulomb regional distributor Clean Fuel Connection, which used Bay Area contractor REJ Electric for installation.

Coulomb’s ChargePoint America program will provide nearly 5,000 charging stations to program participants in ten regions in the United States: Austin, Texas, Boston, Los Angeles, New York, Orlando/Tampa, Sacramento, Calif., San Jose/San Francisco Bay Area, Redmond/Bellevue, Wash., Washington DC/Baltimore, Southern Michigan (including Grand Rapids, Lansing, Ann Arbor, Detroit). The program is a strategic partnership between Coulomb and three leading automobile brands: Ford, Chevrolet and smart USA. Coulomb currently has the largest established base of networked charging stations worldwide with more than 3800 systems shipped to more than 700 customers. Installation of the ChargePoint charging stations is currently underway in all regions. Businesses interested in free public ChargePoint stations can visit http://www.chargepointamerica.com to apply.

About ChargePoint America

The $37 million ChargePoint America program is made possible by a $15M grant funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act through the Transportation Electrification Initiative administered by the Department of Energy. ChargePoint America will provide 4,600 public and home ChargePoint Networked Charging Stations by October 2011, adding to the existing ChargePoint Network. Coulomb will work together with its distribution and industry partners to evaluate the demand from the respective geographic regions and allocate charging stations based on this and other factors. The ChargePoint America project will collect data characterizing vehicle use and charging patterns. Idaho National Labs will analyze the data. www.chargepointamerica.com

About Coulomb Technologies, Inc.

Coulomb Technologies is the leader in electric vehicle charging solutions, with charging systems and application services delivered by the ChargePoint Network. The ChargePoint Network provides multiple web-based portals for Hosts, Fleet Managers, Drivers, and Utilities. The open-system driver network went live in January 2009 and now operates in 14 countries with Network Operations Centers in the U.S., UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany and Hong Kong. Coulomb’s ChargePoint Networked Charging Stations range from 120 to 240 VAC charging up to 500 Volt DC fast charging with more than 3800 stations shipped worldwide. For more information go to: www.coulombtech.com. Follow Coulomb on Twitter: twitter.com/coulombevi. Download the ChargePoint iPhone App. Download the ChargePoint Blackberry App.

About the Port of Oakland and Oakland International Airport

The Port of Oakland oversees the Oakland seaport, Oakland International Airport and 20 miles of waterfront. The Oakland seaport is the fifth busiest container port in the U.S.; Oakland International Airport is the second largest San Francisco Bay Area airport and fourth largest airport in California, offering over 130 daily flights; and the Port’s real estate includes commercial developments such as Jack London Square and hundreds of acres of public parks and conservation areas. The Port of Oakland was established in 1927 and is an independent department of the City of Oakland. Visit portofoakland.com and oaklandairport.com. Facebook / Oakland International Airport.

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University of Missouri Kansas City Joins the ChargePoint Network Delivering EV Driver Services to Employees and Students

Press Release Source: Coulomb Technologies, Inc. On Tuesday May 3, 2011, 10:15 am EDT

KANSAS CITY, Mo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- As part of its growing commitment to sustainability, the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) today announced it has joined the ChargePointR Network, providing electric vehicle driver services for its students and employees. UMKC has installed its first ChargePoint networked charging station for EVs at its Kansas City, Mo. campus. The ChargePoint station will service electric vehicles on campus as part of a U.S. DOE grant managed by the Metropolitan Energy Center’s Kansas City Regional Clean Cities Coalition. Sale of the ChargePoint charging station was completed by LilyPad EV via Coulomb’s Midwest/Chicago distributor Carbon Day Automotive.

“The University’s commitment to sustainability and cleaner transportation is evident in our growing bike-share program, our recent bus pass initiative and a new emphasis on promoting and accommodating electric vehicles throughout our campus,” said UMKC Chancellor Leo E. Morton. “With the installation of our first electric vehicle charging station, we are pleased to introduce our students, faculty and staff to an alternative future of fueling.”

This ChargePoint Network expansion brings University of Missouri EV drivers unique, easy-to-use services including real-time status and location of unoccupied charging stations, tracking and reporting of greenhouse gas and gasoline savings, and charging status notification, all by SMS, email or smart phone (iPhone and Blackberry) applications. Coulomb’s ChargePoint Network is open to all drivers of plug-in vehicles and all manufacturers of electric vehicle charging stations.

ChargePoint Network services enable charging station owners to generate new revenue from EV charging. Station owners can set their own prices for charging as a function of the time of day or calendar date - much like a parking meter. Stations can also be configured to provide free access to EV drivers. Station owners can:

Recover energy costs with PCI-compliant driver billing Track and report energy usage and savings for greenhouse gas and fuel Set multiple service plans for EV driver usage Create flexible billing options for their customers, without a subscription, via contactless credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, AMEX, and Discover) Access 24 X 7 station monitoring and driver support Post custom advertising and greetings on the charging station display

A program of Metropolitan Energy Center, the Kansas City Regional Clean Cities Coalition is a public/private partnership among fleet managers and manufacturers, vendors, and service providers to promote the adoption of alternative fuel vehicles and other petroleum reduction strategies. Kansas City’s coalition has been active since 1996 and is a proud partner with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Clean Cities Program since 1998. Clean Cities’ vision is energy independence and cleaner air through clean fuels and advanced vehicle adoption. In 2009, the U.S. DOE awarded the Coalition $15 million, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, to deploy more than 300 alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles and install or upgrade alternative refueling at more than 30 locations in our 3-state region. For more information about MEC and the Coalition see www.kcenergy.org.

About the University of Missouri-Kansas City

The University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), one of four University of Missouri campuses, is a public university serving more than 15,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional students. UMKC engages with the community and economy based on a four-part mission: life and health sciences; visual and performing arts; urban issues and education; and a vibrant learning and campus life experience. For more information about UMKC, visit www.umkc.edu. UMKC was named one of Sierra Club’s 100 Coolest Schools for 2010.

About LilyPad EV

LilyPad EV is the Kansas and Missouri reseller for Coulomb Technologies. We sell, install, and maintain Coulomb Electric Vehicle Charging Stations under Midwest distributor Carbon Day Automotive in Chicago. LilyPad EV proudly partners with area Plug In Readiness Task Forces, and other interested parties, to actively help regions prepare for the arrival of plug in vehicles. LilyPad EV is a member of the Kansas City, St. Louis, Central Kansas, and Springfield, Missouri Plug in Readiness Task Forces. Our purpose is to ensure that people who purchase electric vehicles will be able to charge them as necessary…where they live, work, play, and shop. Our business model helps organizations move towards their sustainability goals while creating a new revenue streams. Visit www.lilypadev.com for more information or contact us at info@lilypadev.com.

About Carbon Day Automotive

Carbon Day Automotive (Chicago) is the leading electric vehicle charging station company in the Midwest as the exclusive distributor for Coulomb Technologies in 10 states which includes Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, and Lake County Indiana. Please visit www.CarbonDayAutomotive.com for more information.

About Coulomb Technologies, Inc.

Coulomb Technologies is the leader in electric vehicle charging solutions, with charging systems and application services delivered by the ChargePoint Network. The ChargePoint Network provides multiple web-based portals for Hosts, Fleet Managers, Drivers, and Utilities. The open-system driver network went live in January 2009 and now operates in 14 countries with Network Operations Centers in the U.S., UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany and Hong Kong. Coulomb’s ChargePoint Networked Charging Stations range from 120 to 240 VAC charging up to 500 Volt DC fast charging with more than 3800 stations shipped worldwide. For more information go to: www.coulombtech.com. Follow Coulomb on Twitter: twitter.com/coulombevi. Download the ChargePoint iPhone App. Download the ChargePoint Blackberry App.

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ChargePoint Network Expands to Santa Cruz, Calif. as Electric Vehicle Charging Services Extend Throughout Monterey Bay

SANTA CRUZ, CA--April 14, 2011: Coulomb Technologies today announced that Santa Cruz County is the latest area in California to provide ChargePoint Network electric vehicle (EV) charging services. The first eight ChargePoint networked charging stations for EVs are located in five locations: Scotts Valley, Capitola, Aptos, and two in Santa Cruz, as a part of Coulomb's $37 million ChargePoint America program.

“As the organization representing the millions of?potential future consumers of plug-in hybrids and fully electric vehicles, Plug In America believes widespread EV charging will truly benefit consumers who want the next generation of clean plug-in cars.”

The ChargePoint charging stations were unveiled today at a press event at the headquarters of Ecology Action at 877 Cedar St., Santa Cruz with program representatives: Mayor Ryan Coonerty, City of Santa Cruz; Mayor Dennis Norton, City of Capitola; Richard Lowenthal, founder and CTO, Coulomb Technologies; Jay Friedland, Legislative Director, Plug In America; and Sharon Sarris, Monterey Bay Electric Vehicle Alliance Co-chair. A charging demonstration of six EVs at three dual-outlet stations included a Chevrolet Volt, Nissan LEAF, Tesla, Zero Motorcycle, Green Vehicles-- Triac, and Zenn EV.

"Santa Cruz is known for our commitment to the environment and sustainability," said Santa Cruz Mayor Ryan Coonerty. "In the near future electric vehicles will be commonplace throughout the region. I am pleased the City and County of Santa Cruz, as well as the entire Monterey Bay area, are building a state-of-the-art EV charging infrastructure to encourage the adoption of these vehicles to help reduce emissions in our region. Santa Cruz is one of the most popular travel destination areas in California. Our visitors will now be able to charge their EVs while enjoying all our area has to offer."

In addition to the downtown Santa Cruz location, other nearby ChargePoint locations are:

Zero Motorcycles, 170 Technology Dr., Scotts Valley County of Santa Cruz, 710 Ocean St., Santa Cruz City of Capitola, upper parking lot behind City Hall, 420 Capitola Ave. Capitola Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County, 7807 Soquel Drive, Aptos

Coulomb's ChargePoint America program offers thousands of free EV charging stations for public and home charging to individuals and businesses. Installation of the charging stations was provided by Coulomb regional distributor Clean Fuel Connection, which used local contractors for installation with the support of IBEW Local 234.

"Plug In America is excited to see the deployment of the next generation of plug-in infrastructure in Santa Cruz County. The outstanding efforts of MBEVA, Coulomb Technologies and all of the partners will accelerate the market acceptance of electric vehicles in Santa Cruz, the Monterey Bay and San Francisco Bay areas," said Jay Friedland, Legislative Director of Plug In America. "As the organization representing the millions of?potential future consumers of plug-in hybrids and fully electric vehicles, Plug In America believes widespread EV charging will truly benefit consumers who want the next generation of clean plug-in cars."

The ChargePoint Network expansion into Santa Cruz County brings EV drivers the easy-to-use unique services including real-time status and location of unoccupied charging stations, tracking and reporting greenhouse gas and gasoline savings, and charging status notification, all by SMS, email or smart phone (iPhone and Blackberry) applications. Coulomb's ChargePoint Network is open to all drivers of plug-in vehicles and all manufacturers of electric vehicle charging stations.

Coulomb's ChargePoint America program will provide nearly 5,000 charging stations to program participants in ten regions in the United States: Austin, Texas, Boston, Los Angeles, New York, Orlando/Tampa, Sacramento, Calif., San Jose/San Francisco Bay Area, Redmond/Bellevue, Wash., Washington DC/Baltimore, Southern Michigan (including Grand Rapids, Lansing, Ann Arbor, Detroit). The program is a strategic partnership between Coulomb and three leading automobile brands: Ford, Chevrolet and smart USA. Coulomb currently has the largest established base of networked charging stations worldwide with more than 3800 systems shipped to more than 500 customers. Installation of the ChargePoint charging stations is currently underway in all regions. Businesses interested in free public ChargePoint stations can visit to apply.

About ChargePoint America

The $37 million ChargePoint America program is made possible by a $15M grant funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act through the Transportation Electrification Initiative administered by the Department of Energy. ChargePoint America will provide 4,600 public and home ChargePoint Networked Charging Stations by October 2011, adding to the existing ChargePoint Network. Coulomb will work together with its distribution and industry partners to evaluate the demand from the respective geographic regions and allocate charging stations based on this and other factors. The ChargePoint America project will collect data characterizing vehicle use and charging patterns. Idaho National Labs will analyze the data.

About Coulomb Technologies, Inc.

Coulomb Technologies is the leader in electric vehicle charging solutions, with charging systems and application services delivered by the ChargePoint Network. The ChargePoint Network provides multiple web-based portals for Hosts, Fleet Managers, Drivers, and Utilities. The open-system driver network went live in January 2009 and now operates in 14 countries with Network Operations Centers in the U.S., UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany and Hong Kong. Coulomb's ChargePoint Networked Charging Stations range from 120 to 240 VAC charging up to 500 Volt DC fast charging with more than 3800 stations shipped worldwide.

About Monterey Bay Electric Vehicle Alliance (MBEVA)

The Monterey Bay Electric Vehicle Alliance is a public-private partnership focused on preparing Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz Counties for widespread adoption of plug-in electric vehicles. Through the combined efforts of business, public agencies, education, auto retailers, EV charging station and EV manufacturers, PG&E, IBEW Local 234, and the Electric Auto Association-Central Coast, MBEVA has been successful in working with public agencies to bring more than $500,000 to the region. Some of this funding with additional local matching support will result in more than 50 Level 2 and 1 DC Fast Charge stations to the region. The Monterey Bay is also home to Scotts Valley and Santa Cruz-based Zero Motorcycles and Green Vehicles in Salinas and a variety of other electric vehicle-related companies.

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Vehicle to Grid - How Electric Vehicles Interact With a Smart Power Electricity Network

What is Vehicle to Grid

Also called Vehicle 2 Grid or V2G, Vehicle to Grid is the process of connecting your electric car into the transmission electricity network. If you have an electric vehicle then you will definitely want to consider setting up V2G through a simple metering system and contract with your local electricity supplier.

What do I need to consider before deciding to connect my vehicle to the grid?


Firstly you have to have an electric car which can be charged by a standard electricity outlet.
The second thing you will want to do is determine some basic driving habits - i.e. if you drive almost your entire vehicle range to work and back every day, then there is unlikely to be much energy left over to swap between your battery and the grid, which makes setting up V2G a little redundant
Having decided that V2G connectivity is possible and feasible, you will need to look at the right products on the market to help you achieve this. I.e. which inverter should be used and which electricity trading contract will suit your needs the best?
If you decide suddenly that V2G is not good for you, how can you get out of an otherwise more expensive contract?

Once these basic items have been checked off the list, it is time to call up your utility and start the process of applying for V2G. You can then purchase a suitable inverter which allows you to feed back into the grid (this will be similar if not identical to the type of inverters used on solar PV grid connected power supplies). Of course you will have to decide what sized inverter to go for.

For example, a 5kW inverter may cost $1000 and a 2kW inverter may cost $600. Therefore you have to be sure that you can recover the $400 over being able to sell a higher rate of electricity in peak times. Some simple maths will help you work out the optimal solution, but just be aware of the various pay offs for each option.

Why is Vehicle to Grid (V2G) Good?

Vehicle to Grid applications have a number of benefits for all sorts of businesses and stakeholders. Vehicle to Grid (V2G):


Empowers the home consumer to make sensible choices about when they use their electricity through smart metering
saves the consumer money in the long run through effective electricity management
is green! Every time you supply the grid with electricity during the yearly peak energy demand, you are reducing the need to upgrade the electricity network with more transmission lines and generators
You are helping to bring electric vehicles (EV's) onto the market
You are reducing your carbon footprint! This is a big ones these days
The electricity company can save money and reduce their unit electricity prices, or reduce the need to increase them
reduce the amount of electricity transmission line needed. I.e. the car transports the electricity to where it is needed.


Cuts down on the amount of fuel stations required
Reduces our addiction to foreign oil through the accelerated introduction of electric vehicles and ability to replace fossil fuel generation with renewable energy generation.
Allows more sustainable energy and renewable energy to be introduced onto the electricity grid, as electric vehicle batteries can now act as a buffer to intermittent generation.

The last point is an important one. Traditional transmission networks are struggling to cope with large percentages of intermittent renewable and sustainable energy generation, as electricity generation from these sources is largely dependent on the elements. Therefore to have the ability to store electricity somewhere is important. In many countries power utilities are approaching this by pumping water up a hill and regenerating during peak times (~60% efficiency) or storing hydrogen formed by electrolysis underground ready for re generation (~40% efficiency). Storing electricity in batteries is a much higher efficiency (60% - 90%) however is a little costly.

Japan uses large battery sheds to store small amounts of energy, however vehicle to grid systems also work very well as storage mechanisms and are likely to play this role in the future as more electric vehicles hit the market. How soon we will see such networks will largely rely on the countries commitment to renewable and sustainable energy sources, as well as the abundance of wind, sun and wave energy. Although many companies claim to have a green lining, short term economics of such projects still remains the number one driver for the introduction of such technology.

The advantage to the end consumer who is running a vehicle to grid system is the savings in electricity for essentially hiring out the storage space in their electric car battery. So as we can see, it is a win win for many as it not only reduces the stress on our electricity transmission and generation networks, allows more sustainable energy to be placed on the system with lower carbon emissions, but also saves the end user money whilst making electric vehicles more affordable. It also weans us off our foreign oil addiction through the cost effective introduction of electric vehicles, a topical issue as we approach peak oil status around the world.

For more information you may want to consult your electricity network to find out about their smart metering tariffs. You will also want to look into the purchase of an electric vehicle, or an electric vehicle conversion in able to make use of the vehicle-2-grid (V2G) technology. I guess we can all look forward to a cleaner, greener, cheaper carbon restrained future, and V2G is going to help us get there in a big way!

More information on Vehicle to Grid (V2G) at http://www.v2g.com.au.

http://www.sustainableenergy.com.au has plenty of information on solar PV, solar thermal, wind energy, geothermal generation, biomass and biofuel energy, peak oil, electric vehicles and other renewable and sustainable energy alternatives.

I look forward to seeing sustainable energy, electric vehicles and effective energy management bring us into the next era. Richard Watson http://www.richardwatson.me