Fisker Automotive Selects EV Connect as Exclusive EVSE Services Provider

Press Release Source: EV Connect On Wednesday June 22, 2011, 7:00 am EDT

CULVER CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- EV Connect, the premier electric vehicle infrastructure solutions provider, today announced an exclusive services agreement with Fisker Automotive, the California manufacturer of premium electric vehicles with extended range. Under the partnership, EV Connect will install and service electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) for Karma owners and 47 Fisker dealerships throughout the United States and Canada, providing electric vehicle (EV) readiness across the national network of Fisker retailers and buyers.

“Everything we do at Fisker revolves around the customer experience, so we choose our partners with great care and diligence,” said Marti Eulberg, VP Global Sales and Marketing at Fisker Automotive. “We want to provide all our customers with a totally seamless experience and this partnership ensures that Fisker drivers across North America will receive the high level of quality service that they expect from the Fisker brand, beginning at the point-of-purchase all the way through to their charging experience at home.”

Before Fisker Karma owners leave the showroom floor, EV Connect will initiate the installation process for their Fisker-branded charging equipment for home or workplace charging. EV Connect’s automated system is fully integrated with Fisker Automotive’s CRM solution, jumpstarting the EVSE purchase order at the retailer. Behind the scenes, EV Connect will serve as the turnkey infrastructure solution for Karma, shipping the charging equipment to the Karma’s owner, performing a home or workplace site assessment and installing the unit while taking care of all permitting requirements. EV Connect serves as the singular point of contact for the purchase and ongoing maintenance of all Fisker EVSE.

“A brand like Fisker requires a platform that shares the same efficient, technology-driven DNA to seamlessly support the nationwide roll-out of Karma chargers,” said Brett Hauser, COO of EV Connect. “From order fulfillment to installation and warranty repair, our proprietary web-based solution provides the level of transparency and service that Fisker customers and retailers expect from this new line of luxury electric vehicles.”

Jordan Ramer, CEO of EV Connect concluded, “This is the point that my team—and our industry—has been working towards over the past decade. We have been working hard to innovate around the charging experience and make EV-readiness a streamlined and efficient process. As Karmas begin to grace our streets and highways, we know that we’ve played a critical role in the infrastructure charging experience required to achieve EV-readiness. We’re proud to support the launch of these broad national efforts with the elite Fisker team.”

ABOUT EV CONNECT

EV Connect provides turnkey electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure solutions for individuals, businesses and communities throughout North America. No other company parallels EV Connect’s expertise in design, installation and maintenance of EV infrastructure. For more than 15 years, the executive team has been committed to getting adopters ‘EV Ready’ with the simplest and most economical solutions for home, workplace and public charging. EV Connect is based in Culver City, California; for more information visit www.evconnect.com.

ABOUT FISKER AUTOMOTIVE

Fisker Automotive is an American car company, founded in 2007, committed to producing electric vehicles with extended range (EVer) that deliver uncompromised responsible luxury. The Fisker Karma is the world’s first premium electric plug-in hybrid that represents the company’s firm belief that environmentally conscious cars need not sacrifice passion, style, or performance. Fisker Automotive is a global company that is redefining luxury for the modern sports car buyer. For more information on the brand and the Fisker Karma, please go to http://fiskerautomotive.com.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6769725&lang=en

MULTIMEDIA AVAILABLE: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6769725

View the original article here

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.

View the original article here

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.

View the original article here

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.

View the original article here