Coulomb Technologies and Aker Wade Announce Availability of Level III Networked Fast Charging Stations for Electric Vehicles
Powered by Aker Wade's Fast Charging Technology and Coulomb's ChargePoint Network, Agreement Brings Charging for EV's in Thirty Minutes: First Fast Charging Stations to Arrive in Q3 2010
Campbell, Calif., January 12, 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 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.
"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 half an 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.
About Coulomb Technologies
Coulomb Technologies is the leader in electric vehicle charging station infrastructure with networked charging stations installed in municipalities and organizations worldwide. Coulomb provides a vehicle-charging infrastructure, with an open system driver network: ChargePoint provides multiple web-based portals for Hosts, Fleet managers, Drivers, and Utilities, and ChargePoint Networked Charging Stations ranging in capability from 120 Volt to 240 Volt AC charging and up to 500 Volt DC charging. For more information, please visit www.coulombtech.com and follow Coulomb on Twitter at twitter.com/coulombevi.
Aker Wade Power Technologies
Aker Wade Power Technologies designs and manufactures advanced fast charging systems for electric vehicles and industrial forklifts. Founded in 2000, Aker Wade is the market-leading provider of fast charging technology for Fortune 1000 companies servicing markets in the U.S., Europe and Asia. Aker Wade is collaborating with battery companies, infrastructure suppliers and EV manufacturers to deliver advanced Level III fast charging solutions for the future generation of battery electric vehicles. Among the companies Aker Wade is working with are EnerSys, A123, Coulomb Technologies, and Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO). Aker Wade is proud to engineer and manufacture all of its products in the U.S. For additional information, please visit www.akerwade.com.
