Coulomb Technologies Announces $3.4 Million from CA Energy Commission to Install Electric Vehicles Infrastructure

The grant will provide funds for the installation of ChargePoint Networked Charging Stations for electric vehicles in three California metro regions, Los Angeles, Sacramento and the San Jose/San Francisco Bay Area. The Energy Commission award is a part of Coulombs recently announced $37 million ChargePoint America program to provide nearly 5000 public and home charging stations in nine regions in the United States.

The first California installation of the ChargePoint America program will be unveiled at a news conference on Thursday, July 8, 2010 at 9:30 a.m. PST at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) headquarters in Palo Alto, California. The EPRI stations will be used to collect research data on the requirements of workplace charging. Presenting at the event will be Silicon Valley Leadership Executive Director Carl Guardino, Energy Commissioner Jeffrey Byron, Coulomb President Praveen Mandal, EPRI Vice President of Environment and Renewables Sector Bryan Hannegan, and US Department of Energy Supervisor, Hybrid Electric Systems and Materials Technology, Office of Vehicle Technologies Edwin Owens. 

Leaders throughout California commented on Coulombs grant award

 Electric vehicles are one of the most exciting green technologies on the market and a vital part of Californias developing clean energy economy, said Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. It is innovative companies like Coulomb Technologies that are creating jobs for Californians, and reducing our dependency on dirty oil by making electric vehicles more accessible. I applaud Coulomb Technologies and the Energy Commission for their work to help strengthen our clean energy infrastructure and build more electric charging stations across our great state.

California is leading the charge and will soon have thousands of networked charging stations installed thanks to this grant from the Energy Commission, said Richard Lowenthal, CEO of Coulomb Technologies. Our beautiful state is an early adopter and innovator and we are proud that our California-based company is producing and manufacturing infrastructure that will fuel the new wave of transportation.

As a leader in alternative and renewable fuel and vehicle technology, California continues to show the nation bold creativity, innovation, and economic know-how, said Energy Commissioner Jeffrey Byron. The California Energy Commission sees electric vehicles and electric vehicle infrastructure as a smart way to create the green jobs of tomorrow while also cleaning the air we breathe, and reducing hazardous emissions.

Continued Byron, this competitive award of $3.4 million demonstrates that California is investing in clean, green technology that will deliver dividends benefitting our economy and our environment. These funds are part of $100 million awarded annually to develop alternative and renewable fuels and advanced transportation technologies to help meet the state's climate change policies. On behalf of the Energy Commission, I appreciate Coulomb Technologies and their partners for their innovative approach, commitment, and dedication to improving California with this new charging technology.

Electric vehicles can help us reduce our dependence on foreign oil, protect the environment and create new green jobs, said San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed. Id like to thank the California Energy Commission for recognizing the innovation that occurs here in Silicon Valley and supporting our efforts to make the Bay Area the Electric Vehicle Capital of America.

This grant will help San Francisco fulfill our commitment to building EV infrastructure in the Bay Area, said San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. Our charging stations are the most used in the ChargePoint Network. With this grant, our city will be able to accommodate the growing need and demand for ChargePoint stations in San Francisco. We are happy to be partnering with Coulomb as a part of the ChargePoint America Program.

"We are excited to be a part of the ChargePoint America program and thrilled that Los Angeles will soon have hundreds of networked charging stations throughout the city, said Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa. "This will allow us to install hundreds of networked charging stations throughout our city and in a few short months - with funding from the California Energy Commission - Los Angeles will be well on its way towards being EV ready."

The $37 million ChargePoint America program is made possible by a $15 million grant funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act through the Transportation Electrification Initiative administered by the Department of Energy. ChargePoint Networked Charging Stations are available now for installation in all nine designated regional metropolitan areas of the US. More than 1,000 new public charging stations will be installed by December 2010, adding to the existing ChargePoint Network. The remaining stations will be installed by October 2011. Coulomb currently has the largest established base of networked charging stations worldwide with more than 700 units shipped to more than 130 customers in 2009.

Supporting of the ChargePoint America program, three automakers have committed to deliver electric vehicles in the designated US regions. The Chevrolet Volt, the Ford Transit Connect Electric and Ford Focus Electric through the Ford Blue Oval ChargePoint Program, and the smart fortwo electric drive will be introduced along with this program. ChargePoint America will offer both home and public charging stations to individuals and businesses. Businesses interested in receiving public charging stations should visit the ChargePoint America web site and sign up by completing the application form. Individuals interested in purchasing an EV can sign up at www.chargepointamerica.com to receive more information about qualifying to receive a home charging station. Additionally, the ChargePoint America web site provides a way to suggest public locations for charging stations.

ChargePoint Network stations are network-enabled, capable of reporting energy usage and communicating over the network with Software Application Services and Network Support Services to activate capabilities such as:

• Providing open access for all drivers using any standards-based RFID card
• Generating revenue for station owners to offset electricity and maintenance costs
• Sending SMS or Email notifications to drivers for charging complete or interruptions in charging
• Controlling access to eliminate energy theft and to enhance safety
• Integrating with the utility Smart Grid for demand side management and preferred pricing

Charging stations owners can set their own prices for charging through the ChargePoint Flex Billing system. The Flex Billing system enables station owners to set pricing as a function of time of day, calendar date, and driver - much like a parking meter. Those same stations can also be configured to provide "free" access to EV drivers.

Coulomb's ChargePoint Network is open to all drivers of plug-in vehicles and provides authentication, management, and real-time control for the networked electric vehicle charging stations. The network of electric vehicle charging stations is accessible to all plug-in drivers by making a toll-free call to the 24/7 number on each charging station, or signing up for a ChargePoint Network monthly access plan and obtaining a ChargePass smart card. Other future payment options include using any smart (RFID) credit/debit card to authorize a session or using a standard credit or debit card at a remote payment station (RPS) to pay for charging sessions. To locate available charging stations, visit www.mychargepoint.net and click Find Stations. 

About the California Energy Commission

Created by the Legislature in 1974, the California Energy Commission is the state's primary energy policy and planning agency. The Energy Commission has five major responsibilities: forecasting future energy needs and keeping historical energy data; licensing thermal power plants 50 megawatts or larger; promoting energy efficiency through appliance and building standards; developing energy technologies and supporting renewable energy; and planning for and directing state response to energy emergency. 

About ChargePoint America

ChargePoint America will provide 4,600 public and private ChargePoint Networked Charging Stations by October 2011. 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, and Purdue University and Idaho National Labs will analyze the data.

About Coulomb Technologies, Inc.

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: the ChargePoint Network 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.