ecotality

Daimler subsidiary Car2Go is expanding its car-sharing business to San Diego, but it's taking the green concept one step further by making its vehicle fleet all-electric.

Car2go currently operates in Austin, Texas with a fleet of 300 two-seater gas-powered Smart ForTwos, which are produced by parent company Daimler. Members can rent the vehicles by the day, hour, or minute, and unlike ZipCar, they don't have to specify a time by which they will return the vehicles. To rent a car, participants locate an available vehicle using the Web site or mobile app. When they're finished using the … Read more

In an increasingly crowded business of electric vehicle charging stations, a couple of companies are touting speed.

Ecotality and Coulomb Technologies today announced direct-current charging stations that can significantly refill an electric car's battery in around a half-hour. Both companies displayed their DC charge stations at the Business of Plugging In conference here.

Ecotality's Blink DC Fast Charger has the ability to blast 200 amps of current to a car's battery. The company expects to have 150 of the systems installed in public places as part of the EV Project public charge station network by next summer, … Read more

Twelve Best Buy stores will plug in Ecototality charging stations for electric vehicles, part of an effort to build out the fueling infrastructure for electric cars in the U.S.

Ecotality said today that its Blink EV charging stations will be installed by March at stores in Tucson, Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Seattle. Based on data gathered at those locations, the companies will consider installing more charging stations in other regions.

With electric vehicles, including the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt, now coming onto the roads, the auto industry and governments are seeking to ensure that drivers have … Read more

Ecotality announced today that it's been chosen to partner with the government of the Australian province Victoria to install and monitor Blink electric vehicle charging stations in a test project.

As part of the Victorian Electric Vehicle Trial, the Victorian Department of Transport is asking 180 households to volunteer to have Ecotality's Blink Level 2 fasting-charging stations installed in their homes and drive an electric vehicle (EV) for at least three months.

As with the U.S. EV test project, those who join the Victorian test project will be agreeing to have their chargers monitored so the government … Read more

GM debuted its Level 2 in-home charger for its soon-to-be released Chevrolet Volt, which will be priced at $490. That doesn't sound bad, considering the average price of gas is $2.73 (as of Oct. 4) and a full battery can get you 40 miles before the engine turns on. But factor in the installation costs for the in-home charging unit and you may face sticker shock at the plug.

The Voltec is expected to cost around $1,500 to install, depending on the region and amount of electrical work required to install the 240-volt charger. The upside on … Read more

Electric vehicle charging stations will connect three cities in Tennessee, in a project that backers says bridges the 100-mile limit of electric cars.

The Tennessee Valley Authority on Wednesday is hosting a one-day conference to unveil a "blueprint" for the charging infrastructure needed to support electric transportation for consumers.

Tennessee is one of seven regions in the U.S. participating in the EV project, which is managed by electric vehicle charge company Ecotality. The $230 million project, partially funded with $114.8 million in Department of Energy grants, intends to bring 15,000 Internet-connected charging stations to 16 … Read more

I wrote a blog post a couple of weeks ago about a new charging technology by JFE Engineering that can charge a battery to 50 percent in 3 minutes, and up to 70 percent in 5 minutes. While the technology is impressive, some readers wondered if that fast-charging battery technology would have a negative effect on the life span on EV car batteries.

Well, readers have little to worry about since that technology probably isn't making it to the U.S. or in stateside electric vehicles any time soon.

There are few public level 3 charging stations in the … Read more

Ecotality unveiled Tuesday what will be one of the first commercially available charging stations specifically designed for electric vehicles and plug-in electric vehicles.

The Ecotality Blink line of charging stations, which will initially be implemented as part of the national EV Project, consists of a free-standing commercial model and a wall-mountable home model both made to work via a 240-volt AC input.

The Blink Level 2 wall mount charger for the home can be installed in a garage or outdoors in a carport. Ecotality estimates its station will take between two to six hours to fully recharge a vehicle battery.

Ecotality has released information in an attempt to answer the inevitable questions sure to be posed by the average consumer as EV charging station technology is introduced to the general public:

The Blink station is compliant with the national electric code requirements, and the plug part that goes into your car, which is the J1772 standard electric car plug agreed upon by the Society of Automotive Engineers, is "safe in wet or dry use."

The plug and cable can also "withstand being driven over by a vehicle."

The length of the electric cable is about 18 feet long, and the charging station includes a holder for that long cable.

The EV charging station integrates with an EV's drive system, so drivers can't accidentally put the car in drive and attempt to drive away while their car is still plugged in.

The Blink comes with a touch-screen display for operating it.

The machine has a built-in smart metering system to monitor usage.

In addition to introducing America to the basics of a an EV charging station, Ecotality announced Wednesday it has signed an agreement with Qualcomm to implement its technology into Blink stations so that the stations can communicate over cellular networks. The Qualcomm tech will allow the charging stations to use cell networks to transfer usage data, as well as perform firmware updates. But the Blink stations, according to Ecotality specs, will also have the capability to use LAN, wireless IEEE 802.11g, or ZigBee to communicate.

The Blink home station will be able to communicate directly with utilities, and take direction from the user via a Web application or smartphone that will also allow the user to regulate when the charger kicks on. The station itself can also be timed for personal convenience, or to automatically work in sync with off-peak electricity times and rates.… Read more

General Motors will offer the first 4,400 buyers of its Chevrolet Volt the option of having a 240-volt charging station installed in their home when the car is released this fall, the company said Thursday.

The Volt is General Motors' upcoming plug-in electric car that promises a range of 40 miles on electricity alone before one is forced to switch to gas for fuel. GM refers to it as an extended-range electric vehicle, or EREV, instead of a hybrid because the gas engine generator is not directly tied to the car's transmission.

The 240-volt charging stations will be … Read more