Coulomb Technologies, a maker of electric vehicle charging station infrastructure, reports the first networked charging stations for electric vehicles are now available in Canada. The ChargePoint® Networked Charging Stations available for consumer and fleet use are now installed at the headquarters of Rapid Electric Vehicles (REV) in Vancouver.
Additionally, Charge Northwest, Coulomb’s Pacific Northwest distributor has signed REV as an official reseller in British Columbia of ChargePoint® Networked Charging Stations.
“Canada is a strategic and important country for deployment of electric vehicle charging stations,” says Richard Lowenthal CEO of Coulomb Technologies. “There are hundreds of progressive organizations, utilities and government entities that have shown strong interest in laying the groundwork for the necessary infrastructure to welcome EV’s to the market in 2010. Partnering with established distribution names in the Pacific Northwest gives us a distinct advantage to rapidly move forward in our expansion plans. We are proud to be partnering with REV and Charge Northwest.”
The 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 through multiple web-based portals for hosts, fleet managers, drivers and utilities. ChargePoint Network unique features include charging status by SMS text or e-mail notification, location of unoccupied charging stations via smart phones, authenticated access to eliminate energy theft, authorized energizing for safety and Smart Grid integration for utility load management with future V2G capabilities.
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 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.”
“We have worked closely with REV in the past year to develop strategic relationships within British Columbia,” says Jim Blaisdell, president of Charge Northwest. “The Vancouver Mayor has aggressive and specific goals about clean air mandates and reducing emissions. These charging stations are the first step to building the infrastructure for the new wave of vehicles that are coming soon to Canada. We look forward to many more installation announcements in the coming months.”
“We are proud to offer the first of many publicly available charging stations for electric vehicles in Vancouver,” says Jay Giraud, CEO of REV. “Earlier this year, Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson launched the Greenest City initiative, his vision of how our city can earn that title by 2020. The Greenest City Initiative offers specifications for zero emission vehicles including at least 15 percent of new vehicles in Vancouver should be fully electric, plug-in hybrids or fuel cell vehicles. Infrastructure is the necessary component in order to fuel these zero emission vehicles.”
For more information on REV, visit www.rapidelectricvehicles.com.
