Coulomb, Aker Wade to network EV stations

Coulomb Technologies and Aker Wade Power Technologies have reached 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 less than one 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,” says 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 increase vehicle usage by more than 50 percent. And this is 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 CoulombÂ’s open architecture ChargePoint Network, the new Level III networked fast charge stations will have all of the features of CoulombÂ’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," says 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."