"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 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 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:
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."
Level III Charging Stations will charge an EV in less than one 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.
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.
About Aker Wade Power Technologies develops and manufactures fast chargers and battery management software for the electric vehicle and industrial forklift markets. Founded in 2000 Aker Wade brings a decade of experience as the leader in fast charging technology with more Fortune 1000 customers choosing its solutions than any other supplier. Aker Wade is collaborating with battery companies, infrastructure suppliers and EV manufacturers to deliver advanced Level III fast charging solutions for the coming 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 their products in the USA.
