“When people think of refueling their cars, they think of gas stations, and we’re excited to work with BP to demonstrate a new way of fueling cars to the American driver,” said Jonathan Read, CEO of ECOtality. “We designed our Blink DC fast chargers to meet the needs of both retailers and consumers and make electric vehicles a reality. As BP and ARCO locations are situated along major traffic routes we believe that DC fast charging is ideal for these types of locations.”
“Individual ownership of electric cars is still a relatively new concept” said Kevin Phelan, Vice President of Sales and Marketing with BP. “We understand the importance of finding future energy solutions and this pilot allows us to test EV charging technology, gather real-world data and learn about how motorists use and charge electric vehicles.
BP will test and evaluate the Blink DC Fast Chargers at 45 different BP and ARCO locations as part of BP’s participation in The EV Project. Working with BP, ECOtality will determine the best location for DC Fast Charger stations utilizing the company’s Micro-Climate™ process.
Location considerations will be made based upon population density and transportation corridors in each project region. BP is expected to install DC Fast Chargers at select BP and ARCO locations in and around the major pilot markets of The EV Project which include Phoenix (AZ), Tucson (AZ), San Diego (CA), Los Angeles (CA), Portland (OR), Eugene (OR), Salem (OR), Corvallis (OR), Seattle (WA), Nashville (TN), Knoxville (TN) and Chattanooga (TN). DC Fast Chargers will be available at select BP locations beginning in March 2011.
“One of The EV Project’s goals is to break the common misconceptions with EVs, and our fast chargers will solve two of the major EV myths,” said Don Karner, President of ECOtality North America. “The project will make sure that there are readily available public chargers nationwide, and that drivers can charge their cars quickly and easily at locations convenient to them. By removing these barriers to adoption and creating rich charging infrastructure, we will drive consumer EV implementation.”
ECOtality is the project manager for The EV Project, an initiative that will include the installation of approximately 15,000 charging stations in 16 cities and major metropolitan areas in six states, and will place 8,300 EVs on the road. The project is funded with a $114.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The grants are matched by private investment, bringing the total value of the project to approximately $230 million.
BP markets more than 15 billion gallons of gasoline every year to U.S. consumers through more than 11,000 BP and ARCO branded retail outlets and supplies more than four billion gallons of fuel annually to fleets, industrial users, auto and truck manufacturers, railroads and utilities.
BP is the single, global brand formed by the combination of the former British Petroleum, Amoco Corporation, Atlantic Richfield (ARCO) and Burmah Castrol. BP is a global producer, manufacturer and marketer of oil, gas, chemicals and renewable energy solutions.
ECOtality, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECTY), headquartered in San Francisco, California, is a leader in clean electric transportation and storage technologies. Through innovation, acquisitions, and strategic partnerships, ECOtality accelerates the market applicability of advanced electric technologies to replace carbon-based fuels.
The Blink DC Fast Charger is the highest-power charging station currently on the market, and is capable of providing a full charge in less than 30 minutes. The dual port design ensures maximum availability for drivers seeking to obtain a quick charge while minimizing the total power that must be supplied by the host. The Blink design provides intelligent, user-friendly features to intuitively and safely charge electric vehicles, including easy payment options, interactive touch screen displays and web-based information delivery. A smartphone application is also integrated within the Blink Network and allows users to access charge station locations and GPS navigation, charge status and notifications of completed or interrupted charging.
The DC Fast Charger is outfitted with a 42” LCD display that provides an optional venue for media and advertising. In addition, the exterior treatments and graphics of the unit are completely customizable, allowing BP and other businesses to rebrand based on location. Blink Network media content will be customizable and broadcast across Blink Network charger locations nationwide.
