“ECOtality is committed to providing Pima County with a smart and calculated approach to the deployment of EV infrastructure,” said Jonathan Read, CEO of ECOtality. “We are proud to announce the EV rollout plans for southern Arizona and look forward to electrifying one of the major transportation corridors in the United States. The cooperation of local stakeholders, government agencies and EV Project partners has been key to laying the foundation for a rich charging infrastructure in Arizona. The additional infrastructure ECOtality will be building in Arizona will increase consumer confidence in EVs, eliminate range anxiety and create a sustainable charging ecosystem.”
ECOtality worked closely with the Pima Association of Governments (PAG), local agencies and utilities to develop the EV deployment plans. Under the guidelines of the company’s EV Micro-Climate™ process, a systematic approach that evaluates a variety of regional factors, ECOtality was able to determine the most effective way to install charging infrastructure. By taking into consideration EV market data, transportation routes, population density and zoning, blueprints were developed to allow for the smart deployment of charging stations that will fuel consumer adoption of EVs.
"Pima Association of Governments (PAG) Tucson Regional Clean Cities Coalition is proud to be a part of the largest deployment of electric vehicle infrastructure in the nation’s history,” stated Colleen Crowninshield, manager of the Clean Cities Coalition at PAG. “Working with our Clean Cities Coalition Members and ECOtality, PAG’s Clean Cities Program is excited to begin installation of electric vehicle charging infrastructure to help secure America’s energy independence for our future.”
ECOtality will install 230 Level 2 and 10 DC Fast Charger publicly available Blink charging stations in the greater Tucson region, in addition to approximately 180 residential charging stations. Blink Level 2 chargers and DC Fast Chargers will be available at commercial locations by summer 2011. Tucson Electric Power, an EV Project partner, is working with ECOtality to aid in commercial adoption of charging stations.
“TEP is committed to supporting the integration of electric vehicles in our community,” said David Hutchens, Vice President of Energy Efficiency and Resource Planning for Tucson Electric Power. “EVs will help reduce emissions and ease our dependence on foreign oil while offering residents an opportunity to power their cars with solar energy for a totally clean commute."
The Tucson Botanical Gardens is an early adopter of EV charging infrastructure, and will install two Level 2 charging stations.
“We believe the installation of an EV Station at the Tucson Botanical Gardens will create opportunities to further enhance our mission and help illustrate to members of the community and visitors sustainability at its best,” said Michelle Conklin, Executive Director of the Tucson Botanical Gardens.
As the project manager for The EV Project, ECOtality will supervise the construction of the largest deployment of EV infrastructure to date. The $230 million public-private initiative is funded with a $114.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The EV Project includes 16 cities and major metropolitan areas in six states, and will result in the installation of approximately 15,000 charging stations by June 2011.
“PAG and the state of Arizona are taking an active role in helping to develop EV infrastructure plans that will aid future EV rollouts nationwide,” stated Don Karner, President of ECOtality North America. “In order for consumers to accept EVs, we must develop a comprehensive, rich charging network that is embraced by businesses and is readily available to the public. The deployment of our Blink charging stations, as laid out in the plans we have unveiled today, will allow us to obtain valuable data that will contribute to the success of The EV Project.”
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.
