“We are excited to break ground on our Blink network of charging infrastructure, starting with home charging stations in residences here in the state of Washington,” said Jonathan Read, CEO of ECOtality. “Washington is a key market for ECOtality and The EV Project, and today we are one step closer to realizing our goal of electrifying the West Coast along the I-5 corridor – and that starts in the Pacific Northwest. As more EVs are delivered, we look forward to installing our smart Blink charging stations in more homes, as well as at publicly available commercial locations.”
In early February, ECOtality recently announced the start of the mass manufacturing of the Blink Home Charging Stations at the Roush Manufacturing facility outside of Detroit. Today the state of Washington joins other EV Project regions in Los Angeles, San Diego, Oregon and Arizona in celebrating installations of residential charging infrastructure. The residential installations lay the groundwork for the deployment and installation of Blink commercial charging stations, including the Blink Level 2 Pedestal Charger and Blink DC Fast Charger.
“We are proud that our region is leading EV adoption,” said Bellevue Mayor Don Davidson. “State and regional leaders are working together to ensure our economy and our constituents are positioned to take full advantage of the benefits of this transformational change. Electric vehicles not only help America break its dependence on foreign oil but also pose a good economic and business platform for Washington State.”
ECOtality will monitor the energy usage and output of charging stations to determine a viable method for mass adoption of electric vehicles and empower the smart grid, as part of The EV Project. ECOtality will work with utilities like EV Project partner Puget Sound Energy, to determine how smart EV infrastructure can be supported.
“Electric vehicles have the potential to revolutionize our transportation system and dramatically reduce our region’s carbon footprint,” said Ben Farrow, emerging technologies project manager for PSE. “Puget Sound Energy is ready to help our customers embrace this technology by assisting them in taking the right steps to safely install the electric vehicle charging equipment best suited for their home or business needs.”
Blink Home Charging Stations are available now to EV drivers and are free of charge to EV Project participants. The smart Blink Home Charger allows for increased cost-savings through improved power management and boasts an intuitive set of features, including a 7-inch color touch-screen control panel, and a stylish, easily configurable design. The units can be installed inside or outdoors at commercial locations, with both hardwire and plug-in versions available. For more information, including product spec sheets, please visit www.blinknetwork.com.
“Our household has always been passionate about clean technologies, specifically environmental-friendly vehicles,” said Samantha Quick, an EV Project participant in Bellevue who recently received her Nissan LEAF. “We’ve been supporting the electric car movement for some time now, having owned electric cars in the past, and are excited to continue our support through the EV Project. Additionally, adopting a Blink home charging station is definitely a big plus — it will get me on the right track to make my electric vehicle lifestyle more convenient and in addition to allowing me to keep my energy usage monitored and in check.”
ECOtality is the project manager of The EV Project, the largest rollout of EV infrastructure in history, and will oversee the installation of commercial and residential charging stations in 18 cities and major metropolitan areas throughout six states and the District of Columbia. The project, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy through a federal stimulus grant of $114.8 million made possible by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), will provide an EV infrastructure to support the deployment of 8,300 EVs. The grants are matched by private investment, bringing the total value of the Project to approximately $230 million.
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.
