Coulomb Technologies has installed its first ChargePoint® Networked Charging Stations for electric vehicles (EVs) in Washington.
The Markets, headquartered in Bellingham, Wash., has 21 supermarkets in the state, and the ChargePoint charging station location is the first to be sited in any supermarket in the country. There are estimated to be approximately 1,000 electric vehicles in Washington, which includes conversions, plug-in hybrid conversions, neighborhood electric vehicles and electric motorbikes.
The ChargePoint® Networked Charging Station is installed at the newly remodeled Fairhaven location at 3125 Old Fairhaven Pkwy., Bellingham, Wash., and charging is free. Charge Northwest, Coulomb’s Northwest distributor, installed the charging station.
“We decided to offer the charging station because of the greater Bellingham community’s interest in green technology and the large number of people who already drive hybrids,” says Kevin Weatherill, president and CEO of The Markets. “Many of our customers shop several times a week, so it is easy to plug in while they are stopping. Having a free community charging station, whether it’s for our local customers, or people traveling the I-5 corridor who need a place to “re-fuel”, is important.”
The networked charging station is part of the ChargePoint® Network, which is open to all drivers of plug-in vehicles and provides authentication, management, and real-time control for the networked electric vehicle charging stations through multiple web-based portals for hosts, fleet managers, drivers and utilities. ChargePoint Network unique features include:
Charging status by SMS text or email notification
Location of unoccupied charging stations via smart phones
Authenticated access to eliminate energy theft
Authorized energizing for safety
Smart Grid integration for utility load management with future V2G capabilities.
The network of electric vehicle charging stations is accessible to all plug-in drivers by making a toll free call to the 24/7 number on each charging station, or signing up for a ChargePoint Network monthly access plan and obtaining a Smart Card. Other future payment options include using any smart (RFID) credit/debit card to authorize a session or using a standard credit or debit card at a remote payment station (RPS) to pay for charging sessions. To locate available charging stations, visit www.mychargepoint.net and click “Find Stations”.
“We are proud to announce our first Washington installation,” says Richard Lowenthal, CEO of Coulomb Technologies. “Installing networked charging stations in places, such as supermarkets, brings the reality of electric vehicles one step closer. As people begin to see this necessary infrastructure for EV emerge in their daily routines this will bring the idea that electric vehicles are here to stay.”
For more information, visit www.chargenw.com.
