By Elena Velkov, media center coordinator, Fresh Energy

Representatives and partners of ElectriCharge Mobility visited Fresh Energy yesterday to talk about some exciting developments in the field of electric vehicle transportation. Partner Paul Axt said people often view the development of the industry as a chicken-and-egg problem between the vehicles and their charging stations. What must come first to grow the other? ElectriCharge Mobility and charging-station developer Coulomb Technologies believe we first need to show people charging stations are widespread and accessible, in order for people to purchase electric vehicles.

Coulomb Technologies specializes in “intelligent” ChargePoint Networked Charging Stations, which perform electric metering and wireless communication. This brings about all kinds of new wave features. People can sign up to receive e-mails or texts when their car is finished charging. They can also receive alerts if there is an error with their charge, for example if someone cuts the cord. There’s also an elaborate online database that informs people where the charging stations are across the country, whether the stations are available, and how much global warming pollution people are avoiding by driving electric cars. Finally, there are future plans for the charging stations to pull energy from solar panels and also for the cars to provide energy storage through their smart grid integration.

Electric vehicles are a great option for most drivers. Studies show that 80 percent of commuters travel less than 40 miles per day, according to the Electric Auto Association. This kind of travel would work just fine on an overnight charge. The Association also finds that electric vehicles are 97 percent cleaner than gas cars, and they’re less polluting even when sourced from dirty energy because electric motors are much more efficient than traditional internal combustion engines. Plus, there are financial paybacks and energy security elements that make electric vehicles a great option.

Of course the challenge with electric cars comes with distance driving. For many electric car owners, this is most readily solved by renting a car. However, electric vehicle service and network provider Better Place is developing a “filling station” model. Distance drivers can replace their cars’ batteries in less time than it takes to pump gas. Check out the video.

President Obama this spring announced $2.4 billion in grants for electric vehicle development, so Fresh Energy’s advocacy for electric vehicles will only continue. The Clean Energy Department is currently pushing for solar panels and electric vehicle charging stations on the Central Corridor Light Rail, and Transportation Connections regularly supports policies that support the development of electric vehicles.

This entry was posted on Friday, November 13th, 2009 at 9:38 am by Fresh Energy and is filed under Energy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.