Coming Soon: Electric Car Charging Stations

-The U.S. Department of Energy has given a $15 million grant to Coulomb Technologies, the flagship company for electric vehicle charging station infrastructure, that will be used to give away electric vehicle chargers to Washington area residents and building owners. The grant is part of a larger project by CT to create a nationwide electric vehicle infrastructure by providing nearly 5,000 no cost home and public charging stations to program participants in nine regions of the U.S., expanding the largest networked infrastructure for electric vehicles in the world.

The $37 million ChargePoint America program is made possible by the grant from the Department of Energy, which administered the Transportation Electrification Initiative through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The initiative is being further supported by partnerships with auto companies Ford, Chevrolet and smart USA, who have committed to deliver electric vehicles in the designated U.S. regions, D.C. among them.

“The Obama Administration has set significant and considerable goals for the widespread adoption of electric vehicles in the coming years,” said Richard Lowenthal, CEO of Coulomb Technologies.

In response to the federal grant, D.C. plans to install 10 public charging stations by the end of the year, and another 10 by 2011. Property owners will additionally have the opportunity to receive free charging stations from CT, which plans to distribute 200 to 300 kiosks, after which they will be available for purchase from a variety of manufacturers, including D.C.-based GreenlightAC. The company plans to install several units in Downtown buildings this year.