Alternative Energy

Alternative energy news, and information about renewable energy technologies.

Jun 21

Walnut Creek Installs 3 Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

Posted in Electric Cars | Energy Industry | Transportation

Coulomb Technologies has taken the initiative to install their ChargePoint™ Networked Charging Stations for electric vehicles in Walnut Creek, CA. Walnut Creek has got the distinction of becoming the third Bay Area city to deploy charging station. Coulomb’s charging stations were officially inaugurated on Tuesday, June 9, 2009 at the Locust Street Garage. The charging stations were installed in three public parking garages in the heart of downtown Walnut Creek.

Why has Coulomb Technologies chosen Walnut Creek? Actually Walnut Creek is the hub of outdoor festivals, the performing arts scene and superb shopping and dining experience. That’s why this is supposed to be one of the top destinations in the Bay Area. Now the opening of the charging stations will enable the EV owners across the Bay Area to enjoy the outdoor activities without worrying about recharging their vehicles. So it goes without saying that EV owners are in considerable numbers in Bay Area and they are aware about clean and green technology. The consumer profile is quite lucrative for establishing recharging stations.

Richard Lowenthal, CEO of Coulomb Technologies, shares his views, “Progressive Bay Area cities are leading by example when it comes to EV infrastructure. Nowhere else in the world can drivers of electric vehicles travel from city to city and find charging stations. The infrastructure for EV’s is taking shape in the Bay Area. The cities of San Jose and San Francisco were the first installations for consumers and fleet owners and now with the addition of Walnut Creek to our network of charging stations, drivers can literally drive around the Bay Area and charge as they go.”

Coulomb Technologies can boast of a good record of establishing the charging stations for municipalities, utilities, green office buildings and parking garages. This make the life easy for EV owners. They can recharge their electric vehicles wherever they live, work and shop. What do the consumers have to do to avail such facilities? Consumers have to subscribe to the ChargePoint Network and they receive a ChargePoint Smart Card. ChargePoint Smart Card allows them to charge their car at any charging station worldwide.

Headquartered in Campbell, California, people at Coulomb Technologies are specialists in products and services that provide a plug-in vehicle charging infrastructure, which includes ChargePoint Networked Charging Stations ranging in capability from 120V 15A to 240V 80A AC charging to 120kW DC charging. Coulomb applies networking technology to charge electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids in order to fuel the electric transportation industry.

Colleen

This sounds like a really good thing. It would be even better if the electricity from the charging stations is being generated by wind, sun or water rather than coal or nuclear. Do you know how it is being generated?
Phil

Colleen,

If you think of the effort and dollars required to build a complete electric car infrastructure it is a mammoth task. You are have to think in terms of modules.

Which comes first the chicken or the egg?

As you rightly point out electricity can be produced in a number of ways so when the carbon based fuels run out we will have the infrastructure ‘module’ in place to accept a recharge from any source. Enter the electric car and charging stations. [ Ode to joy plays in background ]

The next ‘module’ is to move from carbon based systems to hydrogen as a fuel for the powerstations that will charge up the electric car. If you have a look at the technologies from desalination to the production of hydrogen itself the hydrogen ‘module’ is a very real alternative now. [ We will rock you plays in background ]

It is the political ‘module’ which will present the greatest difficulty. The special interests of big oil, big coal have embedded themselves so deeply in the democratic system they have become controllers of it. While there is oil in the ground our strategicly oil based masters will not allow their power or profits to be diminished. Government, corrupted and diverted by these special interests, has to change. [funeral march plays in background]

If China follows the American model of energy consumption it will need four planet Earths to sustain it. This in short will lead to war for economic resources.

Political change will come once governments and special interests have figured out a way to obtain the same level of power, control, and profit over alternative energy. Enter carbon credits [ ‘I want money’ plays in background ]

The alternative energy world is very scary for governments imagine a power plant in your backyard that runs on water. You are free from utilities and centralized power production and the government doesn’t get the tax. The moneygoround stops. [ Tears Of a Clown plays in background ]

To me the low power production of water is at once good news for poor impoverished people and agriculture. Also an enabling technology for the production of Hydrogen. [ Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life plays in foreground….. Exits]
Kyra

In the UK (not relative to US I know) you can actually be taxed for having a water source on your land (this comes from a random, probably drunken, hippy ramble between me and a few ppl) plus the water board, though having no legal standing can get a tad upset and send you a few bad letters if you use another waters source. MY POINT: your gov could follow our gov’s example.

The government & oil companies have always been a tad funny about hybrid cars etc, as they bought the pentanes to them years ago and its only been due to the recent public outcry that they have waved these ideas out in front of the masses, in the hope of a heroic applaud.
MY POINT: they’ve thought out the tax problem ages ago.

The chicken was a mutation of another species.
MY POINT: the chicken came first.
Francisco A Roque

I feel we should go for the Air Car, the one by MDI. It can do 200 miles per compressed air tank, how much it costs to fill a tank, maybe less than a dollar? Lets push for this people.
Ahsanullah Soomro

Very nice concept for an electric car.
http://www.green-planet-solar-energy.com Roger

This is a good move. Someone has to take the first step and it’s good to see a company be prepared to do that. EVs won’t take off until they can be recharged easily, so this small step could have huge positive repercussions.
http://barryyoung.org Barry Young

Cool… it’s good to see the application of this technology expanding.