The Auto Channel
The Largest Independent Automotive Research Resource
The Largest Independent Automotive Research Resource
Official Website of the New Car Buyer

Coulomb Technologies Furthers Innovation on the ChargePoint Network: Announces Industry-First Charging Station Reservation System


coulumb

CAMPBELL, CA--April 25, 2011: Coulomb Technologies, the leading electric vehicle (EV) charging solutions provider, today announced new advancements to the ChargePoint Network--the industry's first charging station reservation system designed for EV drivers. The ChargePoint Network now makes available the ease, when planning a road trip, to select a destination, get driving directions and reserve a charging station, all from an online Find My Charge Point Stations. This new system allows EV drivers the convenience of ensuring their desired fueling destination will always be available when they arrive. ChargePoint search results also reflect actual "real-time" status of any available charging station on the ChargePoint Network.

“Part of the EV owner experience is planning where you will charge and, planning the miles you will travel”

"Part of the EV owner experience is planning where you will charge and, planning the miles you will travel," said Richard Lowenthal, founder and CTO at Coulomb. "If you are certain you can charge at your destination, it effectively doubles the range of your vehicle since you don't need to cover the round trip with just one charge. It also means that a 100-mile vehicle can cover a 100-mile diameter metropolitan area, like the San Francisco or Los Angeles regions. I need to know in advance that a station and EV parking place is waiting and available for me at the mall, or the theater or at a meeting location. This feature is especially important to station owners who want to ensure that an EV driver will spend time at their business."

Reservations as easy as 1, 2, 3

  • Drivers search for reservable charging stations at My ChargePoint .
  • Drivers can easily make a reservation once signed into their ChargePoint Driver Account.
  • Upon making a reservation, the driver is billed the station owner-determined fee.
  • By using their ChargePass card, drivers have unlimited charging station access privileges during their reserved charging session time.
  • Reservations may be canceled by the driver up to 24 hours prior to the start of the reservation.

"Our stations are one of the few public stations in downtown Washington DC, and they are getting busier as more EVs appear on the road," said Robert Reisteter of Hines, the property manager of Columbia Square. "Having the capability to make any of our stations reservable, provides us with a new unique feature to attract EV drivers to our parking garage."

Through the ChargePoint Network, station owners can provide a distinctive new service, attract new customers and generate new revenue from EV charging. The ChargePoint Network is:

  • The largest and longest operating EV charging services network in the world.
  • The network with the most active EV drivers in the world.
  • The only charging network with mobile apps providing EV drivers real-time station status and charging notifications.
  • The world's first fully open EV charging network supporting charging stations from multiple manufacturers.
  • The world's first PCI-compliant charging network, enabling flexible driver payment and billing options for recovering energy costs.

The ChargePoint Network gives all EV drivers easy-to-use unique services including: real-time status and location of unoccupied charging stations, tracking and reporting greenhouse gas and gasoline savings, and charging status notification, all by SMS, email or smart phone (iPhone and Blackberry) applications. Coulomb's ChargePoint Network is open to all drivers of plug-in vehicles and all manufacturers of electric vehicle charging stations.

About Coulomb Technologies, Inc.

Coulomb Technologies is the leader in electric vehicle charging solutions, with charging systems and application services delivered by the ChargePoint Network. The ChargePoint Network provides multiple web-based portals for Hosts, Fleet Managers, Drivers, and Utilities. The open-system driver network went live in January 2009 and now operates in 14 countries with Network Operations Centers in the U.S., UK and Hong Kong. Coulomb's ChargePoint Networked Charging Stations range from 120 to 240 VAC charging up to 500 Volt DC fast charging with more than 3800 stations shipped worldwide. For more information go to: Coulomb Tech. Follow Coulomb on Twitter: Twitter Coulomb. Download the ChargePoint iPhone App. Download the ChargePoint Blackberry App.