Leading Electric Car Charging Service Provider Implements kWh Pricing in New York State

MIAMI BEACH, FL--Dec. 9, 2013: Car Charging Group, Inc. (OTCQB: CCGI) ("CarCharging"), the leading provider of electric vehicle (EV) charging services, announced its support for the State of New York Public Service Commission and its determination to permit owners and operators of EV charging stations, such as CarCharging and its subsidiaries, to implement a kilowatt hour ("kWh") based fee structure. The decision was based on the conclusion that EV charging stations do not fall within the definition of an electric plant nor do the owners and operators fall within the definition of an electric corporation; therefore, the commission ruled that it does not have jurisdiction over EV charging stations. New York joins various other states in which per kWh pricing policies are permitted, including California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Oregon, Virginia, and Washington.

This decision provides CarCharging with the opportunity to vastly improve the method by which charging fees are set and more closely resembles the gallon standard for gasoline-powered cars. Preventing station owners from setting pricing based on kilowatt hour restricted pricing to a time based structure, which was highly inequitable given that the rate at which electric cars pull power from a charging station is regulated by the EV and models draw this power at different rates. For example, a Chevy Volt pulls power at a maximum rate of 3.3 kilowatts while a Nissan LEAF pulls power at a maximum rate of 6.6 kilowatts. Therefore, in order to pull the same amount of power, a Chevy Volt would need to be connected to a station twice as long as the LEAF and with time-based fees, the payment for charging the Volt would be twice as much. Additionally, time-based fee structures have the potential to charge fees as long as the EV is connected to the station and not limit the fees to the time that the EV was charging.

"There have been so many positive developments in New York to support electric vehicles over the past year and this decision by the Commission is no exception," said Michael D. Farkas, CEO of CarCharging. "Setting pricing by the kilowatt hour is the most equitable pricing structure for EV charging, and we congratulate the commission for responding to changes in the market and permitting us to set pricing in a method that suits the industry. We hope that New York will serve as an example for other states and that the commissions in all 50 states will adjust their policies in order to further encourage the adoption of electric cars."

All of CarCharging's EV charging services in New York, as well as the charging services of two of its subsidiaries, Beam Charging and EVPass, are now set at a rate of $0.49 per kWh. Users can pinpoint EV charging station locations using the map at Car Charging.