Public Charging Network for Electric Vehicles Created By Ford And Honda
6 March 1998
Public Charging Network for Electric Vehicles Created By Ford And Honda
LOS ANGELES, March 6 -- A network of public charging
stations, designed to make driving an electric vehicle more convenient than
ever, was unveiled today by American Honda and Ford Motor Company.
The two companies joined in a unique partnership last year to provide a
total of $200,000 in matching funds to assist businesses and cities willing to
invest in public charging. While most EV drivers "fill up" overnight, a
network of public charging stations effectively extends vehicle range and
helps create greater driver comfort with this new technology.
Nine Hilton hotels, three Costco wholesale membership warehouses, the
Burbank Airport, Century City Shopping Center, the City of Pasadena, Universal
City Walk, the Hyatt Regency La Jolla and Scripps Memorial of La Jolla Medical
Center, have installed public charging stations as a result of the program.
Additional sites in both Northern and Southern California will be installed
over the next two months.
"These public charging stations help extend the driving range of EVs,
making EVs even more attractive and convenient to current and potential
users," said John Wallace, director of Alternative Fuel Vehicles for Ford
Motor Co. "Clearly, the companies and cities that are participating with us
are ahead of the curve, paving the way for more electric vehicles."
"This is an important first step in improving electric vehicle charging
access for consumers," said Tom Elliott, American Honda executive vice
president, maker of the EV PLUS. "These charging stations provide an added
sense of confidence and security for cleaner transportation."
Ford and Honda have designed their EVs to work with this shared or common
conductive charging technology and are the first OEMs to share the same
standard for publicly available vehicles.
Conductive technology, also used in Europe, has many advantages,
including: advanced safety features such as an automatically retractable cover
which shields the metal contacts; easy, one-handed use by EV customers;
excellent durability; and the potential for Level III or "fast charging,"
which, in the future, could potentially make EV charging as fast as refueling
a gasoline-fueled car. This charging equipment meets Society of Automotive
Engineering (SAE) Recommended Practice J1772, and uses a connector/receptacle
combination manufactured by the Avon Corporation.
Additional conductive charging sites are being developed in Southern
California as part of the South Coast Air Quality Management District's "Quick
Charge" program. Ford and Honda are encouraging other EV manufacturers to
cooperate on charging standards and public charging stations to serve the
widest range of EVs possible.
Available in Northern and Southern California including Los Angeles,
Orange County, Sacramento, San Diego and the San Francisco Bay Area -- the
Honda EV PLUS is the first production electric vehicle powered by advanced
nickel-metal hydride batteries. "Purpose-built" to be an electric vehicle,
the four-passenger vehicle is fully equipped for comfortable driving, and
large enough to accommodate family lifestyles and needs. The EV PLUS also is
Honda's cleanest operating vehicle and part of Honda's "clean air vehicle
line-up."
The 1998 Ford Ranger electric vehicle is now on sale in California and
nationwide. Based on the automaker's best-selling compact truck, it will
continue the Ranger heritage of meeting and exceeding customer requirements.
From its battery system to its powertrain, the Ranger EV is loaded with world-
class components developed over nearly 15 years of Ford EV research and
demonstration programs. The Ranger EV has been designed and tested to be
built Ford tough.
SOURCE American Honda
