Coulomb Technologies will be installing 4,600 charging stations in metropolitan areas nationwide as more and more EV vehicles hit the road. It will officially be called the ChargePoint America Program. This is what the goal of the program is:
ChargePoint America is a program sponsored by Coulomb Technologies to provide electric vehicle charging infrastructure to nine selected regions in the United States. The is made possible by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act through the Transportation Electrification Initiative administered by the Department of Energy and the objective is to accelerate the development and production of electric vehicles to substantially reduce petroleum consumption, reduce greenhouse gas production, and create jobs.
This will be partnership between Smart, Chevy, and Ford that should have more than 1,000 stations installed by the end of 2010 and the rest by the end of 2011.
What's amazing is that I've heard about electric cars since I was a kid back in the 80s. Read about it and saw it in a variety of anime. But through the years, it hasn't happened. Part of my drive for something like is the idea of self-sufficiency. It's why I always love longer and longer battery life in my mobile gears.
The problem before was the chick or the egg problem. Without electrical cars, there was no need for charging stations. And without charging stations, these cars could not go long distance.
In light of the political minefield that the Middle East represents and the changing climate, we need this more than ever. I am hoping that three charging stations will have some solar component to them as well.
Adding wind or solar sources, which might not provide all the energy needed, it may help run the facility.
Of course, we'll need to see just how far the program goes. Of the $37 million funding for the project, $15 million will from the American Recovery And Reinvestment Act, you know, the stimulus package.
More at Arstechnica and ChargePoint America Program.
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