NextEnergy Installs First ChargePoint America Electric Vehicle Charging Station in Michigan

DETROIT--(BUSINESS WIRE)--NextEnergy today announced the installation of the first ChargePoint® networked electric vehicle charging station in Michigan as part of Coulomb Technologies $37 million ChargePoint America program. ChargePoint America will offer hundreds of free stations for public and home charging to individuals and businesses throughout southern Michigan. Coulomb is working with Ford, GM and smart USA, all of whom have announced plans to introduce EVs in Southern Michigan in the coming months. The first ChargePoint America station is now installed at NextEnergy headquarters in downtown Detroit. Installation of the ChargePoint station was done by Coulomb distributor Shocking Solutions.

“We are pleased to be part of Coulomb Technologies ChargePoint America program and the site of its first installation”

The ChargePoint networked charging station was unveiled at a press conference today at the NextEnergy headquarters in downtown Detroit. Senator Debbie Stabenow, NextEnergy CEO Ronald J. Gardhouse, Coulomb CEO Richard Lowenthal, and Michigan Department of Energy, Labor & Economic Growth Director Andy Levin presented. Also attending the ceremony was ChargePoint America program vehicle partners Ford, GM and smart USA.

“Thanks to strong private-public partnerships, Michigan companies are creating jobs and leading the country in the development of electric vehicles and the advanced batteries that power them,” said Senator Debbie Stabenow. “Now Coulomb Technologies has unveiled the first of hundreds of ChargePoint America stations across the state here at NextEnergy, which was made possible by the Recovery Act. These stations will make it easier for drivers to charge their electric vehicles as we continue to build these new vehicles here in Michigan.”

“We are pleased to be part of Coulomb Technologies ChargePoint America program and the site of its first installation,” said Ronald Gardhouse, NextEnergy CEO. “In partnering with the ChargePoint America program, we will be able to accelerate the validation and acceptance of infrastructure critical to the successful introduction and launch of electric vehicles.”

Coulomb’s ChargePoint America program will provide nearly 5,000 charging stations in nine regions in the United States and is a strategic partnership between Coulomb and three leading automobile makers: Ford, General Motors and smart USA. Coulomb currently has the largest established base of networked charging stations worldwide.

ChargePoint America will offer both public and home charging stations to individuals and businesses. Businesses interested in receiving free public charging stations should visit the ChargePoint America web site www.chargepointamerica.com. Individuals interested in purchasing an EV should sign up to receive more information about qualifying for a free home charging station. Additionally, the ChargePoint America web site provides a way for drivers to suggest public locations for charging stations.

About NextEnergy

NextEnergy is a thought leader in advanced energy technologies. In partnership with industry, government, venture capital, philanthropy, and academia, we accelerate the growth of energy technologies, companies, and industries thru the invention of technologies and systems demonstrating commercial viability, mapping of value chains to connect strategic partners facilitating industry growth, and acting as an honest broker to assess technologies and shape policy. For additional information, please visit www.nextenergy.org

About ChargePoint America

The $37 million ChargePoint America program is made possible by a $15M grant funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act through the Transportation Electrification Initiative administered by the Department of Energy. ChargePoint America will provide 4,600 public and home ChargePoint Networked Charging Stations by October 2011, adding to the existing ChargePoint Network. For more program information visit www.chargepointamerica.com.

About Coulomb Technologies, Inc.

Coulomb Technologies is the leader in electric vehicle charging systems and application services, with the ChargePoint Network now operating in 14 countries, and Network Operations Centers in the U.S., London, and Hong Kong. Coulomb provides a vehicle-charging solution with an open system driver network: the ChargePoint Network provides multiple web-based portals for Hosts, Fleet managers, Drivers, and Utilities, and ChargePoint Networked Charging Stations ranging in capability from 120 Volt to 240 Volt AC charging and up to 500 Volt DC charging. To request a charging station in your area, visit www.mychargepoint.net/request-station.php.