Coulomb Technologies completed their first charging station in downtown San Jose CA just this month, January 6th 2009. I spoke to Coulomb’s Jim Solomon and Mike DiNucci and it’s clear that the company is fast-tracking deployment and positioning themselves as the new ‘gas station’, indeed in many respects I imagine that we’re repeating history, we’re at that point we must have been in 1885 when Sylvanus Bowser looked around and thought; “There’s a market for this liquid fuel and people will need a pump to get it from the barrel into the engine tank”, and so the gasoline pump was created.

But what of the gasoline pump manufacturers in an all-electric world? Well, already Gilbarco Veeder-Root, one of the largest manufacturers of forecourt fuel pumps has signed a partnership deal with Coulomb Technologies to develop the charging infrastructure. Gilbarco Veeder-Root doesn’t want to be left behind!

Are we going to see charge stations on every street corner like gas stations? “One day” says Jerry Reich, CEO of Green Power Technology, the North East territory distributor of the Coulomb Technologies charge station “Our focus is on municipalities and private parking garages today. The municipalities are especially interested; the technology goes far beyond simple charge points.” he enthuses, “Our technology can assist municipalities to identify and adapt traffic patterns through charging station incentives to the road users.” in short, by locating charge stations around rail and bus terminals municipalities can keep heavy traffic out of the city centers by offering a green re-fueling option for both electric cars and scooters. “We can offer web based booking of charge stations ensuring that where charge stations are located in cities, you can be assured that a parking space, with charge will be available for you". Given the choice of taking my gas powered car into the city and hoping for a space or, booking that space ahead of time and taking my electric; I’m feeling incentivized.

What about the infrastructure, is there enough power? Again, Jerry Reich “Not many people realize that the streets of New York City are already wired for 220v, this allows us to install higher powered units at a very reasonable cost”. Looking at the cost of each charge station it seems that the technology is even cheaper than anticipated, drawing  in the power feed and processing city permits is the most difficult part, actual installation is relatively straightforward and can cost as little as $1,800 where conditions are favorable.

Standards: Coulomb Technologies recently showcased a standards based SAE J1772 charge point that offers all compatible cars and scooters access through a standard connector eliminating the problem of having to build charge points to the lowest common denominator; the 120v domestic outlet. The SAE J1772 could potentially charge a Tesla Roadster overnight. Hotel chains, apply here!

How do I use the charging stations? That’s straightforward too; interestingly, Coulomb Technologies and its distributors aren’t allowed to sell electricity, instead they are bound to charge for a ‘Charging Session’. To get access to charging sessions the company issues key cards in the form of a tiny key fob or a regular credit card sized unit. They’re tied to the myChargePoint.NET network where you activate them and associate a credit card to the account. Depending upon how you use your EV you can select basic service where you pay for each charging session or, you can block buy daily or monthly access; this is the solution to the “I live in an apartment in New York, how do I charge?” question; the answer is to convince your landlord to install charge points in the basement garage. This is a win-win solution as the landlord will turn a profit in time and you will still charge your car for less than the cost of gasoline.

As an incentive, basic charging for all users through 2009 is free of charge.

How long before they are on every street corner? At the moment everyone seems to be talking about installing but few are pulling the trigger, there seems to be a wait and see who goes first mentality. It’s also a little chicken-and-egg between vehicle sales and the need to charge them of course. The municipalities seem to be the most likely to go first; they have funding and a strong desire to go green. If you want to help, address your local township, find out what they’re doing, especially around park-and-ride schemes.

It’s early days but with backing from large venture capital companies, partnerships with established fuel delivery system vendors and names like Martin Eberhard on the technical advisory board I think they’re off to a promising start.

MPT