Electric Cars Report » charging

Telekom Austria Turns Phone Boxes Into Electric Car Charging Stations

admin — Wed, 05 May 2010 12:49:10 +0000

Telekom Austria has announced plans to turn old telephone boxes into recharging stations for electric cars.

During the test phase the service will be free of charge. Following commercial launch, charging stations will offer the possibility to pay via mobile phone using text messages, paybox or a RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) card with a RFID chip.

13,500 telephone booths are currently operated by the company countrywide out of which 700 are multimedia stations and in the first roll out phase, the focus will again be on multimedia stations offering on-street parking opportunities for electric cars.

By year-end 2010 a total of 30 charging stations will be on stream.

Admittedly, the scheme is still in its infancy: there are just 223 electric cars currently registered in Austria at the moment, plus 3,559 hybrid cars, from a total 4.36 million cars on Austrian roads.

But the Austrian motor vehicle association VOeC is predicting that the number of electric vehicles will significantly increase in Austria over the next few years, with e-scooters exceeding 60,000 and electric cars 115,000 by 2015.

Pre-Wired Homes for Electric Cars

admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:10:36 +0000

Homebuilder KB Home started to offer an option to pre-wire its “Built to Order” new home construction package – providing built-in technology so owners can recharge either plug-in hybrid or electric cars.

The move comes from KB Home’s market surveys that showed buyers want greener homes that are not only “earth-friendly” but save them money as well.

This new earth-friendly option is designed to ease the future installation of a station to charge an electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle conveniently at home.

Both cars must be charged, and a higher-voltage charging station at home could make the process go more quickly than charging from a standard home outlet.

“This is just one of many innovative and earth-friendly options that homeowners can choose from as part of KB Home’s Built to Order experience. It’s a great feature for homebuyers who currently drive electric cars, or for those who want to build their new home to accommodate these cars in the future,” said Jeffrey Mezger, president and chief executive officer of KB Home.

GE and Juice Technologies Partners on Electric Vehicle Charging Devices

admin — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 15:44:42 +0000

GE and Juice Technologies announced partnership to create intelligent plug-in electric vehicle charging devices for U.S. and global markets.

Electric vehicles will begin shipping in volume across the United States in 2010. Charging stations will be needed to meet the growing consumer demand. Chargers will communicate with power grid to determine best times to charge, helping plug-in electric vehicles enter the mainstream.

The chargers integrate GE’s smart meters with Juice Technology’s Plug Smart™ engine to help consumers charge their cars during low-demand, lower cost time periods.

Smart chargers will hasten acceptance of plug-in cars by making them more attractive to both consumers and utilities. Consumers will benefit by receiving the lowest-possible charging rates for their cars. Utilities will be able to better control the demand for electricity and take on the added load of electric vehicles without over taxing their grids. Utilities will also realize greater value from their capital equipment during overnight and other low-demand times, when it is substantially less utilized.

GE will offer a comprehensive line of charging products that combine GE’s smart meter technology and communication capabilities with Juice Technologies’ patent-pending intelligent charging technology.

Initial chargers will be available in the United States in the second quarter of 2010, with full-scale production ramping up throughout the year. Global availability will follow.