ECOtality, Inc. will provide a preview of its first generation of internet-based software for advanced electric vehicle charging.
The software, developed by eTec (Electric Transportation Engineering Corporation), a wholly-owned subsidiary of ECOtality, will be on display this week at the Electric Drive Transportation Association (EDTA) conference held in conjunction with the Washington Auto Show in Washington, D.C. A basic software demonstration can be viewed at www.theEVproject.com.
The hallmark of this signature software is convenience. Consumers will be able to use the networked portal to program the time of charge, for example, and choose the least expensive, ‘off-peak’ time periods in which to charge. Custom text and email alerts will remind drivers to plug in their vehicles, and will notify them when there is a change in charging activities – including whether a charge is complete or has been interrupted. To alleviate range anxiety, a GIS-based mapping system will help drivers find charging stations, identify how many chargers are available at a particular location and whether or not an individual charger is in use.
The software is being developed by ECOtality’s subsidiary, eTec, for The EV Project, the largest-ever rollout of electric-vehicle infrastructure in the United States. In August 2009, the company was awarded a cooperative federal grant of nearly $100 million from the U.S. Department of Energy, funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), to implement The EV Project.
The EV Project will establish approximately 11,210 electric vehicle charging stations in home-base, commercial and public locations to support the public adoption of plug-in vehicles in major markets in five states: Arizona (Phoenix & Tucson metropolitan areas), Washington (Seattle area), Oregon (Portland, Salem, Corvallis and Eugene), California (San Diego) and Tennessee (Chattanooga, Knoxville and Nashville). Use of the new software comes at no charge to the Project participants; data gathered through this pilot will help evaluate the overall effectiveness of The EV Project.
