EV Charging Companies Partner Up for Expansion and New Pilots

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There's a lot going on in the EV charging world this week. Coulomb Technologies will greatly expand its ChargePoint Network through partnerships with Leviton, Siemens and Aker Wade. The three will provide their own residential and/or public charging equipment built solely for the ChargePoint Network. The intent is to make EV fueling accessible, easy and cheap. And, Silver Spring Networks and partner ClipperCreek are participating in an innovative EV charging pilot program sponsored by Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). That pilot will test and validate the security, scalability and functionality of smart charging technology integration with the Smart Grid. Pilot findings will be available to a broad range of stakeholders to help establish EV charging best practices and utility integration of EVs throughout North America.

Quick Takes: Laudable initiatives in both instances here. One should provide more accessible and affordable EV charging to benefit consumers and the other could help deal with the questions surrounding how to supply the power needed for EV charging without further taxing the electric grid. And mass-market EVs are getting closer; GM just announced pricing for the Chevy Volt -- higher than expected at $41,000 (or $33,500 if you subtract the federal tax credit). In D.C., Sen. Harry Reid included the Promoting Electric Vehicles Act of 2010 in his draft energy bill announced today.

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