SAN FRANCISCO & WILSONVILLE, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ECOtality, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECTY), a leader in clean electric transportation and storage technologies, today celebrated commercial installations of the company’s Blink® Electric Vehicle (EV) Pedestal charging stations statewide. Politicians, local stakeholders, EV drivers and company representatives gathered outside the Wilsonville City Hall to commemorate the publicly available charging station.
“The City of Wilsonville is excited to host one of the first commercial charging stations deployed as part of The EV Project," said Wilsonville Mayor Tim Knapp. "As a major service center on the West Coast’s crucial I-5 corridor, Wilsonville will be an important link in a seamless network of chargers. This EV charger demonstrates Wilsonville’s commitment to sustainability and support for cleaner energy sources that will power the economy of the future."
ECOtality began installations of its Blink Level 2 Residential Charging Stations in EV Project regions nationwide last December, and announced it had completed its first thousand installations in May. The company aims to have all commercial and publicly accessible charging stations installed, including approximately 1,100 units in Oregon, by the end of the year.
“We’ve reached an important stage in the rollout of electric vehicles—with more EVs on the road, we’ve intensified our efforts to build the rich public charging infrastructure that will take EV drivers where they need to go,” said Jonathan Read, CEO of ECOtality. “With our residential deployment well under way, ECOtality is working diligently to install commercial charging stations at locations convenient to EV drivers. Oregon EV drivers can expect to see more Blink charging stations throughout the coming months.”
Locations for the publicly available charging stations were selected using ECOtality’s EV Micro-Climate™ planning process, which takes into account a variety of factors including traffic patterns and the locations of employment centers, regional attractions and retail hubs, as well as the input from many regional partners. The Blink charging stations will be installed in Portland, Salem, Corvallis and Eugene, and ECOtality also announced plans to place stations in Medford, Ore., and Ashland, Ore., thus creating a framework of electric vehicle charging stations throughout the length of I-5.
“Alternative vehicles are a huge part of Oregon’s future,” said Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber. “They will ensure that we can kick the fossil-fuel habit that hamstrings our economy and national security, and deploying this infrastructure shows that we are, and will continue to be, a leader.”
Oregon State Representative Jules Bailey notes: "As Oregon continues to position itself as a leader in the electric vehicle space, I am pleased to offer my continued support to ECOtality and The EV Project. I am positive The EV Project's success will help attract even more investment to the state as ECOtality moves forward to install their publicly available charging stations in Oregon."
"The Oregon State Department of Transportation is committed to the successful rollout of The EV Project. That support continues today as we witness one of the first publicly available Level 2 Blink EV Chargers installed in Oregon," said Art James, innovative partnerships project director for ODOT.
ECOtality is currently in discussions with various public and private property owners for installations of public charging stations, and has partnered with national retailers including Sears, Fred Meyer, Macy’s, BP/Arco, Cracker Barrel and Best Buy. The company is working with other EV Project stakeholders, including Portland General Electric, to help site charging stations and work through logistics.
"Today marks an incredible milestone for the EV Project and the electric vehicle movement in Oregon," said Carol Dillin, vice president of customer strategies and business development at PGE. "Installing public charging stations in cities like Wilsonville along the Interstate-5 corridor is critical to building the green highway from Portland to Eugene."
The Blink Pedestal is a Level 2 EV charger (240V) that provides intelligent, user-friendly features to intuitively and safely charge EVs. They include an interactive seven-inch color touch screen and web-based delivery via the Blink Network. Businesses can take advantage of the media opportunities of the Blink Network, which will broadcast advertisements beginning in EV Project regions and expanding nationally. A Blink app for smartphones and mobile devices will allow users to find Blink charger locations and utilize GPS navigation, as well as be notified of charging status and notifications of completed or interrupted charging. The application will be available for download this summer.
About The EV Project
ECOtality is the project manager of The EV Project and will oversee the installation of approximately 14,000 commercial and residential charging stations in 18 major cities and metropolitan areas in six states and the District of Columbia. The project will provide an EV infrastructure to support the deployment of 8,300 EVs. The project is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy through a federal stimulus grant, made possible by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
About ECOtality, Inc.
ECOtality, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECTY), headquartered in San Francisco, California, is a leader in clean electric transportation and storage technologies. Through innovation, acquisitions, and strategic partnerships, ECOtality accelerates the market applicability of advanced electric technologies to replace carbon-based fuels. For more information about ECOtality, Inc., please visit www.ecotality.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain as they are based on current expectations and assumptions concerning future events or future performance of the company. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are only predictions and speak only as of the date hereof. In evaluating such statements, prospective investors should review carefully various risks and uncertainties identified in this release and matters set in the company's SEC filings. These risks and uncertainties could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements.
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