CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--IKEA, the world’s leading home furnishings retailer, today announced it extended its successful partnership with ECOtality, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECTY), a leader in clean electric transportation and storage technologies, with plans to add 24 Blink® electric vehicle charging stations across eight more locations in the United States.
The newly designated sites include seven stores in Illinois, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Texas, as well as the U.S. corporate office. It is expected that installation can begin next month with completion by end of summer 2013. Installation of these units will bring the total number of Blink charging stations at IKEA locations to 55. (Two years ago, IKEA installed a combined 31 units at nine Western U.S. stores in Arizona, California, Oregon, and Washington.)
“We are fortunate to be able to expand this relationship with ECOtality, bringing EV charging stations to more IKEA locations across the U.S. since IKEA stores are typically visible and accessible from key points within a local metropolitan area,” said Mike Ward, IKEA U.S. president. “Increasing access to EV charging stations advances our goal of helping coworkers and customers – as well as members of the communities in which we operate – live more sustainable lives.”
“We are pleased to now have Blink charging stations in nearly half of all IKEA locations in the country,” stated H. Ravi Brar, CEO of ECOtality. “IKEA is a household name well-known for their sustainability efforts, and we are proud they have chosen Blink as their EVSE provider of choice.”
The eight locations now scheduled to install EV charging stations are stores in: Atlanta, GA; Bolingbrook, IL; Conshohocken, PA; Frisco, TX; Houston, TX; Philadelphia, PA; and Schaumburg, IL. Additionally, the IKEA U.S. corporate office in Conshohocken also will have units available.
IKEA, drawing from its Swedish heritage and respect of nature, believes it can be a good business while doing good business and aims to minimize impacts on the environment. Globally, IKEA evaluates locations regularly for conservation opportunities, integrates innovative materials into product design, works to maintain sustainable resources, and flat-packs goods for efficient distribution. Specific U.S. sustainable efforts include: recycling waste material; incorporating environmental measures into the actual buildings with energy-efficient HVAC and lighting systems, recycled construction materials, skylights in warehouse areas, and water-conserving restrooms; and operationally, eliminating plastic bags from the check-out process, phasing-out the sale of incandescent light bulbs, facilitating recycling of customers’ compact fluorescent bulbs, and by 2016 selling and using only L.E.D. bulbs. IKEA also has installed solar panels atop nearly 90% of its US locations.
Since its 1943 founding in Sweden, IKEA has offered home furnishings of good design and function at low prices so the majority of people can afford them. There are currently more than 340 IKEA stores in 41 countries, including 38 in the U.S. IKEA incorporates sustainability into day-to-day business and supports initiatives that benefit children and the environment. For more information, see IKEA-USA.com, facebook.com/IKEAUSA, @DesignByIKEA, and http://pinterest.com/IKEAUSA/.
