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ECOtality EV Project Launches in LA and Washington

Perhaps one of the biggest electric vehicle support programs in the US has been announced yesterday by EV solutions provider ECOtality. Set to deploy in Los Angeles and Washington, 2600 Chevrolet Volt and 1,000 Nissan Leaf vehicles will be charged from free home chargers provided by the company.

“Americans are ready to think differently about how they drive, and are ready to embrace electric vehicle technology,” ECOtality CEO Jonathan Read said in a statement. “Through The EV Project, ECOtality is meeting the demand for new fuel sources by making EV charging simple, smart and available to everyone.”

The project is supported through a $30 million grant awarded by the US Department of Energy, to be added to the already approved $99.8 million given to ECOtality in late 2009. The goal of the EV Project is to evaluate the use of electric vehicles and charging systems in various climates and regions, with 15,000 residential and commercial chargers to be deployed in 13 cities in five states.

“Many Volt owners will plug their Volt into a normal 120-volt electrical outlet, charge overnight and drive to work in the morning using only battery power,” added Tony DiSalle, Product and Marketing Director for the Chevrolet Volt.

“For Volt owners who want to install a faster 240-volt charge station, we expect The EV Project to save them a significant amount of money. In addition, The EV Project enables Volt owners to play a role in developing our collective understanding of electric vehicles in the market.”

ECOtality is not the only company which races to become the biggest charging solution provider. With an estimated 4.7 million charge points installed worldwide from now and until the year 2015 (according to a study by Pike Research), the fight between AeroVironment, Better Place, Coulomb, ECOtality and new entries like GE, Panasonic, Samsung, and Siemens will only heat up in the years to come.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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