Owning a plug-in hybrid car just got a little easier … if you live in San Jose, Calif., that is. If so, you can now drive your car downtown, park and recharge your battery by plugging into the power supply on a nearby lamppost. Coulomb Technologies in nearby Campbell has installed four charging stations in the city—three in a parking garage on 4th Street and one curbside across from city hall.

Using the company’s ChargePoint Network, subscribers receive a smart card that allows them to fuel up at any station. Users can pay for 10 sessions a month for $15 or all the way up to unlimited monthly access for $50. The charging station will work for fully electric vehicles as well as plug-in hybrids. Subscribers can visit Coulomb’s Web site to see in real time, via Google Maps, which stations are occupied or available.

Coulomb hopes to keep expanding: it’s working to supply 40 charging stations at truck stops along several California highways, and distributors are set up in 28 states. CEO Richard Lowenthal points out that in large cities, where cars typically outnumber residential garage spaces, drivers have nowhere to plug in. Placing chargers at offices and public lots will make owning electric vehicles more convenient. “Right now this is mostly policy-driven,” Lowenthal says. “But when people see that electric cars can be compatible with daily life, it will start to be consumer-driven.”

Note: This article was originally printed with the title, "Charging Ahead".

7 Comments

1. 1. bether 05:08 PM 3/10/09

   Thanks for posting that is something that is pro-electric and not hydrogen-centric. Battery exchange programs could also work for people without convenient access to charging stations.

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2. 2. JamesDavis 06:00 AM 4/16/09

   This is a really good idea. Why are they not using the stimulus money and installing them in every state at every gas station? And why they are doing that, why don't they force the three big auto manufacturers to start mass producing electric cars and make them under $15,000.00 so everyone can afford to buy one. Selling these cars world wide would bring the price down even further and provide a huge profit to the manufacturer. And we can start this process by pumping up Telsa Motors there in California.

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3. 3. pointvector 04:21 AM 4/23/09

   This is a terrible solution. When three hundred million americans buy an electric car, What do you think that will do to the electric grid? Most places have rolling blackouts for their A/C. When everyone goes and starts plugging in their cars, their will be a catastrophic meltdown of the power grid. They really need to think this through. Just putting plugs everywhere is not the solution, only a way to a greater problem.
   Oh and one more thing. Electric cars are NOT green. You still use fossil fuels to power the plug where you plug in your car. This only detracts from the person feeling "guilt" because they "think" they are helping. The only way to go green is to get rid of fossil fuel altogether, and that includes at our local power station.

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4. 4. rhodinsthinker 11:29 AM 4/23/09

   The advantage to electricity is that, when traffic jams, you don't have all those engines idling, burning fossil fuels.

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5. 5. 13shriverg 01:59 PM 4/23/09

   All Articles Are Fun. This one is more funnier.
   

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6. 6. gigabetz 07:33 PM 4/23/09

   I am afraid it's going to get worse before it gets better. Once we prove to ourselves that we have overtaxed the power grid, it will have to be improved and greenified (new word).
   I think major highways should have a charge track embedded in the road just like the toys I used to play with as a kid. Getting rid of idling engines is a good start.
   I envision level crossings where you can drive up and park your car on a flatbed train to take you to intercity destinations. In fact that idea makes way too much sense so forget I mentioned it.

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7. 7. Internet troll in reply to pointvector 01:41 AM 5/22/09

   http://www.pnl.gov/news/release.asp?id=204
   
   "If all the cars and light trucks in the nation switched from oil to electrons, idle capacity in the existing electric power system could generate most of the electricity consumed by plug-in hybrid electric vehicles."
   

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