Renewable Gossip

Coulomb Technologies and Aker Wade Power Technologies announced this week an agreement to develop public charging stations capable of charging an electric vehicle in 30 minutes or less. The so-called Level 3 charging stations, which look a lot like gas pumps, feed power from dedicated 480-volt, 125-amp circuits. The companies said the charging stations will be available for purchase by fall 2010 for about $40,000, plus about $20,000 for installation.

Allowing electric car drivers to fully recharge in 30 minutes via a 480-volt station could alleviate “range anxiety”—the concern that a pure electric car could run out of energy and its driver could be stranded for hours until the vehicle is adequately recharged. Charging an electric car using a 240-volt source could take four to eight hours, while a standard 120-volt outlet requires twice as much time.

Uncertain Future

Major auto companies introducing pure electric cars in the next year or two are divided on the feasibility of rapid charging. The Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi i-MiEV will come with rapid charging connectors. Ford has not announced the kind of connectors it will use for the Ford Focus EV, but Greg Frenette, Ford manager of battery electric vehicle applications, is skeptical about Level 3 charging.

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