The first buyers of the Volt will also be eligible for one of the 1,800 planned 240-volt charge stations being built through the ChargePoint America project. Sponsored by Coulomb Technologies, the $37 million project is backed by a $15 million DOE grant, provided through the Recovery Act.
ChargePoint is expected to provide 4,600 networked charging stations to homes and public locations by October 2011, adding to the existing ChargePoint Network. The ChargePoint project will collect data on vehicle use and charging patterns, which will be analyzed by Purdue University and DOE's Idaho National Lab. Coulomb announced on June 16 that Orlando, Florida, was the first to install a ChargePoint networked charging station under the program. See the press releases from General Motors Corporation and Coulomb Technologies, as well as the Web sites for the Chevrolet Volt and ChargePoint America.
Smart EV Coming to the US in Fall 2010
Smart USA, which recently debuted its smart fortwo EV in New York, will deploy a fleet of 250 of the EVs across the US in October.
The company will target key electrification leadership cities and DOE grant areas, but has not yet released the list of cities. Smart USA is looking for partnerships and is targeting companies, municipalities, organizations, and individuals interested in making a passionate statement on conservation and environmental awareness. Daimler AG, which owns the smart fortwo brand, will begin full production of the EV in 2012 for the 2013 model year.
The vehicles are powered by a 30 kW drive motor and a 16.5 kWh lithium-ion battery. It can be fully recharged in about eight hours with a 220-volt outlet, the type used for electric clothes dryers and other appliances, and it can also be recharged with a standard 110-volt outlet. The vehicles can reach highway speeds of 60 miles per hour and offer a range of 82 miles on a single charge. The tiny car is only 8.8 feet long, 5.1 feet tall, and 5.1 feet wide. See the Daimler press release and the smart USA Web site.
DOE Awards $76 Million for Energy-Efficient Building Technologies
On June 17, DOE announced $76 million in awards for 58 projects in 24 states to support advanced energy-efficient building technology projects.
DOE made 45 awards from the Recovery Act totaling more than $68.4 million, and leveraged an additional $31.4 million from private industry.
Funds will be used for research to make buildings more energy efficient and cost-effective and to develop training programs for commercial building equipment technicians, building operators, and energy auditors.
The initiatives will prepare workers to service and operate new and existing buildings, to develop and deploy best practices resulting in fewer greenhouse gas emissions, and to establish a green workforce with technical expertise to reduce energy costs.
