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Coulomb and GridPoint Unveil First Smart Grid Enabled Smart Charging Stations for Electric Vehicles
[August 11, 2009]

Coulomb and GridPoint Unveil First Smart Grid Enabled Smart Charging Stations for Electric Vehicles


LONG BEACH, Calif. --(Business Wire)-- GridPoint, Inc., an established leader in smart grid software, and Coulomb Technologies today unveiled the first ever smart grid enabled smart charging stations for electric vehicles. The integrated solution using Coulomb's ChargePoint™ Networked Charging Stations for plug-in electric vehicles and GridPoint's smart charging software application extends municipalities and utilities ability to manage vehicle-charging load. Utilities and municipalities will now have a networked infrastructure solution that easily and rapidly adapts to critical grid events while prioritizing the need to provide fuel for electric vehicles. In times of peak demand or during critical grid events, utilities are able to utilize public charging infrastructure to manage the electricity load. Demand response events can be dispatched system-wide or targeted to specific locations within the distribution system. The first integrated solution of smart grid charging stations are now on display for demonstration at the Plug-in 2009 conference in Long Beach, California in booths 215 (Coulomb) and 409 (GridPoint).



"This announcement brings significant benefits and advances the EV infrastructure," said Richard Lowenthal, CEO of Coulomb Technologies. "Coulomb's charging stations are first to market with a smart grid integration that is effortless for drivers and responsive to the needs of the grid. GridPoint is extending the proven smart charging capabilities of the ChargePointSM Network and this integrated solution now provides a single solution to adaptively manage the flow of energy to vehicles and charging stations." At the Plug-in 2009 show, Coulomb and GridPoint are demonstrating real-time smart charging activity enabled via GridPoint's smart grid software for electric vehicles and Coulomb's ChargePoint Network. This flexible, centralized integration allows easy implementation of smart charging strategies. The solution also provides utilities and municipalities with a charging infrastructure solution that easily adapts to the still developing electric vehicle ecosystem.

"For over two years, GridPoint software has been used by utilities to dynamically dispatch plug-in vehicle charging load in response to real-time grid conditions. Our work with Austin Energy (News - Alert), Seattle City Light, Duke Energy and others has provided the smart charging expertise that we are happy to extend to EVSE charging infrastructure in readiness for the arrival of the next generation of vehicles," said John Clark, Electric Vehicle Management, GridPoint.


Coulomb Technologies charging stations are used in municipalities, utilities, green office buildings and parking garages and to allow consumers to charge their electric vehicles wherever they live, work and shop. Consumers subscribe to the ChargePoint Network and receive a ChargePoint Smart Card that allows them to charge their car at any charging station worldwide.

About GridPoint GridPoint, Inc., an established leader in smart grid software, enables utilities to easily manage the transformation to a Smart Grid. GridPoint's software aggregates and manages an intelligent network of distributed energy resources that controls load, stores energy and produces power. Utilities efficiently balance supply and demand, improve grid reliability and empower consumers with user-friendly software to manage energy consumption. Utilities and consumers realize the benefits of energy intelligence with GridPoint's solutions including energy management, load management, renewable integration, storage management and electric vehicle management. With GridPoint's interoperable platform, utilities rapidly integrate and manage emerging technologies, resulting in a practical path to developing a clean, efficient 21st century grid. On the Net: www.gridpoint.com.

About Coulomb Technologies, Inc.

Coulomb Technologies headquartered in Campbell, Calif., offers a family of products and services that provide a plug-in vehicle charging infrastructure, which includes ChargePoint Networked Charging Stations ranging in capability from 120V 16A to 240V 80A AC charging to future 120kW DC charging. Coulomb applies networking technology to the challenge of charging electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids in order to fuel the electric transportation industry. Coulomb's ChargePoint Network http://www.mychargepoint.net addresses the needs of drivers, utilities, governments, and parking space owners. For more information, please visit http://www.coulombtech.com. Follow Coulomb on Twitter at twitter.com/coulombevi.

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