AUSTIN, Texas Natural and organic grocer Whole Foods Market has installed its first ChargePoint Networked Charging Stations for Electric Vehicles (EV). The Coulomb Technologies charging station is located at the Whole Foods Market flagship store in Austin, Texas. To kickoff the unveiling yesterday, Whole Foods Market held a press conference that included Chris Riley, Austin City Council; Mark Dixon, Whole Foods Market Southwest regional president; Guy Mannino, Coulomb Technologies' exclusive Southwest distributor Verdek LLC; and Karl Rabago, Austin Energy vice president for distributed [image-nocss] energy services.
The event featured electric vehicles including an electric sports car.
"Whole Foods Market is committed to supporting wise environmental practices, which means making decisions that positively affect the health of our planet, its people and its resources," said Dixon. "It is our hope that by offering electric vehicle charging, we can support alternative transportation and help Austin residents decrease their environmental impact."
Richard Lowenthal, CEO of Campbell, Calif.-based Coulomb Technologies, a leader in electric vehicle charging station infrastructure, said, "Coulomb is proud to announce our first installation in Austin, Texas, and we are pleased that a company of the caliber of Whole Foods Market has selected our solution. Whole Foods Market has long demonstrated their support for sustainable living. The more companies that welcome electric vehicles by establishing a smart, networked and convenient place to charge the better it is for the mass adoption of clean transportation."
The Whole Foods Market charging station is a part of the ChargePoint Network, which is open to all drivers of plug-in vehicles and provides authentication, management and real-time control for the networked electric vehicle charging stations.
ChargePoint Network unique features include: Charging status by SMS text or email notification. Location of unoccupied charging stations via smart phones. Authenticated access to eliminate energy theft. Authorized energizing for safety. Smart Grid integration for utility load management with future V2G capabilities. A ChargePoint iPhone App. The network of electric vehicle charging stations is accessible to all plug-in drivers by making a tollfree call to the 24/7 number on each charging station, or signing up for a ChargePoint Network monthly access plan and obtaining a ChargePass smart card. Other future payment options include using any smart (RFID) credit/debit card to authorize a session or using a standard credit or debit card at a remote payment station (RPS) to pay for charging sessions.There are about 280 Whole Foods Markets in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
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