The Department of Energy (DOE) announced that the first public electric vehicle (EV) charging station in Washington, D.C., was unveiled on Nov. 16. Installation under Coulomb Technologies’ ChargePoint America program was supported in part by a $15 million DOE grant through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The program will install more than 500 charging stations in the D.C. area as part of nationwide effort that will add 4,600 charging stations during the next two years.
According to a DOE newsletter, Coulomb Technologies is now installing 240V, Level II electric vehicle chargers for commercial and public use across the country. The nine pilot regions include Austin, Texas; Detroit; New York; Orlando, Fla; Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Jose and San Francisco, Calif.; Bellevue and Redmond, Wash.; and Washington, D.C. As the public begins to use these devices, DOE will collect data on travel patterns and about how drivers use their electric vehicles; where and when people charge their cars; and what impacts the chargers might have on the grid.