ECOtality Inc., a company that works on storage technologies and clean electric transportation in collaboration with Car2Go, a car sharing service that is a subsidiary of Daimler North America Corporation, are planning to develop the first large-scale electric car-sharing program in the U.S..
According to these two companies, the program, applied in the San Diego metropolitan area, will feature 300 electric Smart Fortwo vehicles. They also said the program is expected to be launched in November this year. As the officials claim, about 1000 charging stations in the metro area will be deployed.
“Innovative car-sharing programs like Car2go‘s service are pivotal to encouraging the mainstream adoption of electric vehicles. As we deploy approximately 1,000 Blink charging stations in the San Diego region as part of The EV Project, we are creating the robust public infrastructure necessary for car2go’s program to succeed. Together, we will show that EVs are a perfect fit for the lifestyle of San Diego drivers,” said Jonathan Read, the CEO of ECOtality.
ECOtality doesn’t stop here. Future plans include building a network of 14,000 of residential and commercial charging stations in 18 major cities in the United States. The largest part of the project is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy through a federal stimulus grant.
[via Physorg]
