Zoomi Life

Until you sit down and really think about it, charging an electric car from a public charging station seems like a pretty simple concept. Then you start to realize that things like vandalism, theft, billpoints, and other stuff starts to come into play. So saying a public electric vehicle charging station is as easy as plug it in, give it your credit card, and walk away is like saying an ATM is just a machine that you say “gimme money” to and it spits it out.

Well, ATMs probably work like that in Washington D.C., but in the rest of the world…

ChargePoint Smartlets are a system designed by Coulomb Technologies in California. These systems were on display at the EDTA Conference earlier this month and were demonstrated to an interested public and potential buyers/investors.

The system works based on an RFID card that the user waves near the receiver on the Smartlet’s screen. This identifies the driver and “unlocks” the machine for use. The door for the cord is then unlocked and the user can stretch it to the car, plug it in, and activate the charging sequence. Then walk away.

The system monitors the charge, shuts itself off when it’s done, and automatically locks down if the cord is unplugged (no more power), cut, or any tampering with the system is noted. It can then only be unlocked by the user’s card or a technician.

Charging can be stopped at any time by the user’s card if just a quick top-off or some additional juice while you shop is needed, of course.

It’s built to be as bulletproof as possible, as are most financial machines. The next time you’re at the gas station or ATM, think about what’s going on behind the panel on that dispenser you’re utilizing and all the possibilities for things to go wrong and how the machine’s designer’s have built it to think around those. If the hose is cut or ripped off the gas pump, for instance, the whole row of pumps in that line will automatically shut off.

The technology is there and ready for use, so now it’s just a matter of getting it installed (which companies like Better Place are doing now) and getting people to use it.

Check out AutoBlogGreen’s excellent reporting on the ChargePoint stations for more information and a detailed photogallery of the charging process.

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Source: AutoBlogGreen