Zoomi Life

EV-Charge America, located in Las Vegas, Nevada, is a provider and installer of electric vehicle infrastructure, including electric vehicle recharging stations and support equipment.

EV-Charge America is currently installing Smart EV charging stations across the country, both directly and through new their dealer network. Their EV charging stations are being located in public and private parking areas, municipalities, governments, city streets and Interstates.

EV-Charge America CEO Bob Rosinski says, “The simplicity and small footprint of our new system means that anyone, anywhere can easily and quickly add a single EV charging station at their residence, their work, or request that retail and other businesses they frequent, install one in their parking areas for Electric Vehicle consumers.”

At the heart of EV Charge America’s network is a smart communications network that enables EV consumers to locate and access all of the EV charging stations via Google Maps on a computer, or by their car, hand-held device, or cell phone enabled GPS. They can see where the charging stations are, if they are available, or occupied, and the distance in miles or battery life.

Each user on the network is provided with a small RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag that they carry on their key ring that only works in the proximity of a charging station. When they arrive at a charging station, the RFID tag authenticates them as a subscriber to the service and the station is activated, electricity is turned on, and the charging unit further secures their plug-in cord so that it cannot be removed by anyone else.

This secure and encrypted internet authentication means that there is no need to carry coins, cash, or credit cards and there is no mark-up for credit card processing fees. The subscriber can transparently move from city to city and state to state with no concern for which power grid or who’s electricity they are using.

The smart charging stations are being installed in both 110 volt and 220 volt models and they are constantly monitored and maintained at a central control center that can reset, access, and service the units as needed, remotely 24/7. If an EV is unexpectedly unplugged, or the charging session is preempted, or other problems arise, the vehicle driver is sent a text message by the smart charging station alerting them to the particular issue.

What further makes this system economically sustainable for all concerned is that it is a subscription service, much like the typical cell phone service today. Subscribers sign up for a monthly charging plan that runs the spectrum from unlimited charging sessions, anytime / any day (about $50 per month), to various other plans that include off-peak, nighttime and economy, limited charging sessions, depending on individual needs. This year the subscription service is Free, as EV-Charge America is picking up the cost of all new subscriptions for the balance of 2009.

But the real genius behind this system is the fact that the major share of the subscription revenue paid-in is returned to the various host location operators to cover their electric costs and overhead to maintain and monitor the system.

Looks like EV Charge America has put together some very interesting EV technology. We’ll certainly be keeping our eyes on them for further developments.