Greentech Lead Canada: GRIDbot Canada, a Canadian
manufacturer of Level 2 electric vehicle supply equipment, has formed
partnership with ERTH Business Technologies (ERTH) to address the electric
vehicles charging infrastructure challenges in British Columbia.
The partnership will offer improved economics to
proponents of the British Columbia Community Charging Infrastructure Fund
(CCIF).
Under the strategic partnership, GRIDbot will begin
manufacturing a unique charging station for purchasing groups in British
Columbia from its current facilities in Eastern Quebec and from a new planned
facility in Metro Vancouver.
The new station will be available at $4,000 for a single
port and $5,500 for a dual port unit. The selected price point will allow CCIF
proponents to fully benefit from the maximum $4,000 rebate per cord set
available under the CCIF.
According to Eric Tessier, vice president Business
Development at GRIDbot International, “V2G capabilities will improve the
economic viability of electric vehicles by providing low-cost grid storage that
will also facilitate higher penetration of intermittent renewable energy
resources.”
The new stations will be delivered ready to connect to
the Plug-n-Ride Network developed by ERTH to process province-wide financial transactions,
data management and reporting, and the recording of carbon reductions for the
development of carbon credits for all electric vehicle users both individually
and collectively.
Stations connected to the Plug-n-Ride Network will be
upgradable at a later date to fully make use of vehicle to grid (V2G)
capabilities. GRIDbot is a global market leader in V2G technology with
bidirectional charging stations and bidirectional chargers onboard EVs.
V2G will allow vehicles to optimally exchange power with
the electricity grid, providing grid-storage benefits in addition to the
electric vehicle (EV) transportation benefits of fuel and maintenance savings.
The energy storage benefits of grid-interconnected EVs are expected to be used
for local peak demand reduction and grid ancillary services. The installation
of the new upgradable GRIDbot stations will allow British Columbia to be the
first jurisdiction worldwide to deploy public V2G stations in support of a
Smart Grid.
The new Level 2 stations will have a distinct color and
logo indicating their connections to the Plug-n-Ride Network and their V2G
capabilities.
Installation of the new stations will begin by
mid-December 2012 and will be completed by March 31, 2013.
GRIDbot’s new Level 3 (Fast DC Chargers) using the
new global fast charging standard SAE J1772 combo-connector interface between
the charger and EV, enabling power flow and communications in a single wired
connection, will also be available in the early part of 2013.
The SAE J1772 combo-connector standard has been endorsed
by the majority of global automotive manufacturers and is expected to be
available within a year on a variety of electric vehicles.