Coulomb Technologies, a electric vehicle (EV) charging solutions provider, announced that Novus International, Inc. a health and nutrition corporation for livestock, pets and people, has expanded the ChargePoint® Network by installing three ChargePoint® Networked Charging Stations for EVs at their St. Charles, Missouri headquarters. Installing charging stations can earn a company LEED building credit, and the Novus headquarters facility is Platinum LEED Certified, the highest energy and environmental designation available in the United States. It is the fourth building in Missouri and one of only 150 in the entire United States to achieve this distinction. The ChargePoint stations will be used for workplace, customer and visitor parking. Sales and installation of the ChargePoint stations was completed by Lilypad EV and MicroGrid Energy via Coulomb’s Midwest/Chicago distributor Carbon Day Automotive.
Novus has installed three Coulomb Technologies Level I and II dual output ChargePoint stations. Two of these stations have been installed in the employee parking lot, covering four parking spaces, and one has been installed on the visitor parking lot, covering two parking spaces. The solar array on the roof of the headquarters facility, part of the original building design, was recently expanded to offset the electrical requirements for the charging stations.
Workplace charging benefits provided to Novus by Coulomb’s ChargePoint Network include the following:
——Access Control: Controlling access to the networked charging stations, requiring a fee or making the station free, eliminating energy theft, and enhancing safety.
——Data Collection: Tracking energy usage, greenhouse gas and fuel savings is necessary when measuring and demonstrating the success of corporate-sponsored green initiatives. The ChargePoint Network provides the ability to track and report the benefits associated with workplace EV charging.
——Smart Grid Enabled: Smart charging stations designed with utility-grade meters deliver the ability to communicate with other smart grid systems enable demand response,
time-of-use pricing, and other smart grid programs provided by Novus’ local utility.
“Novus International is an eco-conscious corporation that has invested wisely in the future of clean energy,” said Pat Romano, president and CEO at Coulomb. “Workplace charging is important for EV drivers that need a safe and available place to fuel during the day. The ChargePoint Network’s advanced solutions give Novus numerous options for their staff and future green fleet vehicles.”
“Novus is taking another step towards making all of our business practices more sustainable and environmentally responsible by installing charging stations for electric cars,” said Thad Simons, President and CEO of Novus. “Currently, there are numerous preferred parking spots for employees who drive low-emitting or fuel efficient vehicles, so these charging stations are a logical next step.”
Coulomb’s ChargePoint Network is open to all drivers of plug-in vehicles and all manufacturers of plug-in vehicle charging stations. ChargePoint Network’s unique features include:
——The lowest operating cost possible due to real-time operational monitoring, alerts, diagnosis, and control of stations
——24/7 driver assistance, station location, station availability, trip mapping, driver consolidated/flexible billing, and driver notification services
——The ability for drivers to access stations without a subscription via contactless credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, AMEX, and Discover)
——Multiple Smart Phone applications (iPhone and Blackberry) to find unoccupied stations and navigate to them
——Compatible with utilities smart grid remote management, billing, maintenance and other on-demand software applications
