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Michigan firm unveils pay at the plug vehicle charging stations

A PEP electric vehicle charging station

Electric vehicle drivers will be able to charge up their vehicles and pay by credit car, with vehicle recharging systems being unveiled at the New York motor show this weekend.

PEP Stations LLC, based in Livona, Michigan, will be showing off its recharging station at the New York International Auto Show, which opens to the public from April 3 to 11.

Two PEP Stations have been installed at the test track at the Green Car Journal EV Pavillion, where they will be used for the electric vehicles being demonstrated there to more than a million expected visitors.

While experts have been predicting that many electric vehicle owners will mainly charge their vehicles at home, overnight, PEP says that for drivers to roam with “total confidence”, a public charging infrastructure must be developed.

Production

PEP is expecting production units to be available at the beginning of the fourth quarter of 2010, as a number of motor manufacturers start to make higher volumes of electric vehicles available.

The company believes the earliest adopters of its technology will be businesses that offer access as an incentive for their employees to drive green vehicles.

In the longer term, public recharging will become “common”, says PEP.

PEP Station’s President, James Blain, said: “The first question most people ask when they begin to toy with the idea of owning an electric vehicle is, ‘How much will I save in gas?’ Equally as important as the first question, the second question is, ‘Where will I charge my vehicle?’ That’s where we come in.”

The PEP Stations allow two vehicles to be charged simultaneously, with each one featuring a reinforced concrete base and a touch-screen interface for the built-in point-of-sale terminal.Wall-mounted units will also be available.

The units are engineered with auto-grade components, PEP said, including dual connectors (110 Volt and 220 Volt) that are SAE J1772 compliant.

“Accessible”

We expect to see steady growth in the market for electrified vehicles” - Karen Morley, Ricardo

“As the electric-vehicle market begins to flourish, consumers will need a convenient, reliable and easily accessible way to charge their vehicle outside of the home. It’s that simple,” Mr Blain added. “The PEP Station does just that in a safe, reliable, user-friendly, 220V charging station that can easily be installed at commercial destinations such as office buildings, restaurants, retail outlets, health clubs and more.”

PEP Stations LLC is a joint venture between Michigan-based design and architectural company James Blain Associates and eco-technology firm Ricardo, which has its US operations based at its Detroit Technical Center in Van Buren Township, Michigan.

Ricardo global director of controls and electronics Karina Morley said: “With CO2 emissions reduction targets being adopted around the world, we expect to see steady growth in the market for electrified vehicles, such as hybrids, pure electric vehicles and range-extending plug-in hybrids.

“The creation of a commercially viable and effective recharging infrastructure will be a key enabler to the achievement of climate-change goals by allowing drivers of these electrified vehicles to maximize their zero-emission mileage.”