Electrical Giant Leviton Enters Residential EV Charger Market, Allies With Coulomb
By John O'Dell July 22, 2010
You probably know them from their electrical outlets and switches - just about every home in the country has something from Leviton in it - and now the company is using its electrical prowess as a wedge into the EV market.
Leviton plans to unveil a portfolio of "Evr-Green" home charging products for electric-drive vehicles (battery EVs and plug-in hybrids) at the Plug In 2010 Conference in San Jose, Calif., next week.
The company also said that it has signed a marketing alliance agreement with Coulomb Technologies which will link Leviton EV chargers into Coulomb's ChargePoint network.
The lineup includes a 110-volt Level 1 portable charging cord system, a fixed Level 1 cord station and a 240-volt Level 2 station.
The company says that it also has developed a wiring system for Level 2 chargers that enables EV owners to get their garages (or carports or parking spaces) ready for a Leviton charger that can then be installed "without any tools."
A company spokeswoman told us that prices for the wiring systems start at "under $200." But that doesn't include installation, which requires the services of a Leviton-certified electrician.
Pricing for the chargers hasn't been disclosed although we're hoping to hear more from Leviton later today and prices are on our list of questions, along with the compatibility of the pre-installation wiring system with chargers made by other companies.
Both the Level 1 cord set and the Level 1 and 2 fixed stations from Leviton will use the North American standard J1772 connector, the company said.
By working with Coulomb, Leviton can provide its EV charger owners access to public ChargePoint stations and to a range of smart phone applications that provide notification when charging is completed, locations of ChargePoint network chargers and integration, where and when possible, with so-called Smart Grid functions system to set up preferred pricing or "time-of day" charging timers.
LEAVE A COMMENT