GE’s new electric vehicle charger, the GE WattStation™. Photo: GE

The WattStation.
As plug-in electric vehicles begin hitting the roads, GE is building a smart-charging system ready to serve the millions of cars that will soon be plugging-in instead of gassing-up.


Electric Vehicle Charging from GE


With the launch of the WattStation, GE continues a century of innovation in the design and manufacturing of electrical distribution systems.

GE’s WattStation enables fast level 2 charging at home and on the road.

GE’s new electric vehicle charger, the GE WattStation™. Photo: GE

The modular design by renowned industrial designer Yves Behar makes each station future proof, allowing customers to easily upgrade as more communication options become available.

GE’s new electric vehicle charger, the GE WattStation™. Photo: GE

This allows customers to stay current with the latest technology in a rapidly changing space, while providing the ability for commercial property owners to qualify for LEED points.

Electric vehicles have the potential to revolutionize transportation.
However in order to see widespread adoption, the power grid must be modernized and charging stations must be accessible, quick and easy.

GE’s new electric vehicle charger, the GE WattStation™. Photo: GE

GE’s new electric vehicle charger, the GE WattStation™, is designed to help address these challenges.

Renowned industrial designer Yves Behar. Photo: GE

Combining functionality with a beautiful form by renowned industrial designer Yves Behar, the GE WattStation™ significantly decreases time needed for vehicle charging and, using smart grid technology, allows utility companies to manage the impact of electric vehicles on the local and regional power grids.

As Yves Behar says, "Good design is when a new technology enters our life and makes it simpler, beautiful and healthy."


GE WattStation™


GE’s WattStation™ is an easy-to-use electric vehicle (EV) charger designed to help accelerate the adoption of plug-in electric vehicles (PEV) by significantly decreasing time needed for vehicle charging.

GE’s new electric vehicle charger, the GE WattStation™. Photo: GE

Its smart grid-enabled technology could also help utility companies manage the impact of EVs on the local and regional grids.


Electricity will fuel the vehicles of tomorrow.

For every 10,000 gas-powered car users that switch to electric vehicles (EV), CO2 emissions would be reduced by 33,000 metric tons per year — equivalent to the annual CO2 emissions of 6,500 traditional cars on U.S. roads.

GE’s new electric vehicle charger, the GE WattStation™. Photo: GE

Electric vehicles have the potential to revolutionize transportation.
However in order to see widespread EV adoption, the electrical grid must be modernized and charging stations must be accessible, quick and easy.

Photo: GE

GE’s electric vehicle charger, GE WattStation, is designed to help address these challenges by significantly decreasing time needed for vehicle charging, and using smart grid technology to allow utility companies to manage the impact EVs have on the local and regional grids.

GE’s new electric vehicle charger, the GE WattStation™. Photo: GE

Combining functionality with consumer friendly form, from renowned industrial designer Yves Behar, on average the WattStation decreases EV charging time from 12-18 hours to as little as 4-8 hours compared to standard charging, assuming a 24 kWh battery and a full-cycle charge.

GE’s new electric vehicle charger, the GE WattStation™. Photo: GE

Also the design allows for integration into a “smart” electrical distribution system, offering an “end-to-end” integrated EV infrastructure solution of electrical distribution products.

GE’s new electric vehicle charger, the GE WattStation™. Photo: GE

For more than 100 years GE has built and serviced infrastructure to optimize energy generation and use.

The development of this next-generation technology with GE reliability was a natural progression.

GE’s new electric vehicle charger, the GE WattStation™. Photo: GE

In April 2010, Project Get Ready, a non-profit initiative led by Rocky Mountain Institute to help communities prepare for electric vehicles, named GE a technical advisor focusing on design and planning of the local and regional electric grids for electric vehicles.

GE’s new electric vehicle charger, the GE WattStation™. Photo: GE

WattStation will be commercially available globally in 2011 and will include options for commerce.

Among its standards and features:

• UL Certified

• Charger and vehicle communication in accordance with NEC 625

• Cord connection in accordance with SAE J1772

• Indoor and outdoor enclosures

• Wall and pedestal mount

• Commerce and card reader capability

• User authentication

• Network communications

• Revenue grade metering with AMI communications

• LED lights and display

• Level 2 (208-240 VAC) charging capability


To find out more, please visit:

www.ecomagination.com/wattstation  


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GE teams with Nissan on electric car smart charging

With plug-in vehicles on track to create a revolution in the auto industry, the race is on to build a smart-charging infrastructure that can support the millions of cars that one day will be plugging in.

What a tank-less job! The all-electric, zero-emission Nissan LEAF is scheduled to launch later this year in Japan, the U.S. and Europe. The MOU combines Nissan’s electric car expertise with GE’s energy sector leadership and grid expertise, which includes a customer base that cuts across the entire electric grid network. Photo: GE

With plug-in vehicles on track to create a revolution in the auto industry, the race is on to build a smart-charging infrastructure that can support the millions of cars that one day will be plugging in.

It’s why GE and Nissan today announced that they’re teaming up in a three-year Memorandum of Understanding to research new technologies that will be needed in the car, on the grid and at home or work to make smart charging a reality.

GE’s new electric vehicle charger, the GE WattStation™. Photo: GE

Simply put, smart charging is the ability to control how the grid delivers electric power to a vehicle - at what time of the day and at what rate.
For example, if drivers want to charge their cars when the price of electricity is lower, smart charging would automatically give them the ability to do that.

GE’s new electric vehicle charger, the GE WattStation™. Photo: GE

For the launch of the agreement, GE and Nissan have outlined two key areas for potential collaborations.

The first relates to the integration of electric vehicles with homes and buildings.
The second focuses on electric vehicle charging dynamics with the larger electric grid.

The research team says the combined expertise will give them a full picture — from energy generation to the vehicle itself — of what it will take to make the grid ready.

Revved up: GE scientist Matt Nielsen, who’s the research lead on the MOU with Nissan, is seen here in the Smart Grid Lab at GE’s Global Research Center in Upstate New York. Photo: GE

As Matt Nielsen, says in his post today on the Global Research blog:
“Initially the small numbers of electric vehicles will not strain the grid;”
however, there are a number of potential issues that must be studied and quantified, such as whether clusters of electric vehicles will tax the local electrical distribution system, including transformers.
“The purpose of this program will be to quantify the impact through both modeling/simulation and actual experimental data… The good news is that the electrified transportation community has recognized these issues and is proactively developing solutions. Many of the utilities I have spoken with have active programs to make sure their networks and systems are ready for electric vehicles, and that they can provide a great experience for the customer.”

As part of GE’s ecomagination initiative and Smart Grid research efforts, electric transportation is already a key focus area.

For example, GE has invested more than $150 million to develop advanced battery technologies that will provide energy storage for several future product applications, including GE’s ecomagination certified hybrid locomotive, tugboats, mining trucks, and heavy service vehicles.

GE has also recently increased its investment in battery maker A123 Systems, which is which is a leader in the lithium-ion battery technology used in hybrid cars.


http://www.ge.com/innovation/electric_vehicles/index.html  

http://www.geindustrial.com/products/static/WattStation/  

http://www.gereports.com/ge-teams-with-nissan-on-electric-car-smart-charging