Ecotality, a developer of electric transportation and storage technologies, has collaborated with the Victorian government on the Victorian Electric Vehicle Trial project designed to test EV operation in Victoria and to gain necessary information for future rollout of EV infrastructure across the state.
The partnership between Ecotality Australia and the Victorian Department of Transport includes the installation of residential and commercial Blink electric vehicle charging stations, and implementation of 180 EVs to go into operation during the trial.
The Blink Level 2 chargers, to be installed at Victoria residences, can deliver a full charge in two to six hours, and include smart features, such as programmable charging allowing EV to charge when electricity rates are low, and remote operation through web portals and Smartphone application.
At the commercial locations, Ecotality will set up Blink Level 2 commercial chargers and Blink DC Fast Chargers, which include dual charging ports and are designed to provide a full charge in less than 30 minutes.
Ecotality will begin installation in early 2011 for the trial project that aims to create real-life conditions by testing how drivers, vehicles, plug-in charging infrastructure and the electricity network work in everyday situations to prepare the area for operation of EVs.
Ecotality president and CEO Jonathan Read said that in order to learn how to make EVs a success, the government has joined with Ecotality to take advantage of the capabilities of Blink charging stations, and to gather statistics to make smarter decisions in the future.