Isra-Mart srl:Bay Area promises recharge network for electric cars

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Just days after president Obama pledged to make the US the first country to have one million electric cars on the roads by 2015, the state of California has stepped up plans to turn the Bay Area into the country's electric car hub, pledging to invest almost $4m in an expanded recharge network.

The Bay Area Quality Management District's (BAQMD) board of supervisors voted to award $3.9m to four companies, making good on a commitment last August to fund electric chargers to the tune of $5m.

ECOtality, Coulomb Technologies, AeroVironment and Clipper Creek received the funding, which will be used to fund the installation of 2,750 chargers in residences across the area. A fast-charger program will also see 30 fast chargers deployed for public use in key areas.

ECOtality is the primary contractor on the project and secured the lion's share of the funding, receiving $2,212,500 to install 1,500 of the chargers. Meanwhile, Coloumb and AeroVironment each got $350,000 to deploy 500 chargers each, while Clipper Creek was awarded half that amount to install 250 of the charging devices.

ECOtality also netted $614,800 to install 20 chargers as part of the public charging program. A further $150,000 paid to AeroVironment will fund the rest, the Board hopes.

The remaining $1.1m from the $5m earmarked in August will be used to install further chargers during the fiscal year 2011-12, the District said.

In a separate announcement, the BAQMD allocated $5m to install technology at three points in the port of Oakland to help reduce fossil fuel emissions from large vessels docking there. The shore power installations will enable ships to turn off their diesel generators when docked, reducing emissions by around 33 tonnes per year, the BAQMD said.