GE Unveils Their Electric Vehicle WattStation (w/ Video)

(PhysOrg.com) -- On Tuesday GE announced their new smart-grid-connected electric vehicle charger called the WattStation. The WattStation will help accelerate the adoption of plug-in electric vehicles by significantly cutting charging time on a 24 kWh car battery for an EV from 12-18 hours to approximately 4-8 hours by using Level 2 (240V) charging.

Dan Heintzelman, president and CEO of GE Energy Services, said: “For more than 100 years, GE has worked to optimize energy use. Given our expertise in electrical distribution, WattStation is a natural progression in our commitment to creating cutting edge innovation for the next century."

The GE WattStation significantly decreases time needed for vehicle charging and using smart grid technology, can also be connect to the smart grid that will allow utilities companies to manage the impact of electric vehicles on regional and local grids.

The WattStation was designed in part by renowned industrial designer, Yves Behar. The WattStation is intended to become as common as gasoline stations are today.

In an earth2tech interview Behar said, that the GE WattStation can act as a digital platform and a connection to mobile devices. For example, one day you may be driving around in your EV in a city and receive a text message that an open WattStation charger is close by. Behar also said he envisions an ecosystem of applications eventually being built around the WattStation.

The GE WattStation will be commercially available globally in 2011, and a home version will be unveiled later this year. No price has been announced for the home version.

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