CAMPBELL, CA - A major shopping center in California's Orange County, South Coast Plaza, has installed the ChargePoint Networked Charging Station for electric vehicles, manufactured by Coulomb Technologies.

The ChargePoint Networked Charging Station is located in the underground parking structure by the Crate and Barrel store at 3333 Bear Street in Costa Mesa, Calif.

The station was unveiled during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on April 24. Actor and environmental activist Ed Begley Jr. joined local officials for the ceremony that featured several all-electric vehicles, including the BMW MINI E.

Coulomb's California distributor, Clean Fuel Connection, will provide support and maintenance for the ChargePoint station.

"Shopping centers are some of the perfect places for the installation of networked charging stations because people spend several hours shopping and dining," said Richard Lowenthal, CEO of Coulomb Technologies. "As the first installation in the nation of a networked charging station within a shopping center, we hope that other organizations will look to South Coast Plaza as an example and welcome this new wave of transportation."

"Having community charging stations is just one more green effort we're implementing at South Coast Plaza. For our customers who drive plug-in hybrids, it will be easy and convenient for them to charge while they're shopping and dining," said Debra Gunn Downing, executive director of marketing.

The South Coast Plaza charging station is a part of the ChargePoint Network, which is open to all drivers of plug-in vehicles and provides authentication, management and control for the networked electric vehicle charging stations.

According to Coulomb Technologies, ChargePoint Network features include:

• Charging status by SMS text or e-mail notification

• Location of unoccupied charging stations via smart phones

• Authenticated access to eliminate energy theft

• Authorized energizing for safety

• Smart Grid integration for utility load management with future V2G capabilities

• A ChargePoint iPhone application.

The network of electric vehicle charging stations is accessible to all plug-in drivers by making a toll-free call to the 24/7 number on each charging station, or by signing up for a ChargePoint Network monthly access plan and obtaining a ChargePass smart card. Other future payment options include using any smart (RFID) credit/debit card to authorize a session, or using a standard credit or debit card at a remote payment station (RPS) to pay for charging sessions. To locate available charging stations, visit www.mychargepoint.net and click "Find Staions."