SAN FRANCISCO - ECOtality, a leader in clean electric transportation and storage, has expanded the EV Project to the San Francisco Bay Area. The company was awarded a $2.87 million contract to manage the Bay Area Air Quality Management District's Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) deployment program.

Through this program, ECOtality will oversee the installation of 2,750 electric vehicle home-charging stations and 30 DC fast-charging stations throughout the Bay Area.

"Historically, the Bay Area has been the epicenter for driving technology innovation and adoption, but in the past few years, it has also served as the home of change in the transportation sector," said Jonathan Read, CEO of ECOtality. "It spearheaded the landmark CAFE standards, supported a wide range of EV technologies, and now with this grant is creating the pathway necessary for electric vehicles to become the dominant form of transportation in the Bay Area."

ECOtality was awarded $50,000 to serve as project manager for the Air District's EVSE Deployment Program based on the company's experience in coordinating the EV Project, the largest rollout of EV infrastructure in history. The Bay Area regions involved in the newly introduced program comprise the Air District's jurisdiction, including Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, southwestern Solano, and southern Sonoma Counties.

Through a $2.2 million award from the Air District, ECOtality will provide an EVSE home charger rebate program to install 1,500 Blink Home Chargers at Bay Area residences, out of the total 2,750 home chargers that will be installed throughout the program. The Blink Home Charger is a smart EV charging station.

ECOtality will also implement a DC Fast Charger Program, from a $614,800 Air District award, that will allow the company to install 20 Blink DC Fast Chargers, out of the 30 total chargers installed throughout the program. The Blink DC Fast Charger can provide a full charge in less than 30 minutes. Each Blink DC Fast Charger is equipped with a 42-inch color LCD display and dual 10-inch touch-screen control panels.

The funding outlay is part of an ongoing effort by the Air District to support at-home electric vehicle charging in the region and to establish a network of accessible charging sites where EV owners can conveniently recharge while conducting their normal business, running errands or traveling.

"The electric vehicle's time has come, and its effectiveness as a means of improving air quality depends on a robust charging infrastructure," said Jack Broadbent, executive officer of the Air District. "Investing in infrastructure will help make the electric vehicle a viable option for many Bay Area residents and businesses."

In addition to the above contracts, ECOtality is project manager of the EV Project and will oversee the installation of 15,000 commercial and residential charging stations in 17 cities and major metropolitan areas in six states and the District of Columbia. The project will provide an EV infrastructure to support the deployment of 8,300 EVs. The project is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy through a federal stimulus grant of $114.8 million, made possible by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The grants are matched by private investment, bringing the total value of the project to approximately $230 million.

ECOtality said the addition of the Bay Area to the EV Project made sense on a number of levels.

"The Bay Area has always been at the forefront of innovation, and we are eager to bring EVs and infrastructure to an audience that is ready to adopt it," said Don Karner, president of ECOtality.

Qualifying Bay Area residents will be able to receive a Blink Home Charging Station as well as the DC Fast Charge inlet option on the Nissan Leaf free of charge, and a credit of up to $1,200 toward the installation of the charger, by participating in the EV Project.

For more information about the EV Project, visit www.theevproject.com, and for additional information about Blink charging products, visit www.blinknetwork.com.