SEATTLE - ECOtality Inc., a leader in clean electric transportation and storage technologies, on Oct. 26 unveiled EV infrastructure plans for the state of Washington. Plans include the installation of 1,200 Blink Level 2 and 22 Blink DC Fast Chargers throughout the Central Puget Sound and Olympia areas. 

Working with stakeholders, local government agencies and the Puget Sound Regional Council, ECOtality has developed maps illustrating potential charging station locations and density. The San Francisco-based company completed these maps and project blueprints relying on an analysis of such regional factors as transportation routes, population mass and local ordinances. 

"The completion of our planning maps along with Governor Gregoire's efforts to make I-5 a green highway move us one step closer to realizing the goal of electrifying the West Coast from the Canadian border to the Mexican border," said Jonathan Read, CEO of ECOtality. "The Puget Sound area is known for embracing new technologies, and we are excited to work with Nissan and our area EV Project partners to ensure the region is at the forefront of EV adoption. The EV charging stations ECOtality will install are a critical component to building the rich charging infrastructure to allow EV and Nissan Leaf drivers the ability to travel without limitations." 

ECOtality unveiled the plans during the opening of the new Seattle Stadium Nissan dealership. Blink commercial chargers and DC Fast Charging stations will support Nissan's rollout of the Nissan Leaf by dealerships throughout the area. The blueprints mark the completion of a key phase of the EV Project, the nation's largest rollout of EV infrastructure. 

"Electric vehicles are the way of the future and Washington state will lead the way forward," said Gregoire. "Today's opening of Stadium Nissan and the rollout of the first electric car means a green highway will be a reality for Washingtonians." 

As the project manager for the EV Project, ECOtality will supervise the construction of the largest deployment of EV infrastructure to date. The $230 million public-private initiative is funded with a $114.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The EV Project includes 16 cities and major metropolitan areas in six states, and will result in the installation of approximately 15,000 charging stations by June 2011. 

"We are pleased to have the opportunity to work with the state of Washington to create EV infrastructure and support the launch of the Nissan Leaf," said Don Karner, president of ECOtality North America. "Through our work with the EV Project and the rollout of EVs, we are accomplishing our goals of stimulating the economy, creating jobs and making EVs a reality for consumers."