RFID Is the Key to Electric Vehicle Recharging Stations

The company does not believe it will be able to meet that demand on its own, however. Other startups, such as Palo Alto-based Better Place, are already beginning to build charging stations. It's vital, Tormey asserts, that these competing providers start developing common standards so drivers of electric vehicles can patronize charging stations from different providers—he likens this to the fact that when traveling, consumers can use their cell phones by "roaming" onto various cell networks. Agreeing to a common RFID standard, he notes, will ensure that drivers with Coulomb accounts will be able to drive up to a competitor's charging station and still use the same card to access the outlet at that site—though to do so, he says, they may need to pay an additional amount, similar to a phone's roaming fee.

Drivers of electric vehicles can use the stations to charge up their cars' batteries in the event that they lack access to a home garage, or are in need of a charge while at work or running errands. (Photo courtesy Kim Smith/General Motors.)

Tormey says he is currently working with another charging-station startup, the name of which he declines to disclose, to develop an RFID application standard based on the ISO 15693 standard. U.K. startup firm Elektromotive is already issuing the cards to users of its 21 charging stations in and around London, he says.

In the United States, subscribers will be able to use a Google maps application—which they'll be able to access on their home computer, or on a Web-enabled phone—to locate the nearest Coulomb charging station. (When each new charging station is installed, its GPS coordinates will be uploaded to the Google maps application.) Beginning in January 2009, they'll also be able to log on to Coulomb's customer site, Mychargepoint.net, to manage their accounts, or to suggest a new charging station.

Coulomb's business model is similar, in other ways, to that of cellular phone service providers, Tormey says. What the company will provide is an infrastructure of charging stations, as well as a means by which drivers will be able to access and pay for electricity. To select sites and install the charging stations, Coulomb is working with municipalities and the utility provider in each town where it plans to install the stations. The firm is selling its charging stations to the municipalities or private companies that own the real estate—parking lots or curbsides, for instance—where the electric vehicles will be placed

Utility companies are concerned that high demand for electricity to power cars could cause a drain on their electrical grids. Therefore, Tormey says, Coulomb will offer special "grid-friendly" pricing plans, whereby drivers will agree to have their access to charging stations denied during periods of peak power usage, in exchange for a lower access fee.

Last month, Coulomb announced its partnership with Gilbarco Veeder-Root, a provider of payment systems for gasoline stations, including modules that can read RFID inlays embedded in contactless credit cards. The companies indicate they are working together to build out the charging station infrastructure, but have not yet provided details regarding exactly which products or services Gilbarco Veeder-Root will deliver.