Coulomb launches EV charging stations for Germany’s Bochum

Campbell, Calif.-based Coulomb Technologies said today German public utility Bochum is moving forward with five of the company’s electric vehicle charging stations, marking the first installation of its technology in Germany.

The stations, being installed through distribution partner 365 Energy Group, are expected to allow for electric vehicles to be charged in the Ruhr area metropolis. 365 Energy Group has locations in Berlin, Eindhoven and Milan. Financial details were not disclosed.

Coulomb makes a family of products and services that provide plug-in vehicle charging infrastructure. The branded ChargePoint Networked Charging Stations were chosen by Bochum over three other suppliers, according to Coulomb.

Two of the five charging station locations have been decided, with one in a customer parking lot at Bochum’s headquarters and the other at the housing association VBW in the Matthias-Claudius-Straße.

“The installation of Coulomb’s first charging stations in Germany is another step in the progress of EV adoption in Europe,” said Coulomb’s CEO Richard Lowenthal, in a news release.  “As home of some of the top automobile designers and producers in the world, Germany is making a statement with their commitment to alternative fuels.”

In May, the city of Amsterdam also picked Coulomb to move forward with its electric vehicle charging station vision. The city plans to deploy 200 charging stations before 2012, with the first 45 stations coming from Coulomb as part of a two-year public demonstration project (see Amsterdam picks Coulomb's EV charging stations).

Coulomb faces competition from other companies such as Scottsdale, Ariz.-based ECOtality. In June, ECOtality formed a joint venture in China, representing the first time a company has moved into China with the infrastructure to support electric vehicles. ECOtality is hoping to set up a network of charging stations across the country (see ECOtality pulls $15M to build EV charging network in China).