Central Florida is the first to install a ChargePoint Networked Charging Station for electric vehicles (EV) as a part of the $37 million ChargePoint America program. Orlando is set to immediately receive hundreds of free home and public ChargePoint stations for EV as major automotive manufacturers introduce their vehicles in the Orlando region.

Orlando will commemorate the occasion with an official ribbon cutting ceremony at Orlando City Hall Plaza on Thursday, June 17, 2010 at 2 p.m. EDT. The event will include special guests: City of Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer; Orange County Government, Florida, Mayor Richard T. Crotty; Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC) Board President Katie Porta; Coulomb Technologies Executive Vice President Bret Sewell and NovaCharge President Helda Rodriguez. Additionally, the smart for two electric drive will be showcased by smart USA.

Coulomb's ChargePoint America program will provide nearly 5,000 charging stations to program participants in nine regions in the United States: Austin, Texas; Detroit; Los Angeles; New York; Orlando, Fla.; Sacramento, Calif.; the San Jose/San Francisco Bay Area; Bellevue/Redmond, Wash. and Washington, DC, and has a strategic partnership with three leading automobile brands Ford, Chevrolet and smart USA.

Coulomb currently has the largest established base of networked charging stations worldwide with more than 700 units shipped to more than 130 customers in 2009. Installation of the ChargePoint charging stations for electric vehicles are beginning now in all nine designated regional metropolitan areas of the U.S.

"We are also thrilled that the beautiful city of Orlando is the kickoff of our summer tour to raise awareness of the ChargePoint America program delivering infrastructure for EV to cities across the country," said Richard Lowenthal, CEO at Coulomb Technologies.

"Orlando is leading the charge and is the recipient of the first installed ChargePoint station under the ChargePoint America program. The installation of these home and public charging stations will create employment for hundreds of people in Central Florida and provide the essential infrastructure necessary for the future of transportation."

"This strategic partnership with the ChargePoint America Program will propel Orlando's efforts to advance electric vehicle mobility by providing the needed infrastructure," said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer.

"Through the City's GreenWorks Orlando program, we have focused on investing in energy efficiencies which has already led to the construction and completion of six LEED-certified Orlando Fire Stations; the construction of the first LEED-certified NBA facility and being selected as one of 24 Solar American Cities by the U.S. Department of Energy. These efforts help us protect the environment and save our residents money."

"I am delighted to support the ChargePoint America program," said Orange County, FL Mayor Richard T. Crotty. "Orange County Government has been aggressively converting its fleet to non-petroleum fuels such as Biodiesel, Ethanol and Hydrogen, cutting our petroleum consumption by 20 percent. This EV charging station is another important step toward becoming a greener community."

"For more than 85 years, OUC has provided reliable electric service to homes and businesses throughout Orlando, and now, as we look toward the future, we want to ensure that we can provide that same reliable service to power our customers' electric cars as well," said OUC's Porta, adding that the utility will use this opportunity to better understand the technical requirements of an EV infrastructure and its impact on the OUC system as well as analyzing the various business applications associated with the EV market.

ChargePoint America will offer both public and home charging stations to individuals and businesses. Businesses interested in receiving public charging stations should visit the ChargePoint America web site and sign up by completing the application form.

Individuals interested in purchasing an EV should sign up to receive more information about qualifying to receive a home charging station. Additionally, the ChargePoint America web site provides a way for drivers to suggest public locations for charging stations.