GE Energy Industrial Solutions and Lowe's announce at the Plug-In 2011 Conference and Exposition they will partner to offer consumers the fast-charging, easy-to-use, energy-efficient GE WattStation Wall Mount Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Station.
“The GE WattStation is fast and easy to use, and now it’s easy to buy for owners of EVs in America”
“The innovative GE WattStation offers Lowe’s customers one of the electric-vehicle industry’s first rapid-charging solutions for use in homes and commercial businesses,” said Tom Dillon, Lowe’s merchandising vice president. “Durable, easy-to-use and sleek, this product will help transform the future of personal transportation, making an electric vehicle easily adaptable for everyday use.”
Lowe’s will introduce the GE WattStation at five stores in California in August then increase availability to 60 total stores in September. The GE WattStation will also be available to consumers nationwide on Lowes.com in September.
“The GE WattStation is fast and easy to use, and now it’s easy to buy for owners of EVs in America,” said Paul Foody, product general manager, GE Energy Industrial Solutions. “This is the first time customers can purchase the GE WattStation from a retailer, marking a milestone for GE as we help accelerate the mass adoption of EVs.”
Lowe’s installed a GE DuraStation* EV Charging Station for use at its headquarters in Mooresville, N.C., and will also install commercial GE WattStations at select stores for public use. The GE WattStation is manufactured at a GE facility in Mebane, N.C.
The GE WattStation, a Level 2 charger, fully charges an electric car in just four to eight hours compared with standard overnight charging that can take as much as 12 to 14 hours. The wall-mount unit can be installed in an EV user’s garage or outdoors, operates on a 208-240VAC circuit and is designed to work within the EV ecosystem. The sleek, robust design of the GE WattStation is NEMA 3R rated to resist rain, sleet and even ice.
The compact wall-mounted GE WattStation measures 24 inches tall, 16 inches wide and 6 inches deep. It can be installed in new or existing construction, and can either be hardwired for more permanent installations or plugged into a NEMA 6-50 receptacle for simple removal.
GE offers a portfolio of product solutions – including GE WattStation, circuit-protection equipment and transformers – that touch every part of the electric-vehicle infrastructure development. This portfolio enables GE to lead wide-scale electric-vehicle adoption and generate growth for its businesses. Innovation is a tradition at GE. For more than 100 years GE has built and serviced infrastructure to optimize energy generation and use. The development of this next-generation technology with GE reliability was a natural progression.