The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo for Dad, maybe a Kindle Fire for Sis, and an electric vehicle charging station for Mom to use at home with her Nissan Leaf? That shopping list is possible now at Amazon, which announced this morning it would sell the home wall-mounted WattStation, designed by Yves Behar and made by GE Energy Industrial Solutions. The WattStation will be available for use in North America.
One of the difficulties boosters of electric vehicles have faced is overcoming perceptions that the technology required to make them a practical, everyday option isn’t quite there yet or is somehow too complicated. That’s never really been true, and GE’s announcement is just the latest sign that electric cars are becoming a mainstream option for consumers.
Now that the WattStation can be purchased online, even from your mobile phone, the “end to end” charging infrastructure needed to electrify transportation is that much more accessible. The WattStation provides a full-cycle charge to a 24 kWh battery in only 4 to 8 hours. Charging the Leaf or any other EV using a standard electrical outlet takes 12 to 18 hours. The sleek WattStation, unlike other chargers on the market, also contains built-in fuses, which provide overload protection. It can be mounted on indoor or outdoor walls.