Ecotality is branching out to China with a joint venture aimed at bringing what it has developed in the US to the world’s largest potential market for electric vehicles.
San Francisco-based Ecotality, a manufacturer of electric vehicle charging infrastructure that has most of its operations in Phoenix, will form a subsidiary with Changchun Eco-Power Technology to develop standards and infrastructure for the Chinese electric vehicle industry.
“We believe China is going to be one of, if not the biggest driving force behind electric vehicles in the world,” said Jonathan Read, president and CEO of Ecotality.
In the US, Ecotality is developing a $230 million charging infrastructure known as the EV Project, with help from about $115 million in grants from the US Department of Energy . It is installing about 15,000 charging stations in six states, including Arizona.
The project has partnered with vehicle manufacturers, and it is something Read said he would like to replicate in China.
Much of that support for engineering and standards would come from Ecotality North America in Phoenix. Read said the joint venture likely would lean on those engineers while it was starting.
The venture, Tianjin Eco-Power Technology, would manufacture and distribute Ecotality products. Those would include charging systems not just for cars, but for airport and warehouse vehicles such as forklifts, Read said.
Wei Lu, CEO of Changchun Eco-Power, said in a statement that the joint venture would be able to accelerate the Chinese market for electric vehicles.
Read said as the Chinese economy grows, it will be possible in the next decade that a government edict to produce 30 percent of automobiles as plug-in electric vehicles would yield as many cars as are produced annually in the US.
China also is pushing hard to cut its dependence on foreign oil, building nuclear power at a record pace, and pushing for more electric vehicles.
“We think this is a critical time to get involved with the automakers and help develop a standard,” Read said.
