ECOtality and Sears Expand Relationship, Unveil Electric Vehicle Chargers in Tennessee and Arizona
SAN FRANCISCO and HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., Jan. 29, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ECOtality, Inc., a leader in clean electric transportation and storage technologies (Nasdaq:ECTY), and Sears Holdings (Nasdaq:SHLD) recently expanded their relationship and also unveiled the first Blink® Direct Current (DC) Fast Charger stations at several Sears stores in Tennessee and Arizona. These stations enable Sears customers to charge an electric vehicle battery up to 80 percent capacity in less than 30 minutes — the fastest charge rate currently available.
"Our relationship with Sears will benefit businesses and communities alike," said Ravi Brar, CEO of ECOtality. "By continuing to install Blink charging stations at new locations, Sears shows its commitment to clean energy with the added benefit of attracting an upscale and loyal consumer that research shows spends more time in store than the average customer. We are delighted to work with such an iconic brand."
As part of The EV Project, ECOtality worked closely with Sears during the site selection process, evaluating key factors such as store traffic, EV density and availability of the unique DC stations. Currently, five fast charging sites have been installed and there is continued effort to expand opportunities further. In addition to the fast chargers, Sears Holdings has implemented level 2 charging stations at 12 additional Sears stores. With these in place, the company exceeded 2,000 hours of connection time by customers and associates.
"Sears Holdings is proud to do our part in driving clean energy and we look forward to continuing our work with ECOtality," said Rajan Penkar, Senior Vice President and President, Supply Chain, for Sears Holdings. "We are delighted to see that the EV Charging stations are already offering a valuable service to our customers, communities and associates, and we are excited to see how many hours charging we can achieve in 2013."
Blink DC Fast charging stations are powerful and unique machines. Not only do they charge an EV at an adaptable 60 kW rate, but they offer dual ports, which allows for sequential charge time as well as adaptability should DC fast charging cable ports need to be updated. Additionally, the UL certified charger features two interactive touch screens and a 42" color display to allow for media and messaging. With real time communication capabilities, the Blink DC Fast Charger supports energy usage data evaluation with an internal energy meter.
About ECOtality, Inc.
ECOtality, Inc. (Nasdaq:ECTY), headquartered in San Francisco, California, is a leader in clean electric transportation and storage technologies. Through innovation, acquisitions, and strategic partnerships, ECOtality accelerates the market applicability of advanced electric technologies to replace carbon-based fuels. For more information about ECOtality, Inc., please visit www.ecotality.com.
The ECOtality, Inc. logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=13434
About The EV Project
ECOtality is the project manager of The EV Project, a research initiative to help build America's future EV infrastructure. To date, The EV Project has gathered more than 60 million miles of EV driver data that will serve to support the deployment of EVs in key markets. The project is a public-private partnership, funded in part by the U.S. Department of Energy through a federal stimulus grant and made possible by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). For more information about The EV Project, please visit www.theevproject.com
About Sears Holdings Corporation
Sears Holdings Corporation is a leading integrated retailer with over 2,600 full-line and specialty retail stores in the United States and Canada and the home of SHOP YOUR WAY, a social shopping experience where members have the ability to earn points and receive benefits across a wide variety of physical and digital formats through ShopYourWay.com. Sears Holdings is the leading home appliance retailer as well as a leader in tools, lawn and garden, fitness equipment and automotive repair and maintenance. Key proprietary brands include Kenmore, Craftsman and DieHard, with a broad apparel offering, including such well-known labels as Lands' End, the Kardashian Kollection, Jaclyn Smith and Joe Boxer, as well as Sofia by Sofia Vergara and The Country Living Home Collection. We are the nation's largest provider of home services, with more than 15 million service and installation calls made annually and have a long-established commitment to those who serve in the military through initiatives like the Heroes at Home program. We have been named the 2011 Mobile Retailer of the Year, Recipient of the 2012 ENERGY STAR® "Corporate Commitment Award" for Product Retailing and Energy Management and one of the Top 20 Best Places to Work for Recent Grads. Sears Holdings Corporation operates through its subsidiaries, including Sears, Roebuck and Co. and Kmart Corporation. For more information, visit Sears Holdings' website at www.searsholdings.com. Twitter: @searsholdings | |Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SHCCareers
CONTACT: ECOtality Media:
Kim Setliff
kimberly@antennagroup.com
(415) 977.1942
ECOtality Investor Relations:
Ronald A. Both
ron@liolios.com
(949) 574.3860
Sears Holdings:
Howard Riefs
(847) 286.8371
