Qualcomm and ECOtality to Enable Electric Vehicle Charging Stations With Cellular Connectivity

SAN DIEGO and SAN FRANCISCO, July 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Qualcomm Incorporated (Nasdaq: QCOM) and ECOtality Incorporated (Nasdaq: ECTY) have entered into an agreement to implement cellular connectivity into charging stations.  The solution will allow ECOtality to use a commercial cellular network to manage its Blink brand charging station operations, transfer usage data, download firmware updates and publish availability to electric vehicle drivers in real time.

"Blink's simple, smart approach to charging allows consumers the real-time monitoring, command and control they expect while leveraging renewable energy generation and reducing greenhouse gas emissions," said Jonathan Read, president and CEO of ECOtality.  "Cellular networks will play a critical role in connecting the charging stations with ECOtality's control systems so we can make all these benefits possible."

ECOtality will begin deploying cellular-enabled charging stations this year under the EV Project, a $230 million project involving the U.S. Department of Energy; ECOtality's subsidiary, ECOtality North America; and more than 40 project partners.  The EV Project is the largest deployment of electric vehicles and charging infrastructure in U.S. history, including up to 8,300 fully electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles and nearly 15,000 at-home and publicly available charging systems.  All chargers to be deployed under this program, as well as those carrying ECOtality's recently unveiled Blink brand, will contain Qualcomm technology to communicate over cellular networks.

"Real-time communications are critical for massive deployment of both electric vehicles and charging infrastructure," said Andy Wood, director of business development at Qualcomm.  "We are committed to helping charging station providers take advantage of the coverage, scalability and reliability provided by commercial cellular networks in order to satisfy this essential requirement."

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.  For more information about The EV Project, please visit www.theevproject.com.  

About Qualcomm  

Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM) is the world leader in next-generation mobile technologies.  For 25 years, Qualcomm ideas and inventions have driven the evolution of wireless communications, connecting people more closely to information, entertainment and each other.  Today, Qualcomm technologies are powering the convergence of mobile communications and consumer electronics, making wireless devices and services more personal, affordable and accessible to people everywhere.  For more information, visit Qualcomm around the Web:

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SOURCE Qualcomm Incorporated; ECOtality Incorporated