San Francisco's First Credit Card Enabled Electric Vehicle ChargePoint Charging Stations Installed at First Priority GreenPark Location

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 16, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- The first publicly accessible, commercially-owned electric vehicle (EV) charging stations are now available in the city of San Francisco. The two ChargePoint charging stations, located at Pier 27 in the Priority Parking lot, are the first of 12 to be installed in Priority Parking's facilities throughout the city and represent the company's first implementation of its Priority GreenPark initiative.

"We are pleased to offer the first credit card-enabled electric vehicle parking solution in the city of San Francisco," said Aaron Zeff, co-owner of Priority Parking. "With Priority GreenPark, EV owners only need a credit card, making it available to out-of-towners who might not have other charging options."

The combined Level I (120V) and Level II (240V) charging stations can charge two electric vehicles simultaneously and are part of a grant administered by Coulomb Technologies' ChargePoint America program.  The ChargePoint America program will provide 4,600 free public and home charging stations in nine regions in the US and will gather data on vehicle use and charging patterns.

"Priority Parking is leading by example by installing ChargePoint stations for electric vehicles at their properties in California," said Richard Lowenthal, CEO of Coulomb Technologies. "In metropolitan areas such as San Francisco it is important to have plenty of safe and convenient places to charge. Priority Parking is helping San Francisco become EV ready and we applaud their leadership."

"The Port of San Francisco is committed to being a leader in the Bay Area's network of electric vehicle charging stations," said Jeff Bauer, senior commercial leasing manager at the Port of San Francisco. "Priority Parking has been a great partner in installing the vehicle charging stations by leveraging the first West Coast shore-side power capability for cruise ships at Pier 27. This will be a positive addition to a greener San Francisco."

"Now that a surge of new electric vehicles are expected to debut in 2011 and are designed for the average consumer, Priority GreenPark plans to offer alternative parking solutions and create sustainable practices that will positively impact the environment," said Doron Levitan, co-owner of Priority Parking. "We're doing our part with a clear corporate sustainability goal, hoping that our example will challenge the parking industry, a traditionally carbon producing business, to take a different approach and support a goal for zero emission."

A formal press conference was held at noon today at the Priority Parking lot at Pier 27. Speakers at the press conference included:

• Gavin Newsom, Mayor of San Francisco
• Bevan Dufty, SF Board of Supervisors
• David Chiu, SF Board of Supervisors
• Richard Lowenthal, Coulomb Technologies CEO
• Kathleen Reilly, MasterCard Vice President, Sr., Business Leader US Emerging Payments
• Aaron Zeff. Priority Parking President 

About ChargePoint America

The $37 million ChargePoint America program is made possible by a $15M grant funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act through the Transportation Electrification Initiative administered by the Department of Energy. ChargePoint America will provide 4,600 public and home ChargePoint Networked Charging Stations by October 2011, adding to the existing ChargePoint Network. Coulomb will work together with its distribution and industry partners to evaluate the demand from the respective geographic regions and allocate charging stations based on this and other factors. The ChargePoint America project will collect data characterizing vehicle use and charging patterns, and Purdue University and Idaho National Labs will analyze the data. For more program information visit www.chargepointamerica.com.

Priority Parking was founded in 1995 and is one of the leading providers of parking solutions in Northern California with more than 60 locations in San Francisco and Sacramento. Priority Parking's exceptional leadership team and a motivated staff of more than 100 highly trained employees,  span every facet of the parking industry from freestanding facilities and mixed use parking to efficiency design and property enhancement. Collectively, the Priority Parking team has more than 100 years of hands-on experience in parking operations and management. For more information about Priority Parking visit www.priorityparking.com.

Priority GreenPark was established in September 2010 to lead the transition of all Priority Parking facilities to sustainable, environmentally responsible assets. The Priority GreenPark initiative will become the industry's leading example of alternative parking practices, ultimately transforming the parking industry.

SOURCE Priority GreenPark