The home and commercial EV charging market has gotten quite a bit bigger after a slew of charging announcements at the Plugin 2010 conference. ECOtality, an established electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) provider and manager of the EV Project, took the opportunity to unveil a family of stylishly industrial-looking home and residential charge station solutions.

Called 'Blink,' the chargers—including a residential wall-mount unit and a commercial stand-alone pedestal—come in a variety of different configurations to match to the purchasers requirements. ECOtality says that their chargers are different from the other solutions available in that the are designed to be "centerpieces."

"Blink is more than a place to plug in a car—it is the fulcrum between the driver, car, home and utility," said Jonathan Read, CEO of ECOtality in a statement. "The high level of interactivity built into our systems sets Blink chargers apart from anything else on the market and is key to driving consumer adoption. Never before has consumer demand been so high and the market potential so large for EVs. By introducing a charger that is simply smarter and really connected, ECOtality and out partners are setting a new industry standard."

The Blink stations were designed by global industrial design company, frog design, to have a "dramatic, timeless" style that might look equally at home in any location. The Blink stations are built on an interactive, networked platform that is built to communicate equally well with consumers, utilities, and potential managers of the commercial charge stations. Like many charge stations available to the public at this point, Blink stations can take advantage of smart grid technology to start charging when utility rates are lowest—typically at night.

In addition to the physical charging stations, ECOtality is also developing its own charging network—a la Coulomb's ChargePoint—to provide "an exclusive set of benefits" to members. Without much other information available immediately, ECOtality has said they will provide more information on just what those benefits are closer to launch of the Blink network. The first Blink stations are set to be installed in Fall of 2010 as part of the EV Project.

Image Credit: ecofriend

Reprinted with permission from PluginCars