Watch CBS News

PEP Stations Partners With Diebold For Charging System

PEP Stations LLC, a Livonia-based company that designs, manufactures, sells, installs and services, electric vehicle charging stations has today in collaboration with Diebold Inc. announced their partnership at the 2011 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

PEP (Plug-in Electric Power) Stations are 240-volt commercial charge stations developed to support the semi-private and public infrastructure necessary for the acceptance of the newly released production electric vehicle. The PEP Stations organization is a subsidiary of The Blain Group, a commercial design and real estate development company, which includes multi- industry seasoned professionals, two of whom are former Ford Motor Co. executives with information technology, product development and operations backgrounds.

PEP Stations are engineered by Ricardo Inc., the British automotive engineering provider with its North American headquarters in Van Buren Township.

Capable of charging two electric vehicles simultaneously, PEP Stations are attractively designed by architect James Blain to be identifiable, indestructible, intelligent, user friendly, and safe. PEP Stations are unique in that they are designed with an eight-inch touch screen user interface, use a coiled cord for its cable management system, and sit on a concrete pedestal base meeting ADA compliance and avoiding the need for bollards to protect the charge station from being run into by vehicles.

Additionally, PEP Stations have an on-board magnetic card reader and network capabilities. Therefore, the charge stations can be configured for credit card use, the rate being determined by the charge station owner, access card use for tenants or customers, or unrestricted use. PEP Stations pay-per-use model differs from competing subscription based models.

"Because the emerging electric vehicle supply equipment industry is viewed as a growth industry, we have been fortunate to attract established and successful partners from adjacent industries, such as Diebold," said Brady Blain, PEP Stations Vice President of Business Development.

At the 2011 NAIAS, PEP Stations will be on display at the MEDC Town Square Exhibit in Michigan Hall. The exhibit highlights advanced technologies in electric vehicles, charging stations, bio fuels, home efficiency, LED lighting and solar and wind power. PEP Stations will be plugged into Azure Dynamics Transit Connect Electric being built for Ford.

"2011 is the year of the electric car," Blain said. "To this point, much focus has been on providing fast charging solutions for home use. In order for electric vehicles to be accepted by the general public, a charging infrastructure will be needed. Now that the vehicles are here, we've seen demand for commercial charge stations increase dramatically. With a partners such as Ricardo and Diebold, PEP Stations is well positioned to provide a reputable charging solution."

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.