Thursday, January 30, 2014

AeroVironment's Turbocord: Extension Cord For Your EV

Are you tired of jostling with other electric vehicle drivers for that one charging spot at work? Monrovia, California-based Aerovironment is looking to make any parking spot a charging spot, with a new product it is calling the Turbocord. According to Aerovironment, its new, portable plug-in-charger comes complete with a 20-foot cord, and supports both 120 or 240 volts -- and at 240 volts can charge a fully electric car in less than six hours. The cord handles all of the interfacing required between plug-in hybrid and electric cards and electrical power systems, eliminating the need for charger installation. Aerovironment is specifically encouraging business owners and retail outlets to install 240 volt outlets (typically used for things like dryers and other appliances) in public locations, which is fairly inexpensive compared to electric car charging equipment. Aerovironment has been in the business of electric car charging for quite some time -- deploying charging stations as far back as 1996 for the General Motors EV-1 electric car -- some of which are still around (but nonfunctional) at Southern California shopping centers.