European Market Expansion of 365 Energy Gains Further Momentum

April 14, 2010 – 365 Energy has announced the installation of the first Coulomb ChargePoint® Networked Charging Stations in Dublin, Ireland. The charging stations were provided to Ireland’s Electricity Supply Board (ESB) and recently went live in the Dublin city centre. The installation of these charging stations is only the beginning of Ireland’s nationwide e-mobility infrastructure initiative. The ESB is planning to install charging stations in homes, on-street and along motor-ways throughout Ireland so that electric cars can be powered at a wide range of accessible venues.

By the end of 2011, the ESB plans to install a total of 1500 on-street charging stations. Moreover, up to 30 fast chargers will be installed by end of next year along all major inter-urban routes, 60km apart. Accoring to the Irish Times, there are currently only about 30 privately-owned non-commercial electric vehicles (EVs) on Irish roads. The Irish government aims to increase that number to a total of 2,000 EVs by the end of 2011 and 6,000 by the end of 2012.

“The launch of our ChargePoint Networked Charging Stations in Dublin is a very important step for the European market expansion of 365 Energy, as Ireland has set ambitious targets for the introduction of electric vehicles,” said Mark Kriek, CEO of 365 Energy. “Due to our unique EV charging infrastructure, which provides networked station management as well as cross-border roaming and billing, 365 Energy is in an excellent position to support Ireland’s goal of reaching a 10 percent share of electric vehicles by 2020."

ChargePoint Networked Charging Stations (www.coulombtech.com/products.php) are developed by US-based Coulomb Technologies and exclusively marketed in Europe, the Middle East and Africa by 365 Energy. Coulomb’s advanced software technology allows utilities and governments to scale their networks to accommodate large numbers of networked charging stations. The foundation is the development of the ChargePoint® Network powered by Coulomb’s advanced software platform technology.  The ChargePoint Network is open to all drivers of electric vehicles and provides authentication, management, and real-time control through multiple web-based portals for hosts, fleet managers, drivers, and utilities.

Since the start of its operations in 2009, 365 Energy has built a strong market presence in all major European regions, including the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Norway, Spain, Italy, Ireland, Turkey and Israel.

A comprehensive overview of all available ChargePoint Networked Charging Stations in Europe can be found on Google Maps:

http://chargepointportal.eu/index.php/device/devicelocation.html

Amsterdam and Bochum to offer cross-border billing and roaming

January 29, 2010 – 365 Energy and the cities of Amsterdam and Bochum have started operations of a novel, cross-country billing and roaming system. The platform allows for electric vehicles (EVs) to be charged in various European cities by using a single customer ID card issued by the municipalities. Due to the networked billing and roaming, EV users will not only be able to access ChargePoint™ Networked Charging Stations in Europe with the same ID, they will also receive an integrated invoice at the end of each billing period. There will be no extra charge for roaming, since these cities open their ChargePoint Networked Charging Stations for each other. In the near future, this will enable EV drivers to buy the electricity from their preferred provider. 

The city of Amsterdam and the city of Bochum‘s public utility company Stadtwerke Bochum GmbH have been the first to install ChargePoint charging stations in the Netherlands and Germany, respectively, and are again front-runners to offer EV users this unique service. Other European cities, such as London and Lisbon and Milan are expected to follow.

LONDON, UK, December 7, 2009

Frost & Sullivan Accolade Underlines 365 Energy’s Credentials as Emerging European Electromobility Infrastructure Company

Frost & Sullivan today announced that it will present its ‘2009 European Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Emerging Company Award’ to 365 Energy Group, a leading European electromobility infrastructure company.

Charging infrastructure plays an important role as a success factor for the electric vehicle (EV) market as the unavailability of appropriate infrastructure could make customers reluctant to adopt EVs. It is important that charging infrastructure be installed rapidly so as to be fully functional and efficient by the time EVs arrive in large scale – possibly by 2011 - and attain the optimal ratio between supply and demand for charging infrastructure.

365 Energy is expected to be a leading supplier of this infrastructure in the EMEA regions (Europe, Middle East and Africa). The regions of North America and Europe are expected to be the major markets for EVs and therefore important potential ones for charging infrastructure.

“365 Energy Group differentiates itself from other charging stations manufacturers in Europe by having partnered with Coulomb Technologies, a major infrastructure manufacturer in the United States, to bring its technology to Europe,” notes Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Leonor Martinez. “Its unique vision of developing the infrastructure market in different stages ensures that it will have a coherent infrastructure by the time electric vehicles (EVs) reach the mass market.”

365 Energy’s ‘ChargePoint’ network consists of an operating system that connects charging stations operated by different providers and located in various countries. This allows charging station operators to manage both the payments for electricity as well as grid load. Therefore, 365 Energy´s solutions enable networked billing and roaming between individual countries and network operating centers.

“The company’s major product is a charging station for EVs that can be installed in public or private areas and allows one vehicle to be charged at a time,” explains Martinez. “The system is operated by a radio frequency identification (RFID) card that the user needs for identification as a subscriber.”

The present market for EV infrastructure is very challenging, as it is in the early stages of development. For small new businesses entering the market as infrastructure manufacturers, it is important to have a long-term vision and a coherent business plan.

“365 Energy presents a solid three stage development market plan – targeting the public sector, corporate fleets and private consumers - for its products that will focus on different types of customers in each stage before reaching the mass market,” states Martinez.

The company has already implemented its business strategy by creating partnerships and relationships with other organisations to supply charging infrastructure. For example, the company already has equipped the cities of Amsterdam and Bochum with infrastructure and also signed a new agreement with the Catholic High School of Limburg in Belgium. These actions are coherent with its business plan to target public institutions in the first stage.

The Frost & Sullivan Award for Emerging Company is presented each year to the company that has emerged as a significant participant within its industry. This company is perceived to have exhibited outstanding management, superior market growth, exceptional customer service and the ability to combine technology and successful strategic initiatives. This company has the exceptional know-how to take advantage of market changes through the execution of innovative strategies within the existing competitive landscape.

Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Awards recognise companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research in order to identify best practices in the industry.

Berlin, 28 September 2009

This week, Norwegian energy supplier Eidsiva commenced operation of the first ‘intelligent’ charging station for electric vehicles in Gjøvik (Oppland Province), which is supplied by global market leader Coulomb Technologies. Apart from the one in Gjøvik, Coulomb’s European sales partner, the 365 Energy Group, will install another three ChargePoint™ stations in Lillehammer and Hamar.

The owner and operator of the charging stations is Eidsiva Vekst AS who is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Eidsiva Energi AS. Eidsiva Energi is one of Norway’s largest energy corporations, and has its head-office in Hamar. Eidsiva Energi has over 900 employees.