MIAMI BEACH, Fla., Sept. 2, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Car Charging
Group, Inc. (OTCQB: CCGI) ("CarCharging"), the largest provider,
owner, and operator of electric vehicle (EV) charging services,
announced that beginning on September 2,
2014, new pricing policy changes and enhanced features will
be introduced on EV charging stations owned by Blink and operated
on the Blink Network. These changes and features include
kilowatt-hour ("kWh") pricing, reduced time-based charging
increments, program participation confirmation, and remote start
functionality.
To provide more appealing rates for EV drivers and to stimulate
demand, CarCharging will introduce kWh pricing on EV charging
stations owned by Blink and operated on the Blink Network in states
where such pricing models are permitted. These states include
California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New
York, Oregon, Utah, Virginia, and Washington, along with the District of Columbia. CarCharging is a
proponent of kWh pricing because it is usage-based and EV drivers
pay fees based on the actual amount of power consumed during the
charging session rather than the amount of time that the car
remains plugged into the station. Fees for Level 2 EV charging
stations owned by Blink and operated on the Blink Network in the
kWh eligible states will range from $0.39 to
$0.79 per kWh, depending on the state and individual's
membership status. Fees for DCFC chargers owned by Blink and
operated on the Blink Network in the eligible states will range
from $0.49 to $0.69 per kWh,
depending on the state and individual's membership status.
Additionally, in response to customer feedback and to provide
flexibility for Blink station owners, CarCharging will reduce the
time increments for stations operated on the Blink Network located
in states where kWh pricing is not permitted. Time-based charging
fees will no longer be rounded to the nearest hour, but rather, up
to the nearest 30-second interval. Fees for Level 2 EV charging
stations owned by Blink and operated on the Blink Network in
non-kwh eligible states will range from $0.04 to $0.06 per minute, depending on
membership status. Fees for DCFC chargers owned by Blink and
operated on the Blink Network in non-kwh eligible states will range
from $6.99 to $9.99 per session,
depending on membership status.
"Since the acquisition of the Blink EV charging stations and the
Blink Network last year, we have been looking forward to expanding
our offerings such as implementing kWh pricing, which is the only
fair pricing methodology, and remote start functionality, as well
as providing multiple pricing policy options for station owners,
including kWh pricing and options for setting time-based
increments" said Michael D. Farkas,
Founder and Chief Executive Officer of CarCharging. "It is our goal
to ensure that the Blink Network is the most state of the art,
economical, easy to use, interoperable and open network for EV
drivers, charging station manufacturers, property managers, and
owners."
To enhance the EV charging experience, stations on the Blink
Network that participate in specific promotions or programs, such
as Nissan's No Charge to Charge, will also be noted on a
participating station's screen, and after a program participant's
card is swiped at the participating station, the appropriate
program information will be displayed. CarCharging will also
introduce remote start functionality via Blink Customer Support. On
the driver's behalf, Blink Customer Support personnel will be able
to initiate charging sessions remotely. CarCharging anticipates
expanding this functionality to the Blink and CarCharging mobile
applications in the immediate future.
Drivers can become Blink members for free, review pricing
policies, and pinpoint EV charging station locations on the Blink
Network at www.BlinkNetwork.com or the Blink mobile
application.
About Car Charging Group, Inc.
Car Charging
Group, Inc. (OTCQB: CCGI) is a pioneer in nationwide public
electric vehicle (EV) charging services, enabling EV drivers to
easily recharge at locations throughout the United States. The company is based in
Miami Beach, FL, and has offices
in San Francisco, CA; New York, NY; and Phoenix, AZ. CarCharging's business model is
designed to accelerate the adoption of public EV charging.
CarCharging offers various options to commercial and residential
property owners for EV charging services. Our typical business
model provides a comprehensive turnkey program where CarCharging
owns and operates the EV charging equipment; manages the
installation, maintenance, and related services; and shares a
portion of the EV charging revenue with the property owner.
Alternatively, property partners can share in the equipment and
installation expenses with CarCharging operating and managing the
EV charging stations and providing network connectivity. For
properties interested in purchasing and owning EV charging
stations, CarCharging can also provide EV charging hardware, site
recommendations, connection to the Blink Network, and management
and maintenance services.
Through its subsidiary, Blink Network, CarCharging also provides
residential EV charging solutions for single-family homes.
For more information, please visit www.BlinkHQ.com.
CarCharging has strategic partnerships across multiple business
sectors including multi-family residential and commercial
properties, parking garages, shopping malls, retail parking, and
municipalities. CarCharging's partners include, but are not
limited to Walgreens, IKEA, Wal-Mart, Simon Property Group, Equity
One, Equity Residential, Forest
City, Cinemark USA, Fox
Studios, Facebook, PayPal, Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants, Mayo
Clinic, San Diego Padres, University of
Pennsylvania, Ace Parking, Central/USA Parking, Icon Parking, Rapid Parking,
Parking Concepts, CVS, Related Management, Pennsylvania Turnpike
Commission, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection,
City of Phoenix (AZ), City of Philadelphia (PA), and City of
Miami Beach (FL).
CarCharging is committed to creating a robust, feature-rich
network for EV charging and is hardware agnostic. CarCharging
owns the Blink Network, and owns and operates EV charging equipment
manufactured by Blink, Aerovironment, ChargePoint, General
Electric, Nissan, and SemaConnect. CarCharging's Level II charging
stations are compatible with EVs sold in the United States including the Tesla Model S,
Nissan LEAF, Chevy Volt, Mitsubishi i-Miev, Toyota Prius Plug-In,
Honda Fit EV, and Toyota Rav4 EV, as well as many others scheduled
for release over the next few years.
For more information about CarCharging, please visit
www.CarCharging.com, www.facebook.com/Car.Charging, or
www.twitter.com/CarCharging.
Forward-Looking Safe Harbor Statement:
This press
release contains forward-looking statements as defined within
Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section
21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. By their
nature, forward-looking statements and forecasts involve risks and
uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on
circumstances that will occur in the near future. Those
statements include statements regarding the intent, belief or
current expectations of Car Charging Group, Inc., and members of
its management as well as the assumptions on which such statements
are based. Prospective investors are cautioned that any such
forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance
and involve risks and uncertainties, and that actual results may
differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking
statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or
revise forward-looking statements to reflect changed
conditions.
CarCharging Media
Contact
|
CarCharging
Investor Relations
|
Suzanne
Tamargo
|
Constellation Asset
Advisors, Inc.
|
Suzanne@CarCharging.com
|
www.ConstellationAA.com
|
(305) 521-0200 x
214
|
(775)
771-5808
|
|
|
|
or Chris
Witty
|
|
Darrow Associates,
Inc.
|
|
cwitty@darrowir.com
|
|
(646)
348-9385
|
SOURCE Car Charging Group, Inc.