EV Charging Stations Among the Vineyards: HALL Wines Installs Blink
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NAPA VALLEY, CA--June 16, 2011: ECOtality, Inc. , leader in clean electric transportation and storage technologies, announces HALL Wines as the first vineyard and winery to install an ECOtality electric charging vehicle station, as part of The Electronic Vehicle (EV) Project, the largest deployment of EV Charging infrastructure in history. Beginning June 16, 2011, HALL Wines, the premier 21st century vineyard and winery, hosts an ECOtality EV Charging Station at its St. Helena winery. The introduction of an EV Charging Station to HALL St. Helena underlines HALL’s status as a leader in sustainability.
“Since launching HALL Wines, we have been dedicated to preservation of the environment and bringing innovation to Napa Valley”
“We are pleased to be working with an organization that is as passionate and supportive of the environment, as ECOtality,” said Jonathan Read, CEO of ECOtality, Inc. “In addition to enriching the successful execution and continued maintenance of rich electric vehicle charging infrastructures in California, the installment of EV Charging Stations in Napa Valley is an exciting opportunity. HALL Wines’ support of the EV Project further allows us to expand our outlets of data collection, enabling us to evaluate the effectiveness of charging infrastructure, ultimately leading to our goal of widespread EV use throughout the United States.”
As project manager of The EV Project, ECOtality oversees the $230 million public-private initiative, which is sponsored with a $114.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The goal of The EV Project is to collect and analyze data to create a strategic roadmap that will enable a streamlined deployment of the next 5,000,000 EVs. ECOtality is working with a wide array of strategic partners to achieve this goal, including Nissan North America and Chevrolet.
HALL Wines has chosen to install ECOtality’s Blink Level 2 Commercial Pedestal Charger. ECOtality’s Blink Level 2 charging unit is the primary and preferred method for charging in residential and public locations. The ECOtality design is easy and safe to use and provides intelligent, user-friendly features to charge electric vehicles. Through multiple communication systems, the charging station integrates with the Blink Network to offer ease of payment, web-based bi-directional informational delivery and data flow, AMI interface capability, internal meter to monitor energy and demand usage, as well as energy usage data evaluation.
“Since launching HALL Wines, we have been dedicated to preservation of the environment and bringing innovation to Napa Valley,” said Ambassador Kathryn Hall, HALL Wines Owner and Vintner. “HALL Wines is always looking for new ways to provide support and dedication to the sustainable living movement. We continue to reinforce our commitment to the health of the land, as well as that of the greater Napa Valley ecosystem. The latest initiative to install an EV charging station at HALL St. Helena, is an expansion of our sustainability efforts and is our way of not only encouraging health of the land in wine country, but everywhere.”
HALL’s long-term mission to lead earth-friendly California winegrowing speaks to HALL Wines’ consistency in the quality of the grapes and wines produced. In 2009, HALL St. Helena was honored as the first LEED® Gold Certified Winery in the State of California by the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED® Green Building Rating System. The design of the facility is in accordance with the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED® rating system, showcasing a number of sustainable features.
In 2010, HALL received its Organic Certification from the California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF), one of the nation’s oldest and largest organic certification and trade associations in North America. HALL further extends its commitment to sustainability via its use of bio-diesel in farming equipment as well as fish--friendly farming techniques, which contributes to the protection of the local waterways. HALL’s estate vineyards are enrolled in the Napa Green program, the wine industry’s most comprehensive “best practices” in land-use and wine production, focusing on building environmentally sound, sustainable procedures.
The introduction of these EV Charging Stations marks another milestone for Wine Country and for HALL. The first EV Charging Station will be available to visitors of HALL St. Helena, a historic Napa Valley winery originally founded in 1885. The winery is located just south of the town of St. Helena on Route 29 and is open daily from 10:00 am until 5:30 pm for public visits, tastings and tours. Additional information is available at http://www.hallwines.com/greencharging.
About ECOtality, Inc.
ECOtality, Inc. , headquartered in San Francisco, California, is a leader in clean electric transportation and storage technologies. Through innovation, acquisitions, and strategic partnerships, ECOtality accelerates the market applicability of advanced electric technologies to replace carbon-based fuels. For more information about ECOtality, Inc., please visit ecotality.com.
About HALL Wines
HALL Wines estate vineyards encompass more than five hundred acres of classic Bordeaux varietals; Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Sauvignon Blanc. Through meticulous attention to detail, HALL wines employs organic small-vine viticulture, precision winemaking, wild yeast fermentation, and micro-block-blending, to fully extract the purity, and to express the unique and diverse character of Napa Valley’s soils and climate. .
