Walgreens to add EV Charging Stations

This Forbes Article is Brought To You By University Nissan of Boone, NC.

Filling Prescriptions and Car Batteries, Walgreens Gambles on EV-Charging Stations

Image via Wikipedia

Walgreens, one of the largest retail-chain pharmacies in the United States, plans to add electric-vehicle charging stations at about 800 locations across the nation by the end of this year.

“Consumer interest and enthusiasm has been incredible and we’re excited to provide locations to charge up in neighborhoods across the country,” said Walgreens President of Community Management and Operations, Mark Wagner. “As more Americans embrace environmentally sustainable technologies, our convenient locations make us uniquely positioned to help address the concern around accessibility or ‘range confidence.’

The company’s neighborhood stores will provide EV drivers a high-speed DC charger that can add 30 miles of range in as little as 10 minutes of charging time or a Level 2 charger that can add up to 25 miles of range per hour of charge.  The majority of charging stations will be established in Boston, Denver, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.  In addition, select locations in Florida, New Jersey, Oregon, Tennessee and Washington will also receive EV charging stations.

When the company completes the initial charging station building, Walgreens will account for nearly 50 percent of all public EV charging stations across the country, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

Read the full article here: http://blogs.forbes.com/williampentland/2011/07/24/filling-prescriptions-and-car-batteries-walgreens-gambles-on-ev-charging-stations/

Leaf Gets Five-Star Safety Rating!

Leaf Gets Five-Star NHTSA Crash Rating
Nissan Motor Co.'s electric Leaf won a five-star overall rating from government safety regulators Monday. The Detroit News reports that the Leaf won the rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's New Car Assessment Program. The vehicle got four stars for frontal crash and rollover tests and five stars for side crashes. Overall, it was awarded five stars. Click here for a picture. The Leaf has also been named Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. "The Nissan Leaf is the first all-electric vehicle to achieve five-star overall for safety," noted Brian Carolin, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Nissan North America Inc. "Not only is the Leaf the most innovative car on the planet, it is also one of the safest." Standard Nissan Leaf safety systems include dual-stage supplemental front air bags with seat belt and occupant classification sensors, front seat-mounted side impact supplemental air bags, roof-mounted curtain side impact supplemental air bags for front and rear-seat outboard occupant head protection, three-point seat belts with pretensioners and load limiters, and a child seat upper tether anchor. Vehicle dynamic control and traction control are standard on all Leaf models. For more on the Leaf and safety, click here.