SemmaConnect is in a charging station race with Better Place and Coulomb

Another company has entered the race to provide charging stations for the upcoming anticipated switch to electric vehicles.  Mahi Reddy’s Annapolis, Maryland company Semma Connect has joined the two California companies, Better Place and Coulomb, in providing electric vehicle charging stations.  Both Better Place and Coulomb have been working with retailers, universities, cities, states, and foreign countries to build charging station networks for electric vehicles so SemmaConnect has some catching up to do.

SemmaConnect is entering this field with many of the same features as Better place and Coulomb.  A key fob will be used to log onto the charging system.   SemmaConnects management software will be online and easily upgradable.  The charging stations which are smaller than either Better Place’s or Coulomb’s stations would be wall or pedestal mounted.  The amount of electricity used by each person can be easily accessed and monitored for billing purposes.

According to The Washington Post, SemmaConnect already has an installation in the  Loews Annapolis Hotel.  The hotel has an electric vehicle fleet managed by Russell Rankin, to take guests to their parking spots or local restaurants.  Prior to installing the SemmaConnect device, Rankin could only guess how much electricity his fleet was using.  Now that he can accurately measure the energy used by his 10 car fleet, he can market his fleet service to other hotels and restaurants.

James LoBosco, the hotel manager, said that the service has replaced gas-guzzling vans and that he intends to introduce it to other managers in the hotel’s chain. The notion of having a driver sitting around with the engine running at all times, he said, seems "absolutely archaic." 

One advantage that hotel shuttle fleets and other localized EV fleets have is that they work with in a particular area and know how far their vehicles will be going.  With privately owned electric vehicles, drivers aren’t real sure how far they will be driving.  While at work an EV owner might decide to run by the grocery store, electronics store, or pub on the way home.  Short trips that come up at the last minute don’t seem like much but if your car has a 45 mile range and you normally drive 34 miles back and forth to work, an added 10 to 15 miles could put you at risk for walking home.

That’s why convenient and easily found charging stations are so important.  One of the reasons people are reluctant to switch to electric vehicles is because they fear being stranded when their car battery goes dead. 

More vendors offering charging stations means that charging station technology will improve faster and at more competitive prices than if just one or two vendors cover the market.  If SemmaConnect can remain funded long enough to get firmly established, it should give Better Place and Coulomb stiff competition on the East Coast.

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