ChargePoint Network electric-car charging stations

Coulomb Technologies has installed four of its ChargePoint Network electric-car charging stations in downtown San Jose and just landed $3.75 million in first-round venture funding. “Our company is all about enabling the purchase of electric vehicles,” said Lowenthal, chief executive of the Campbell startup. “We want to make sure that everybody can fuel them.”  Lowenthal’s company plans to have 1,000 chargers in place by the end of 2009. “These are vending machines for electricity,” said Lowenthal. 

Lowethal is a former Cupertino mayor. Investment banker Morgan Stanley forecasts 5,000 electric or plug-in cars will be on the road in 2010, 30,000 in 2011 and 100,000 by 2012. Start ups like Coulomb Technologies are positioning themselves to be at the forefront of companies that can deliver necessary new infrastructure so the new technologies can really take off once the cars become available.