The city of Lancaster, California is pioneering streetlight charging station applications in North America, alongside German company Ebee Smart Technologies.

Recently, five streetlights were equipped with charging stations along the city’s popular central downtown destinations.

The project was possible thanks to grant from the Antelope Valley Air Quality Management District (AVAQMD), which covers 80% of the total cost - including installation, operations and maintenance, as well as five years of data collection.

The remaining balance (20%) comes from private sponsors (include ebee Smart Technologies’ partners, EasyCharge and eluminocity - the company which created the outer housing of the charging units).

"These charging units are made by ebee Smart Technologies, whose innovative controller technology makes installing public and semi-public charging cheaper, faster, and more flexible by incorporating charging units into existing infrastructure, such as streetlights. Already a market leader in Europe, with approximately 10,000 controllers installed in EV charging units throughout the European Union (EU), ebee Smart Technologies holds a key to accelerating advanced clean transportation in California, as well as internationally."

ebee Smart Technology CEO Dr. Henning Heppner, who traveled from Berlin, Germany for the ceremony said:

“We bring knowledge from decades in the international automotive industry and have applied it to make installing state-of-the-art EV charging technology simpler and more cost-effective for cities and workplaces. We’re excited to bring our solutions to North America and to partner with the City of Lancaster on realizing their vision for a more sustainable community.”

Ebee Smart Technologies’s streetlight charging station

Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris said:

“The City of Lancaster’s sustainability platform thrives on integrating new technologies – that are not only leading the way for sustainable industry advancement, but also offering affordable options, such as these charging units which can be utilized by nearly any infrastructure base for the benefit of many. Our goal is to not only better our environment, but to increase the overall quality of life for our residents. I am continuously astonished by all of the wonderful ideas coming to fruition and making ‘greener’ living tangible for communities around the globe. There are no more excuses for not transitioning to clean energy resources.” “As municipal leaders, we understand and embrace the value of public-private partnerships, both domestically and abroad. The City of Lancaster is at the forefront of alternative energy developments because of our commitment to progress through innovation and collaboration. This is evidenced by our many successes with companies such as BYD and KB Home. We could not be more excited about this new venture with ebee Smart Technologies, and are looking forward to the ongoing deployment of EV charging stations throughout our City.”

source: Lancaster Choice Energy