Coulomb Technologies ChargePoint Network and Carbon Day Automotive Deliver Solar Plug-In Stations
CHICAGO – Carbon Day Automotive announced the unveiling of the first solar-powered electric vehicle charging station in the City of Chicago.
CHICAGO – Carbon Day Automotive announced the unveiling of the first solar-powered electric vehicle charging station in the City of Chicago. Located and operational at the City of Chicago Department of Fleet Maintenance, it was one of the focal points of the recent IOC tour on April 5 where guests were able to see the nation's foremost Solar Plug-In StationT that was designed to pave the way to fuel plug-in electric vehicles. It will be used daily by the City of Chicago to fuel the city's electric vehicles with power from the sun. Carbon Day Automotive is the sole Midwest distributor for Coulomb Technologies ChargePointT Networked Charging Stations. When paired with Carbon Day's Solar Plug-In Station, it is a source of totally renewable and clean energy that addresses the needs of drivers, utilities, and governments.
"Carbon Day and the City of Chicago are demonstrating true innovation, ingenuity and initiative," said Richard Lowenthal, CEO of Coulomb Technologies. "Solar energy and electric vehicles are an inevitable partnership that is one more step to reducing our dependence on foreign oil."
The Carbon Day Automotive Solar Plug-In Station, built by Carbon Day Construction, was designed by the world-renowned firm of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture. Wanxiang America Corporation, dedicated to providing clean energy solutions for municipalities, manufactured the solar panels that form a tree-like canopy built by Residential Steel. Pure Energy, LLC, Northbrook installed the sculpted piece and interfaced it with the concealed underground battery pack enhanced to store solar energy, specially designed and developed by ALL CELL Technologies, a thermal management and power pack solutions manufacturer. The grid stores the sun's energy, a renewable resource, to power zero emission electric vehicles.
"Without these stations it would be like driving around in traditional cars without the availability of gas stations," said Scott Emalfarb, CEO of Carbon Day. "The day of true plug-in electric vehicles will be here sooner than most people realize and the world needs to be ready to accommodate them. Carbon Day will build them and they will come."
About Carbon Day
Carbon Day Automotive is a division of Carbon Day, an organization dedicated to increasing environmental awareness by encouraging people to play a part in saving the planet. A national Carbon Day Holiday is planned for September 15th. Events in major cities and small communities alike will be planned to connect people to the enormous but doable task ahead of us. For more information, visit www.carbonday.com.
About Coulomb Technologies
Coulomb Technologies, headquartered in Campbell, Calif., offers a family of products and services that provide a plug-in vehicle charging infrastructure, which includes ChargePointT Networked Charging Stations that range in capability from 120V 15A to 240V 80A AC charging to 120kW DC charging. Coulomb applies networking technology to the challenge of charging electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids in order to fuel the electric transportation industry. Coulomb's ChargePointSM Network addresses the needs of drivers, utilities, governments, and parking space owners. For more information about Coulomb Technologies, visit www.coulombtech.com.
More Operations
2026 Public Fleet Hall of Fame Inductees Honored
Honorees are recognized industry leaders and pioneers who have significantly contributed to the public fleet profession.
Read More →
David Renschler Receives 2026 Legendary Lifetime Achievement Award
Andy Campbell of Sourcewell, which partnered with Government Fleet in presenting the award, recognized Renschler.
Read More →
Ross Jackson Jr. Named 2026 Public Sector Fleet Manager of the Year
Ross Jackson Jr. is the Fleet Operations Superintendent with the City of Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Read More →
Public Fleet Professionals Set to Converge as GFX Gets Underway
Known as the largest gathering of public fleet professionals in the nation, GFX will feature in-depth training sessions, emerging fleet technologies, and access to leading suppliers and service providers.
Read More →
The Technician Pipeline: Finding, Keeping, and Promoting Techs Within the Operation
A look at where to find good talent, what fleets are doing to incentivize those techs to stay within the fleet, and what promotion looks like for a technician within the public sector.
Read More →
5 Public Fleet Stories Worth Revisiting Before GFX | The May Dispatch
Public fleet leaders are being asked to prepare for more, communicate better, and make decisions that hold up under pressure.
Read More →
Drive More Profit with Greater Fleet Uptime
Fleet downtime costs money. JASPER helps keep vehicles on the road with quality remanufactured components, fast nationwide delivery, and reliable solutions that boost uptime and profitability.
Read More →
Are You Tracking Your Fleet's True Total Cost of Ownership?
Bobit Business Media surveyed 190 fleet professionals and found that while most fleets are tracking costs, fragmented systems and data gaps are keeping true TCO visibility out of reach. With rising pressure to control spend in an increasingly volatile environment, the gap between what fleets think they know and what the data actually shows is wider than you might expect. See how your peers are managing costs today and where the industry still has room to improve.
Read More →
Minneapolis Fire Department Prepares to Add Three New Pierce Enforcer Pumpers to Front-Line Fleet
The order, secured through Pierce dealer MacQueen, marks the department’s move from commercial chassis pumpers to Pierce custom fire apparatus designed to meet the operational demands of Minnesota’s largest city.
Read More →
The Human Side of Fleet Leadership: Lessons from Larry Campbell
As public fleets navigate rapid change through AI, telematics, and increasing operational pressures, Larry Campbell believes the fundamentals of leadership matter more than ever. The longtime fleet leader reflects on accountability, integrity, and why earning trust remains the foundation of a successful fleet operation.
Read More →