Envision Solar Joins Bright Automotive to Unveil Revolutionary Automotive, Solar-to-Electric Vehicle Charging Technologies on Capitol Hill

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Envision Solar International, Inc., a leading force in solar integrated building systems technology, joined Bright Automotive to announce the nation’s first CleanCharge™/Solar Tree® Charging Station today. Bright Automotive unveiled its new hybrid electric vehicle called “IDEA” on Capitol Hill during a special Earth Day event. The revolutionary IDEA vehicle and Envision Solar’s CleanCharge™ will change the way Americans view the relationship between future transportation and clean energy.

Led by a group of visionary architects, builders and engineers, Envision Solar transforms heat-absorbing parking areas into beautiful, efficient solar power plants. Bright Automotive chose Envision Solar as its “solar-to-plug” partner because of their success and experience in designing and installing aesthetically superior Solar Integrated Building Systems (SIBS™).

Envision Solar and its CleanCharge™ Initiative partners, including Coulomb Technologies and Axion Power International (OTCBB: AXPW), will engineer and implement nationwide the new CleanCharge™ solar charging stations, initially designed for Bright Automotive’s new fleet of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. By partnering with experts like Coulomb and Axion, the CleanCharge™ systems will be versatile enough to be installed to charge small electric vehicles or plug-in-hybrids, or for large-scale fleet projects. Bright Automotive plans to begin high-volume production of the revolutionary plug-in hybrid electric vehicle by the end of 2012.

“The future of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles has arrived, and we are thrilled to be Bright’s solar partner of choice,” said Envision Solar’s CEO and Founder, Robert Noble. “Our experience in solar innovation has allowed Envision Solar to lead the market in the development of solar charging stations.”

Envision Solar CEO and Founder Robert Noble explained at today’s event how the charging system harnesses the power of the sun to charge vehicles. The CleanCharge™ System includes: the parking shade structure known as the Solar Tree, solar photovoltaic modules, inverters, battery backup, Coulomb’s ChargePoint™ Networked Charging Station and Smart Meter technology. Photovoltaic modules have become icons of sustainability in much the same way that trees are icons of nature. The founders of Envision Solar have employed the principles of bio-mimicry to unite nature with clean energy in the new icon of the Solar Tree®.

Envision Solar and its technology partners are working together to enable the infrastructure of Envison’s SolarTree® charging stations. In early 2008, Envision Solar began development of its CleanCharge™ “Solar to Smart-Grid Integrated Electric Vehicle Charging System,” the first fully integrated, clean energy generation-to-grid/PHEV system.

Bright Automotive CEO John Waters also briefed members of the United States Congress, customers, and suppliers at the event. He addressed the nation’s need for clean, efficient vehicles as a key component in reducing pollution, ending dependence on foreign oil, and creating “green-collar” U.S. jobs. Waters explained what the featured companies are doing to help move the country toward a more secure and sustainable energy future.

Bright Automotive and Envision Solar will bring the IDEA and CleanCharge™/Solar Tree® System to Stavanger, Norway May 13–16, 2009 for the “EVS24 Towards Zero Emission,” (www.evs24.org), a world congress and exhibition for electric, hybrid and fuel cell vehicles. Participants from 40 countries will attend EVS24.

“We are proud to be a part of this consortium that is creating real solutions to reduce our dependence on foreign oil,” said Richard Lowenthal, CEO of Coulomb Technologies. “This Earth Day event showcases the technology, infrastructure and vision needed to make electric vehicles running on the cleanest of energy sources a reality.”

Axion CEO Tom Granville said, “Axion is delighted to have the opportunity to work on the CleanCharge™/Solar Tree® with industry leaders like Envision Solar and Bright Automotive. It serves to underscore the versatility of Axion’s PbC® product, whether the use is renewable energy storage or electric automotive.”