St. John Properties Installs EV Charging Stations!

Pictured left to right Mahi Reddy, CEO and Founder of SemaConnect; Jerry Wit, Senior Vice President of St. John Properties and Justin Schaub, Director of Sustainability for St. John Properties.

ST. JOHN PROPERTIES UNVEILS SEMACONNECT ELECTRIC VEHICLE (EV) CHARGING STATIONS AT CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS AND MAPLE LAWN

Effort Supports Maryland EV Infrastructure Program

ANNAPOLIS, Dec. 13, 2011 – St. John Properties, Inc., one of the Mid-Atlantic region’s largest privately-held commercial real estate firms, and SemaConnect, a leading developer and producer of smart networked electric vehicle charging stations and sophisticated electric vehicle (EV) station software, today unveiled several ChargePro EV charging stations at two of its business parks: St. John Properties’ corporate headquarters in Baltimore County, and Maple Lawn, a Class “A” business community in Howard County. An event will be held at St. John Properties’ headquarters (2560 Lord Baltimore Drive, Baltimore MD 21244) on December 14 at 10:00am.

“Through Maryland’s Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program we’ve built a complete network of charging stations,” said Mahi Reddy, CEO of SemaConnect. “Companies such as St. John Properties make it possible for us to continue building this EV charging network in Maryland and bring Maryland to the forefront as one of the most sustainable states on the East Coast.”

The Maryland Energy Administration allocated approximately $600,000 in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds to aid the development and integration of electric transportation into Maryland’s transportation system. The investment resulted in the construction of 65 charging stations throughout the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area, providing the necessary infrastructure to allow electric vehicle owners to travel throughout the region. The Baltimore-Washington Electric Vehicle Initiative (BEVI) in partnership with SemaConnect is developing 55 electric charging stations.

“We are constantly looking for creative ways to incorporate sustainable products and techniques into everyday living, and we view the use of electrically-powered transportation as a rapidly emerging trend in the United States,” stated Jerry Wit, Senior Vice President, Marketing for St. John Properties. “Our employees and tenants, as well as visitors to our office buildings, now have the opportunity to recharge their electric charge batteries in a safe and trouble-free manner.” 

The need for convenient, public charging is quickly emerging as most major automakers are producing electric cars, or intend to in the near future. The early focus on EV infrastructure has been focused on installing charging equipment in homes and municipal garages. However, many commercial locations lack public charging.

St. John’s Maple Lawn includes three multi-story Class "A" offices buildings totaling over 285,000 square feet of space, with a fourth multi-story (100,000 square feet) due for delivery in Q4 2011. These top-notch properties feature attractive lobby environments and state-of-the-art mechanical and energy managements systems. The office buildings enjoy easy access to the region’s extensive transportation network, low-cost fitness center access, nearby childcare and a full range of dining, shopping and personal services within walking distance, making it the perfect location for EV charging stations.

The ChargePro 620 is Level II (240VAC, 30Amps) and can recharge a Volt vehicle in three to four hours and a 100% electric Nissan Leaf car in approximately six to seven hours. It comes with a J1772 plug that enables all new electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles to recharge, made possible through the initiatives at the Society of Automotive Engineers. Specifically designed for commercial-grade applications, SemaConnect’s ChargePro Charging Station is an intelligent, network-based EV charging system with features such as:

·         Smart Card authentication – for open or restricted access.

·         Smart Grid Integration – for easy energy metering and demand response.

·         Automatic billing/payment system – for easy revenue generation.

·         Sustainability Reporting–easily report your electricity usage and fossil fuel offset.

About St. John Properties

St. John Properties, Inc., founded in 1971 as MIE Properties, owns and has developed more than 15 million square feet of R&D/flex, office, retail and warehouse space in Maryland, Colorado, Louisiana, Virginia and Wisconsin. For more information about the company, visit www.sjpi.com.

About SemaConnect, Inc.

SemaConnect is a leading provider of electric vehicle charging stations and sophisticated software for station owners and electric vehicle drivers. Our ChargePro Charging Stations utilize CDMA and Zigbee Wireless technology and offer advanced features such as smart-grid integration, RFID card authentication, sustainability reporting and more. To purchase your charging station, contact us at (410) 384 – 4223, or visit www.SemaConnect.com. Follow us on Twitter @Sema_Connect and learn more about EV infrastructure on our YouTube Channel, SemaConnect.

Media Contact for St. John Properties:

Al Cunniff

acunniff@sjpi.com
Phone: 410-369-1277

Media Contact for SemaConnect:

Naly Yang

naly.yang@semaconnect.com

Phone: 410-384-4223

The EV Charging Dialogue in the Commercial Real Estate Industry

Image courtesy of Naly Yang

I'm returning from an excruciatingly busy week of traveling.  I had the pleasure of attending two large conferences in Phoenix and Los Angeles with plenty of commercial real estate companies.  These conferences, expos, etc. all run the same gamut with booths and happy hours and fancy wi-fi stations.

But what I really look for when I attend these event is honing in on the dialogue.

What is being said?
What is important enough to converse about?
What are the idea generators at theses events?
Why do they find this topic important?
etc.

At both shows, involving large commercial real estate companies, I was surprised by the little amount of dialogue and attention that involved Electric Vehicle Charging Stations.

Most executives are probably wondering - "How does the world of EVs and EV Charging affect my business?"


In which I respond with another question:
Where is the place that people spend most of their lives? --- Work and home.

This impacts commercial real estate executives in tremendous ways!  Now you actually have to consider installing stations for tenants, employees, multifamily dwellers, etc. who are more sustainability conscious.

Whether they're business tenants or multifamily dwellers - how will you cope when a tenant rings you up and says, "Guess what?  I just bought a Chevy Volt.  Will you be installing EV charging stations here or should I move to a building where there are some."  

Who should be in charge of installing the station?
Who will manage it?
Should you charge tenants?
Should it be open to the community?
How many will you need?
Does your building have the capacity to install stations?

The EV and EV charging station industry is directly impacting the commercial real estate world in many ways - this is just one example.

SemaConnect, along with other companies, are part of the U.S. Green Building Council.  This organization brings attention to building sustainable spaces.  But the great thing about EV charging stations is that it is a sustainable amenity that employees, tenants, multifamily dwellers, etc. can utilize back and forth in home life and in work life.

I'd be ecstatic to attend another one of these shows and see a whole break-out session devoted to this subject because I believe it's going to be a major topic as more EVs roll out from top automakers, and the need for EV charging infrastructure grows.

When commercial real estate companies like Corporate Office Properties Trust, Tower Companies, The Bozzuto Group and so much more are starting to install EV charging stations - isn't it time you start the dialogue at your company?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Naly Yang leads the Marketing Communications initiatives at SemaConnect, and manages the company brand.  She actively follows and reports on trends in the EVSE and EV industry.  When not brainstorming a new creative idea, reading, writing, or graphic design, she is an avid traveler, cook, and all around life lover.  Contact her at naly.yang@semaconnect.com or follow her on Twitter @Sema_Connect.