Hasta La Ideas

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pWe like seeing big-name design firms throwing their weight behind green technology. Last month we showed you A HREF=”http://www.core77.com/blog/object_culture/fuseprojects_electric_vehicle_charging_station_for_ge__16935.asp” fuseproject’s electric vehicle charging station for GE/A, and now frogdesign has designed the A HREF=”http://designmind.frogdesign.com/blog/ev-drivers-get-charged.html” Blink, an EV charging station/A that comes in both commercial and residential flavors. /p

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blockquoteThe evolving nature and adoption of EV technologies means that our design has to be fail-proof in order to build trust among early adopters. That’s why we created a design language for Blink that echoes current driving behaviors to make the transition to an electric vehicle as easy as possible. The driver instinctively knows how to use the charger thanks to the recognizable cable wrap design. This was purposefully designed not to have moving parts that could break down over time, or complex mechanisms that might confuse users, ultimately complicating the experience.

p…Every garage is different, but for most consumers, restricted space and keeping things organized are major issues. We specifically designed the connector so it would not stick out from its mount, to avoid the possibility that the user could knock it off or be scratched by inadvertently brushing against it. The taper of the housing was designed so rain will run off, and the driver won’t be tempted to place their coffee cup on top of the unit, a potential hazard for the electronics it contains. /p

pAnother challenge for the design of the residential version of Blink was the fact that the location of charging points varies on different EV’s. We purposefully separated the cable wrap and charger to allow the user to place it more conveniently within the garage. This ensures that if a consumer buys one electric vehicle now, the design of Blink can adapt if they purchase another brand in five or ten years./blockquote/p

pThe Blink is being produced by A HREF=”http://www.ecotality.com/” ECOtality/A, a clean electric transportation and storage technology company, who plans to begin rolling them out this year./p

pHere’s a video of Andy Hooper, frog’s Director of Biz-Dev, breaking down the blink:/p

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