APEI Joins Department of Energys Workplace Charging Challenge
by January 30, 2015 10:29 am 99 views
Arkansas Power Electronics International Inc. (APEI) of Fayetteville is the first company in Arkansas to join the U.S. Department of Energy’s Workplace Charging Challenge, part of the company’s ongoing sustainability program.
The company announced the news Jan. 26, putting the firm in an exclusive group of about 150 businesses and institutions nationwide pledging to make it more convenient for employees to make energy-efficient choices through plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) adoption.
APEI currently offers its approximately 50 employees free access to four Level 2 charging stations, each with a capacity for six cars.
“At APEI, we understand that new technology can take time to implement and we want to ensure that we are being part of the solution,” APEI president and CEO Alex Lostetter said. “In everything we do, we strive to be doing more, using less. Our recent work developing a more efficient SiC-based battery charger for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles made us even more committed to providing accessible energy solutions.”
Started two years ago, the Workforce Charging Challenge has a goal to increase PEV adoption at American employers through a tenfold increase in workplace charging infrastructure by 2018.
Partners provide access to charging stations for some 600,000 employees at more than 300 worksites across the country, influencing other organizations to do the same.
Other notable companies who have pledged to participate are Google, Facebook, The Coca Cola Co. and 3M.
Many of APEI’s research partners have also joined the Challenge, including Siemens, The Raytheon Co. and Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
APEI was founded in 1999 and specializes in advanced, high performance electronics for a variety of customers and applications.
It is the largest company affiliated with the University of Arkansas’ Arkansas Research and Technology Park.