San Diego — IKEA has officially plugged in three electric vehicle charging stations at its San Diego store as part of its partnership with ECOtality, Inc.
San Diego — IKEA, a leading global home furnishings retailer, has officially plugged in three Blink Pedestal electric vehicle charging stations at its San Diego store as part of its partnership with ECOtality, Inc., a leader in clean electric transportation and storage technologies. This initiative represents the third such project for IKEA in the United States. Installation also is planned at six other IKEA stores in the western U.S.
To charge an EV at IKEA San Diego, drivers pull into a designated parking spot, swipe their Blink InCard (RFID card), plug the charger into the EV, and then shop and eat at their leisure in the IKEA store while the vehicle is charging.
“Installing electric-vehicle charging stations at IKEA San Diego is another way to build upon our commitment to sustainability,” says Jim Tilley, IKEA San Diego store manager.
ECOtality is the project manager of The EV Project, a public-private partnership funded in part by a federal stimulus grant from the U.S. Department of Energy made possible by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to provide the necessary infrastructure to support the deployment of EVs. ECOtality is overseeing the installation of approximately 14,000 commercial and residential charging stations in 18 cities and major metropolitan areas in six states and the District of Columbia. IKEA stores are in four of those states.
Globally, IKEA evaluates all locations regularly for energy conservation opportunities. Specific U.S. sustainable efforts include: recycling waste material (paper, wood, plastic, etc.); incorporating environmental measures into the construction of buildings in terms of energy-efficient HVAC and lighting systems, recycled construction materials, skylights in warehouse areas, and water conserving restrooms; and operationally, phasing out the sale of incandescent light bulbs and facilitating recycling of customers’ compact fluorescent bulbs. Additionally, IKEA is rolling out rooftop solar energy systems at many of its U.S. locations.
The 198,000-square-foot IKEA San Diego opened in September 2000. IKEA also completed installation of a solar energy system atop the store this summer.
IKEA was founded in 1943 in Sweden. There are currently more than 330 IKEA stores in 40 countries, including 38 in the U.S. For more information, visit IKEA-USA.com.