San Francisco-based Greenlots will partner with Kia Motors and ABB to install DC fast chargers at selected Kia dealerships for the 2015 Kia Soul EV, which is scheduled to go on sale this fall in California, Oregon, New York, New Jersey and Maryland.

Kia will roll out Greenlots’ SKY Smart Charging platform to its dealerships in California, and the chargers will be ABB’s Terra 53 50kW models that accommodate Kia’s CHAdeMO fast charging inlet, allowing Soul EV owners to charge their vehicles from empty to 80 percent in 30 minutes. Soul drivers can find charging locations via Kia’s UVO EVServices app or the 8-inch touch screen inside the vehicle, and pay for charging with the Kia ChargeUp card.

Greenlots’ network management solution is based on the Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP), an open standard for charger-to-network communications. Automakers like Kia can determine their own pricing models, while allowing drivers to roam across a variety of networks through EZ-Charge. Greenlots also recently announced a partnership with BMW to develop a home and public charging network in Singapore.

“Kia is confident that our partnership with Greenlots is connecting our customers to a seamless and reliable network,” said Steve Kosowski, Kia’s Manager of Long-range Planning and Strategy. “Soul EV owners will have their charging needs met not only through the growing number of DC fast chargers within the EZ-Charge networks, but also the capabilities that Greenlots is providing to our Soul EV dealers, allowing for convenience and range confidence in their charging needs.”

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“Because SKY is open standards-based, Greenlots offers its automotive partners the ability to protect infrastructure in the face of future changes with a more sustainable solution” said Brett Hauser, CEO of Greenlots. “We’re honored to support Kia in offering Soul EV drivers a fun, hassle-free charging experience.”

Source: Kia, Greenlots