Installed on January 30, 2013, the "Plug-in Eco System" at Clay Terrace in Carmel, Indiana is the site for this year's National Drive Electric Week event. Attendees can choose from an exciting array of stores and restaurants, but now they also have the opportunity to minimize their carbon footprint. Simon Property Group, Toshiba Corporation, Duke Energy, ITOCHU Corporation, Tom Wood Automotive Group and Indiana’s ‘clean tech’ initiative Energy Systems Network (ESN) have teamed up to develop one of the most advanced charging stations in the world for plug-in cars.

Clay Terrace’s vehicle charging station is integrated with solar panels and a battery storage system, creating a ‘plug-in ecosystem’ which uses renewable energy and a battery system to store surplus power for evenings and cloudy days.

Central Indiana was chosen as the first site for the cutting-edge charging station based on the partners’ mutual engagement with ESN and its Project Plug-IN campaign. Project Plug-IN, a plug-in electric vehicle and charging infrastructure deployment initiative launched in 2009, has been nationally recognized for positioning the Indianapolis region as one of the most electric vehicle-friendly sites in the country.

“Indiana is becoming known as an ideal location for companies and research institutions to collaborate, develop and test new clean technologies,” said Paul Mitchell, ESN’s President & CEO.  “It’s exciting that Hoosiers have the opportunity to get the first look at these innovative systems, but even more significant to Indiana’s economy is the fact that the clean tech sector recognizes our state as a place where innovation is embraced and validated.”

The ‘plug-in ecosystem’ contains both traditional and ‘quick charge’ charging stations that are connected to a 10-kilowatt roof-mounted solar panel. The solar energy can be stored in the Toshiba 75-kilowatt lithium ion battery, located next to the charging system.