“Energy Transfer Merchant” Offers Cutting-Edge EV Charging Station

A few weeks ago, I was one of a lucky few to be invited to Seattle, the home of electrical distributor North Coast Electric Company, for a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Energy Transfer Merchant (“ETM,” a play on “ATM”), a futuristic, multi-function EV charging station built by high-tech start-up EV4. The event was only one small part of the North Coast’s commitment to sustainable business practices, a goal that I could see firmly in place in a great number of the products and services these folks offer their customers in this fantastically visionary part of the country.

The ETM’s photo-voltaic canopy collects solar energy and, when it’s not charging electric vehicles, stores the energy in subterranean batteries, or feeds the power back onto the grid, i.e., to the local public utility, Seattle City Light.

I found it interesting that North Coast, the Pacific Northwest’s largest distributor of electric equipment, was so passionate about carrying the device. Here’s a strong company, growing steadily since it was founded in 1913 to its current stature: 35 locations in the region. And let’s keep in mind that this is a business model that most people hardly regard as progressive – in fact, distributors in the main are thought of as simple order-takers for whatever products customers are requesting at the moment.

But these folks in the Pacific Northwest are visionaries, actively looking for the products that will drive commerce in the coming years – which means “green,” especially in this part of the world.