Normally, controls from Yokogawa are used to help companies save energy and money in their process operations. But with the installation of electric vehicle charging stations at the company’s Newnan, Ga.-based facility, the controls maker is letting those who manufacturer save instead, and supporting initiates to “go green.”

Yokogawa Corporation of America installed two Blink electric vehicle (EV) charging stations made by San Francisco-based Ecotality, as part of its EV project, a public-private partnership with the Department of Energy that evaluates the effectiveness of the EV charger infrastructure. Yokogawa Newnan is the first in the area to participate in the program and install EV charging stations.

The charging stations should find quick use, as Jimmy Newman, the company’s engineering manager, owns a Nissan Leaf electric vehicle. “This is an advantage to me and future EV owners because it extends the range of our cars,” Newman says.

The charging stations installed at Yokogawa are part of Ecotality’s nationwide Blink Network. They are Level 2 stations (240 V AC input) and will charge any vehicle that uses a standard SAE J1772 connector, including the Nissan Leaf, Chevy Volt, Ford Focus Electric, Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid, Tesla, Mitsubishi I MiEV and Fisker Karma. Level 2 stations can fully charge a vehicle like the Nissan Leaf, which has a range of about 75 miles, in about 4 to 5 hr.

According to the company, he installation supports Yokogawa’s green initiatives and enhances the Newnan facility’s ISO1401 requirements.