Disability Friendly Charging Stations

A bulky cable tucked away inside a closet is not an easy piece of machinery to access for a visually impaired person or someone in a wheel chair. The new industry of electric cars with its charging cables and cords work well for most people, they are not the easiest for those with special needs.

A company has set out to make charging equipment work for people with disabilities, Control Module Inc.’s EVSE charging stations. The company’s charging stations so far have met and eve exceeded the expert recommendations for persons with disabilities.

Control Module Inc.. Control Module, CMI’s EVSE division announced the company's electric vehicle, EV chargers will come with automatic retractable cable management. According to the published report by Sustainable Transportation Strategies, Electric Vehicle Charging for Persons with Disabilities, authored by David W. Mayfield who is an expert in the field of EV charging and accessibility, the details how EV charging can be made compliant were published with the ADA standards for parking accessibility.

The CMI EVSE Design. By eliminating obstacles for the general public and those with physical challenges, the EVSE chargers automatically lowers the charging cable from an overhead storage compartment directly to an ADA-compliant height for easy reach and access. Think of it as a crane that lowers and automatically retracts the cable when the connector is removed from the vehicle. This feature eliminates any accidental tripping and accessibility issues commonly associated with coiled cables, their transport back and forth from the charging station, and the accessibility challenges created by curbs, poles and bollards often found with other EV charging stations.

While there are no government or ADA standards specifically addressing electric car charging for persons with disabilities, EVSE's chargers are designed to be compliant with the U.S. Department of Justice’s 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design.

One quick look at any charging stations around the country will show you they are not ADA compliant. By using an automatic retractable cable management system that lowers the charging cable to an ADA-compliant height, CMI positions itself to be one of the first companies to think about people with disabilities.

According to James S. Bianco, CEO of Control Module, Inc. “Finally, the user does not have to reach down to the floor to pick up a cable that has been left on the ground, or dig through ice or snow,” “As EV charging stations become more numerous, the magnitude of cables on the ground could pose a significant public safety hazard, which has not been addressed to date by other EV charger companies. EVSE LLC is addressing it directly."

Making electric cars and plug-in hybrids accessible to people with disabilities, Control Module Inc. could be the company that sways an untapped market.