The Solar Driven™ Experience
Brightfield TS’ current EV market and community development focus is a $7.8 million regional EV infrastructure roll-out we call the Solar Driven™ Experience. During the first phase of this project, BTS will work with EV manufacturers to secure funding to make the Asheville region the nation’s first EV travel destination—3 million visitors to our Blue Ridge Mountain home will have the opportunity to rent an EV and drive on sunshine.
This phase will take approximately 3 years to install 64 Brightfield™ Charging Stations equipped with a total of 180+ EV chargers and over 500kW of solar fuel capacity, enough to provide nearly 3 million EV miles traveled.
These Brightfield™ Charging Stations will be deployed at travel destinations, hotels and downtown commercial districts. This project will provide the auto industry with unprecedented EV marketing, consumer test drive and market research opportunities.
By 2015, it is forecast that over 20,000 EVs will be owned by consumers in Asheville’s primary tourism feeder markets. Given that the consumer demographic and psychographic that the auto industry is targeting for early EV adoption match the demographic and psychographic targeted by the Asheville area tourism industry, Brightfield TS will initiate the second phase of the Solar Driven™ Experience: install 12 DC Fast Charge Brightfields™ at highway rest stops and/or gas stations between the feeder markets and Asheville, and install 500 kilowatts of new solar capacity. Completion of this phase will enable consumers to take their new EV on vacation to a destination equipped to provide them with a secure and exciting automobile adventure, and will position BTS to replicate the Solar Driven™ Experience across North Carolina, the country’s 6th most visited state.
The Solar Driven™ Experience marks the first effort nationwide to create a truly vibrant EV market opportunity. Brightfield TS is bringing together the Asheville region’s economic engine, tourism, with clean tech cluster development efforts, regional municipalities, national parks, hotels, travel destinations, and rental car companies to approach auto manufactures for EV infrastructure funding (BTS is targeting EV manufacturers because this industry has the most to financially gain from widespread EV adoption). Brightfield TS is setting the stage for a consumer EV experience that will propel the EV market forward and prove beyond doubt that America can drive on sunshine. It’s time to act.