Another Taxpayer-Funded 'Green Energy' Company Considers Bankruptcy

PHOENIX (CBS5) – ECOtality, the electric car-charging company that operates more than 600 charging stations in Arizona, may be about to close its door. Last month, the company disclosed a myriad of problems with the SEC. In that filing, ECOtality released the following statement: “Although the Company is currently exploring options for a restructuring or sale of the entire business and/or assets of the Company, the Company may need to file a petition commencing a case under the United States Bankruptcy Code as part of any such process or otherwise in the very near future.” ECOTality was heavily involved in the federal government’s EV Project, sponsored by the Department of Energy. The goal of that program was to install charging stations and electric vehicle infrastructure throughout the United States. In all, ECOtality says it installed more than 13,000 home and commercial charging units. The EV Project reimbursed the company for many of those installations, paying out nearly $100 million. In the filing, the ECOtality says the DOE stopped making payments to the company. It also claims that its charging stations are not making a profit. Additionally, the report says ECOtality has had trouble finding additional funding. It has also had to pay $855,000 in back wages and damages to settle Labor Department claims that it violated the Fair Labor Standards Act and Davis-Bacon Act. A spokesperson for the company says no final decision on its future has been decided, but that could happen in the next 10 days. ECOtality was based in Arizona until 2010, and is now headquartered in San Francisco.