Published July 15, 2010

At the same time that new plug-in electric vehicles from major automakers begin to arrive, so too will branded charging equipment.

General Electric Co. has announced that a home charger called WattStation will be introduced for purchase later this year, about the time that plug-in vehicles from Chevrolet, Nissan, Ford and other manufacturers will make their debuts.

The company enlisted an industrial designer, Yves Behar, to produce what is apparently the first charging station intended to also serve as a fashion statement. Many existing charging stations for home and commercial use are little more than gray boxes that attach to a garage wall or a floor mount.

The commercial version of  WattStation, to be available globally in 2011, is a tube-like, ground-mounted device with a "consumer-friendly" design, according to GE, that rises to about the roof height of a typical sedan.

It will be a Level 2 charger, the designation for those with 240-volt capacity. It will be able to recharge a depleted 24-kilowatt-hour battery in four to eight hours. The Nissan Leaf, which will have an average range of about 100 miles, will contain a 24-kwh battery pack. The Chevrolet Volt will contain a 16-kwh battery pack that can be charged by the car's combustion engine while driving. The BYD e6, an import from China, will contain a 60-kwh battery, larger than that in a Tesla Roadster.

"Widespread electric vehicle adoption depends on having charging stations that integrate the need for quick charging with the personal need for easy functionality," said Steve Fludder, vice president of GE's Ecomagination unit, in a news release. "GE WattStation will meet this challenge."

Mr. Behar, who has designed a variety of commercial products, said, "Good design is when a new technology enters our life and makes it simpler, beautiful and healthy. The GE WattStation achieves this with a welcoming design that is seamlessly integrated in the urban landscape and becomes a natural part of our daily driving routine."

More information and images of the WattStation are available from General Electric.