ECOtality Inc. will enter the Australian electric transportation and storage market through its new subsidiary ECOtality Australia, a proprietary limited company.

Based in Brisbane, Queensland, the new subsidiary will distribute battery charging equipment for on-road electric vehicles, industrial equipment and electric airport ground support equipment.

The electric vehicle market in the country is in its infancy, but it is expected to grow as roughly 900,000 new cars are sold every year. Major automakers, including Renault-Nissan and Mitsubishi, have already announced plans to introduce electric vehicles in the country by 2011.

Meanwhile, ECOtality operates in the United States through its subsidiary, Electric Transportation Engineering Corporation. The company has been involved in every major electric vehicle initiative in North America since the 1990’s.

The subsidiary pioneered the Minit-Charger line of battery fast-charge system that can charge an electric vehicle in about 15 minutes.

The project, worth more than $200 million, will support 4,700 Nissan Leaf electric vehicles and commercial and public charge stations in Arizona, Washington, Oregon, California and Tennessee.

-   Oliver M. Bayani