[Editor's Note: This page updated to reflect SmartSynch's completion of its pilot project with a Southwest utility.]

Growth of the electric vehicle market, increased adoption of smart metering and advancement of a digital energy network go hand-in-hand.

For electric vehicles and their care and feeding, providing an easy-to-learn, simple-to-handle charging device is key to a great experience, said Behar, the founder of fuseproject. "WattStation is designed as a small, soft and friendly dispenser of energy for electric vehicles," Behar said.

"It's easy to get along with," he added, referring to the experience anticipated for users and the municipalities, companies and property owners that set up charging stations.

A ring of LEDs around the rim of the display surface illuminates the device and its features. A swipe of a credit card releases the retractable hose bearing the electrical hookup. As the "nozzle" is attached to the vehicle, the LEDs turn red to indicate the car is charging. When the lights are green, the car is charged. Here is a video showing how the WattStation works:

Ideally, EV drivers will be able to locate the charging stations with apps in their vehicles or on their smart phones and make appointments to use them if necessary, Behar said.

In addition to its good looks, the device is designed to be robust, easy to maintain and tamper-resistant. The display model shown in San Francisco was chrome-colored with a matte finish and the column was made of heavy-duty plastic. Actual models would have a metal column whose color and finish could be customized.

The WattStation is targeted for a commercial release in 2011 with a price ranging from $3,000 to $7,000. About 20 will be installed in a pilot test at Purdue University, a leading recruiting ground for GE, and then at the University of California, San Diego, Mahon said.

The company plans to introduce a model for household use later this year. The device is expected to be somewhat smaller and be priced from $1,000 to $1,300. Smart metering is considered essential for any home-charging of EVs given that the best time to juice up the vehicles would be when the energy load is lightest and energy prices are cheapest -- data that's available from smart metering and the feedback of the data that the devices collect.

The Nucleus provides a way for homeowners to manage their energy consumption using a device that gives them better insight, convenience and control of energy use in the home and smart household appliances, says Dave McCalpin, GE's GM of Home Energy Management.

Designed to work with smart meters and the GE Brillion suite of smart appliances, the Nucleus enables data to be collected from the meters and the appliances -- and for users to tap into the information using their personal computers, laptops or smart phones.

The Nucleus is expected to hit the market in 2011 and sell for $149 to $199. The GE also expects to sell an adaptor-like device to use on appliances, such as a refrigerator, that don't have smart technology so users can obtain basic information on how much energy is being used.

Campbell McCool, chief marketing office for smart grid tech firm SmartSynch, had a sanguine view of the day's developments as advancements in the digital energy arena can mean greater business opportunities for firms like his.

SmartSynch helps connect utilities to other devices on the grid by delivering real-time information on energy consumption using dedicated channels on existing cellular communication networks, rather than private network build-outs which has been favored by utilities. Texas-New Mexico Power has conducted a trial of 10,000 smart meters that integrate SmartSynch communication modules in a GE meter. The power company plans to install SmartSynch SmartMeters for its  231,000 business and residential customers in Texas during the next five years; the utility commission for the region is reviewing the proposal.

SmartSynch maintains that use of its technology and communications model provides coverage, bandwidth, security and affordability and as a plus, a nimbleness that enables a swifter response to new technology and upgrades, McCool said. Having worked with more than 100 North American utilities on deployments, the company is on a mission to convert more utilities to its business model.

Taking a long view of products such as the WattStation, McCool said, "Electric cars are one of the greatest drives of the smart grid. We look forward to the day when there'll be 8 million electric cars on the road."

Images courtesy of GE.