Campbell, Calif.-based Coulomb Technologies Inc. Thursday unveiled its first public electric vehicle charging station at NextEnergy, the state’s renewable energy industry accelerator, at 461 Burroughs St. in Detroit.

Coulomb is installing hundreds of free ChargePoint America stations across the country in a $37 million installation program made possible by a $15 million federal stimulus grant.more

Ford Motor Co. said Thursday that its Focus Electric, which debuts in the U.S. late next year and in Europe in 2012, will be powered by an advanced lithium-ion battery that uses heated and cooled liquid to help maximize battery life and gas-free driving range.more

Federal Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced that Cincinnati and Detroit are the two final pilot communities selected under the new Beacon Community Program that is using health information technology to help tackle leading health problems in communities across the country.

The Southeastern Michigan Health Association will receive $16.2 million over three years.

SEMHA and its partners in the Detroit area will use health IT tools and strategies to prevent and better manage diabetes, which today affects a large percentage of residents of the city of Detroit.more

Ft. Worth, Texas-based Novo 1, a provider of inbound and outbound customer interaction services and a portfolio company of the Glencoe Capital Michigan Opportunities Fund, has opened a new 37,000 square-foot customer-service center in Holland.

“There is no better way to celebrate Labor Day than by creating new jobs in America,” said Mary Murcott, CEO of Novo 1. “With the opening of our dream Michigan contact center we will be creating 300 new jobs over the next several years.”more

Gomez, the Web performance division of Detroit-based Compuware Corp. (Nasdaq: CPWR), has introduced a free Cross-Device Website Compatibility test that allows organizations to see if their Web or mobile site displays correctly across mobile smart devices.

Included in the test are renderings as the site would appear on the iPhone, the iPad, BlackBerry devices and the Google Nexus One (Android). more

Verizon Wireless has activated three temporary cell sites in Ann Arbor and upgraded equipment on its existing cell sites in the area that provide coverage in and around Michigan Stadium.

The company’s upgrades boost voice capacity by 11 percent and data capacity by 87 percent. more

Royal Oak-based King Coffee & Tea Services is introducing its self-serve espresso café kiosks in Michigan and Ohio.

The “Cimbali Self-Serve Espresso Café” modular kiosks house the LACimbali M1 Milk PS One-Step Super Automatic espresso machines.

Customers have the choice of artisan gourmet caffeinated or decaffeinated espressos, cappuccinos and lattes using coffee beans roasted in Michigan or imported from Italy. Servings range in price from between $1 and $3, depending on the application.more

Phragmites australis is an uncommon term for an increasingly common sight in the wetlands and along the beaches of the Great Lakes. It’s the scientific name for the common reed, a fast-growing perennial wetland grass.

An immigrant from Europe, it’s an exotic species that has a reputation for taking over any wetland real estate it visits. 

Phragmites is a formidable foe. It roots easily, digs in deep and shoots runners along the ground in every direction, sprouting new plants all along the way. The reed grows tall — as high as 15 feet — and has stalks that can slice like a well-sharpened knife. It provides no food for birds and no shelter for wildlife. In fact, it threatens their very existence.

Until now, no one has done a comprehensive map showing where Phragmites is established and where it is spreading in the Great Lakes basins. The Michigan Tech Research Institute, based in Ann Arbor, has taken on the job. more

Detroit-based OnStar is launching a Bluetooth hands-free calling awareness campaign to help simplify the process of pairing cell phones to the hands-free technology.more

Wixom-based Acromag Inc. Thursday rolled out two new CAN bus modules that link network sensors and actuators to control systems.more