Department of Energy & Google to Map Electric Charging Stations
Written By: John Shimkus
The government has made it clear that electric vehicles are getting the green light in this second decade of the 21st century, so expect to see plenty of Chevy Volts and Nissan Leafs on the road very shortly. But if you’re considering buying an electric vehicle, you may be wondering how to find charging stations to refill your battery while on the move. Well, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has teamed up with Google to map electric vehicle and other alternative fuel (i.e., ethanol, hydrogen, biodiesel, compressed natural gas, etc.) charging and fueling stations across the United States.
The program has been labeled the ‘GeoEVSE Forum,’ and The ‘Alternative Fuels & Advanced Vehicle Data Center’ website will offer a user-friendly map platform similar to ‘Google Maps’ to help drivers locate the nearest alternative fuel stations in their area.
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Two other companies are getting involved with the program as well. Coulomb Technologies already offers an electric vehicle map app for mobile devices, and Best Buy is promoting installation of electric vehicle charging stations at store locations.
Currently there are 600 electric vehicle charging stations available for search on the GeoEVSE Forum. The DOE is further pushing the development of electric vehicle charging stations with $5 million in public funding available to local governments and private companies looking to install electric vehicle charging stations and infrastructure.
