Whether you are at home, work or on the go, you can charge your electric vehicle safely in any weather conditions, with minimal cost or hassle. Most people can get the electricity they need for their daily commute from a standard home outlet while they are sleeping. Electric cars can plug into standard 120-volt household outlet. Depending on the plug-in electric vehicle (PEV), some owners will be able to install a 240-volt electric power charging station in their garage or carport, similar to the voltage used for their clothes dryer, for a faster re-charge.
The wheels are in motion to expand the number of charging stations throughout North America. Government agencies, such as the U.S. Department of Energy, are providing grants and/or incentives to electric vehicle equipment manufacturers, municipal governments, employers and retail businesses to install public charging stations. Public charging stations are planned in major metropolitan areas, including San Francisco, Sacramento, Austin, Detroit, Los Angeles, New York, Orlando, Fla., Vancouver, B.C., Toronto and Montreal, Redmond, Wash., Charlotte, N.C., and Washington, D.C., U.S. Recovery and Reinvestment Act stimulus grant recipients are planning to install about 15,000 recharging stations in by October 2012 as part of the EV Project.