You should have a lot more options to charge up your electric car by the end of next year:
Four years ago, Volkswagen paid three-billion dollars to settle a federal investigation of charges it rigged its cars to fool emissions tests. The agreement allows states to spend the money on projects which lead to more clean-burning vehicles and fewer diesel engines. Indiana will spend part of its expected 41-million-dollar share to build 61 new charging stations. more than six times what the state has now.
Eight power companies have worked together on a map of where to put the charging stations, though contracts with property owners still need to be finalized. Duke Energy electric transportation manager Jordan Wallpe says the goal is to make sure you’ve got somewhere to charge up every 20 or 30 miles.
Wallpe says concerns about being able to recharge before running out of juice are one of the main obstacles to wider acceptance of electric cars. He calls the plan “transformative.”
Wallpe expects some stations to be ready by the end of the year, with most of them installed by the end of next year.