Electric vehicles may be the solution to conventional fuel-based cars but the lack of charging stations means that commuters are left with little option when it comes to recharging. Of course, EVs can be charged at home but what happens when you need to take a long trip? Since you can’t very well ask a stranger if you could use his power outlet, there needs to be a sufficient number of stations similar to gas centers that cater to petrol/diesel-driven vehicles. In view of this, energy supplier NRG Energy has announced a tie-up with California Public Utilities Commission which will see the establishment of charging stations in California.
The $100 million deal will involve setting up 200 EV charging stations in the Bay Area, Los Angeles, San Joaquin Valley and San Diego County. The agreement now resolves a litigation involving an electricity contract that was signed over 10 years back by a Dynergy subsidiary which had co-owned several power plants in California along with NRG.
The initiative will greatly aid California EV users who are currently facing problems owing to the low number of charging stations. The agreement will see electric vehicles being able to extend their range by 50 miles with a charging time of less than 15 minutes. This bodes well for the state as reports have claimed that California has less than five such stations.
An additional $20 million has been set aside for payment to the California PUC for reducing consumers’ power bills. Moreover, NRG will also provide wiring to 10,000 charging stations in schools, homes, offices and hospitals.
Such deals by power companies are part of the country’s initiatives to encourage the use of green cars for transport. Last year, 350Green teamed with Coulomb Technologies to set up 400 charging stations across New York, Illinois, California, Pennsylvania and Indiana.
Via: Forbes
