WASHINGTON — Just in time for Earth Day 2011, Google and 80 other partners are working with the U.S. Department of Energy to help electric vehicle drivers easily find charging stations nationwide.
The collaboration will use Google Maps to create an up-to-date database of all U.S. charging stations and will serve as the primary data source for GPS and mapping services tracking electric vehicle charging locations, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu said in a statement this week.
Such high-tech mapping could also be tailored to help drivers find biodiesel, compressed natural gas, hydrogen, ethanol and liquefied natural gas stations.
Chu also announced the availability of $5 million in funding for cities to support the electric vehicle infrastructure. The money will improve the experience of electric vehicle users and help bring these energy-efficient vehicles to the marketplace, he said. The lack of an alt-energy infrastructure is widely viewed as a major stumbling block in the widespread adoption of electric vehicles such as the 2011 Nissan Leaf .
The initiative is part of the federal government's Clean Cities program, which encourages local governments to deploy clean technologies, including alternative fuels. Since it began in 1993, the program has saved nearly 3 billion gallons of gasoline, the DOE said. It is part of the Obama Administration's efforts to reduce U.S. oil imports by one-third by 2025 and to put 1 million advanced technology vehicles on the road by 2015.
Inside Line says: The government gets a charge out of Google. — Rene Wisely, Correspondent
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