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Drivers of electric vehicles might want to start mapping out that road trip.
A planned network of plug-in charging stations will allow drivers to travel from Maryland to New England – with fewer greenhouse gas emissions and less energy used than their gas-guzzling cousins.
Maryland, along with 10 other states and the District of Columbia, formed the Northeast Electric Vehicle Network. Thanks to a grant of nearly $1 million from the U.S. Department of Energy, the network will develop a plan and guidance documents to accelerate the introduction of electric vehicle charging stations along the northeast corridor, allowing owners of electric vehicles to venture farther from home, knowing they can plug into reliable charging stations.
The charging stations are part of a larger project, the Transportation and Climate Initiative. TCI brings together environmental, energy and transportation agencies throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic to reduce greenhouse gases from transportation and help to build a clean energy economy. The transportation sector, which includes cars, trucks, ports, aviation and railroads, is responsible for about 30 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States, according to the Georgetown Climate Center.
TCI is also working with private-and public-sector organizations to encourage the sale of electric vehicles for businesses and promote the “greener” flow of goods and services. The group also seeks to foster sustainable communities through state and local land use strategies. Ideas include promoting a mix of high-density commercial and residential housing with transit-friendly designs to reduce traffic congestion and pollution and encouraging viable alternatives to using a vehicle.
The Department of Energy grant will also be used toward marketing and outreach. The charging network is expected to promote economic development, attract infrastructure investment and expand the availability of clean vehicles and fuels throughout the region.
President Obama has called for 1 million plug-in vehicles to be on the streets nationwide by 2015. The Electric Vehicle Network hopes to account for 200,000 of those. The Maryland Energy Administration has created a map of all the electric vehicle charging stations in Maryland.
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