North Carolina’s DOT adding signs for electric charging stations along the highways

Charging_stations_in_SF_City_Hall_02_2009_02It’s going to get a whole lot easier for drivers in North Carolina who operate some hybrid vehicle to find “refuelbing” stations.

The N.C. Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has agreed to include electric vehicle charging station signs along highways, according to a report in the Triangle Business Journal.

Although there are more than 120 charging stations across the Triangle area (Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill), they aren’t all easy to find because they don’t all have signage. Now, drivers will be able to more easily identify where to charge their electric vehicles. Throughout the state of North Carolina, there are currently more than 160 public electric charging stations, according to the North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center (NC Clean Technology Center) at North Carolina State University.

For a map of electric vehicle charging station locations by state, click here.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy (and based on North Carolina electricity prices), the average electric vehicle costs 3 cents per mile in energy costs. However, a very efficient 40-MPG gasoline vehicle costs 9 cents per mile in gasoline, assuming gasoline of $3.50 per gallon (although prices where I live in the Chicago suburbs have dipped down to just below $3 the past few weeks), according to the NC Clean Energy Technology Center.

More information: For a downloadable PDF of the “Alternative Fuel Implementation Tool Kit Case Study on Electric Vehicles: City of Durham and Durham County, North Carolina,” click here.