Turnpike to Become More Electric-Vehicle Friendly
By the end of next year, the Pennsylvania Turnpike service plazas east of Harrisburg will have working electric vehicle charging stations, with all 17 of the turnpike's plazas expected to offer charging stations by the end of 2013.
There will be two types of chargers. Each turnpike service plaza will get two Level III charging stations that can charge a battery in as little as 20 minutes, and one Level II charging station that can charge in up to four hours.
The charging stations will be installed in three phases, with the first stations going in east of the Harrisburg exits beginning next spring, and the second phase equipping plazas west of Harrisburg by the end of next year. The final phase, starting in 2013, will add chargers along the Northeast Extension.
The DEP awarded a $1 million grant to Car Charging Group LLC, which will do the installations. The money comes from the Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant Program.