By Harry Tournemille, May 17, 2011

Secretary Steven Chu noted that over 1,800 Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations have been installed under the Recovery Act to date -- a statistic designed to address growing concerns over rising fuel costs and dependency on foreign oil. 

Since 2009, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has provided over $5 billion in loans and grants, all in an attempt to boost thegrowth of electric vehicle and advanced battery production. 

Under the Transportation Electrification Initiative (TEI), major players such as Coulomb Technologies, ECOtality (NCM:ECTY), and General Motors (NYSE:GM) have all been installing the stations as part of the $400 million in Recovery Act investment they've received to advance their work. 

With the recent announcement comes promises of further success. Eight projects are currently underway as part of TEI, and the goals are ambitious: 13,000 grid connected vehicles and 22,000 charging stations by 2013.

Coulomb Technologies' project includes the deployment of electric vehicles, including 2,000 GM Volt, 200 Ford Transit Connect, 100 Ford Focus EV, and 100 Smart EV vehicles, as well as establishing 4,600 EV charging locations nationwide.

"President Obama has set an ambitious goal of putting one million electric vehicles on the road by 2015. Investing in the U.S. electric vehicle industry will help us reduce our dependence on foreign oil, create jobs for U.S. workers, and provide American families and businesses with alternatives to protect them from future spikes in gas prices," said Secretary Chu.

"Building energy-saving electric cars and trucks, and the infrastructure to power them, will help Americans save money at the pump and improve the nation's energy security."

In an effort to provide communities with up-to-date information, the National Research Energy Laboratory (NREL) is partnering with Google Inc., providing GPS mapping and a coordinated online network of charging stations and their locations. 

This is a cross-post from EnergyBoom.com.

EnergyBoom is a global leader in energy news information, offering expert analysis on the world economy’s transition to cleaner, more efficient and more secure sources of energy. 

Original Post: http://www.energyboom.com/transportation/recovery-act-success-over-1800-electric-vehicle-chargers-installed-date-and-more-come