Pa. Turnpike to get electric-vehicle charging stations

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection on Wednesday awarded $1 million to help develop electric-vehicle charging stations at 17 Pennsylvania Turnpike service plazas.

The grant recipient, Car Charging Group L.L.C., will install the units initially into ongoing service-plaza renovations between Harrisburg and New Jersey. The chargers will be installed later at service plazas between Harrisburg and Ohio, and then along the Northeastern Extension. The project is expected to be completed by June 30, 2013.

The company will install Level II charging stations, which can charge a car in roughly four hours, as well as Level III stations, which can charge a car in about 20 minutes for motorists with less travel time to spare.    - Andrew Maykuth