The D.C. government is considering plans to install hundreds of charging stations for electric vehicles.
D.C. Department of Transportation spokesman John Lisle says there's a way to make it easier for citizens and businesses to use the technology too. "The city can jump-start the whole electric car thing by purchasing electric vehicles as part of our fleet replacement and putting some of the infrastructure in place," he told the Washington Examiner.
Neighboring local governments, like Arlington, say they're excited about the idea of electric vehicles as well. "It's part of the new world we're going to be living in," said Arlington County Board Chairman Jay Fisette.
General Motors has announced that D.C. would join California and Michigan as the initial consumer markets for its 2011 Chevy Volt. This month, the D.C. government issued a request for information from the private sector on what its infrastructure should look like.
Some question how much the city should invest in an emerging technology. Ben Lieberman, an analyst with the Heritage Foundation, says there's little benefit for the city to move ahead with a technology that's still iffy.
