Have you seen more electric cars parked around your neighborhood in Washington DC? To tell you the truth, I haven't even noticed either! Aside from the usual hybrids, like the Toyota Prius and now the Chevy Volt driving around, nothing stands out.
I asked because one day while walking around 14th and U Street, I noticed a funny looking tower on the sidewalk. I read the parking sign which stated "24 hour charging...Plug-in Vehicles Only!"
According to dc.gov, this is the first public curbside 240V Level II Coulomb ChargePoint station is now located at the Franklin D. Reeves Center, 2000 14th Street, in northwest DC. There are two spaces available for charging vehicles on the west side of 14th Street adjacent to the Reeves Center. This electric car charging program is a $15 million grant, funded by the US Department of Energy to promote hundreds of charging stations in 9 U.S. cities.
The District has created some new initiatives for promoting Hybrid and other alternative fuel programs such as: "The DMV Reform Amendment Act exempts owners of hybrids and other alternative fuel vehicles (that get 40 mpg or higher) from excise tax and reduces vehicle registration charges (Yahoo.com)." 
How does this work?
The owner of any new motor vehicle that achieves a city fuel economy rating of at least 40 mpg will pay a reduced registration fee of $36 for the first two years of the vehicle's registration, half of the fee paid for a conventional vehicle ($72). After that, the owner of the hybrid, electric or energy saving vehicle will have to pay the regular registration fee. For more information, contact Elizabeth.Berry@dc.gov or Corey.Buffo@dc.gov."
Where are other electric car charging stations in DC?
The District and Car Charging Group, Inc. announced a new location on January 12, 2011 at 425 Massachusetts in the Mount Vernon neighborhood.
How much does it cost?
"The ChargePoint units run $1,000-$2,000, and most garages that have a single ChargePoint can easily expand to add 8-10 stations without significant cost. A charge from one of the ChargePoint stations will run you up to $5 (if your battery is mostly drained) to as little as $0.50 for just a little juice. (We Love DC)"
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