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Your support makes all the difference.Google added electric vehicle charging stations to its US mapping service this week, providing a centralized source of EV chargers for users of the first electric vehicles.
The search giant said in a blog post March 9 that it was working with the US government's National Renewable Energy Laboratory to display chargers which are listed on its GeoEVSE Forum and locate further facilities.
GeoEVSE aims to bring together manufacturers and other service providers to provide a central database of publicly accessible charging points, irrespective of equipment manufacturer or charging network.
It currently contains nearly 7,000 alternative fuelling stations and Google says it is also working with other providers to add locations to its maps, so international EV drivers will be hoping that an international version follows soon.
To find a charging stations, users can simply type "ev charging station near," inserting the name of the area they wish to search in.
Google is the second name this week to announce it wants to help with the whereabouts of electric vehicle charging stations, now becoming as vital as gas pumps for the new wave of EV drivers using vehicles such as the Nissan Leaf.
Plugshare launched on March 8 as a network of EV enthusiasts willing to share their home chargers and outlets, effectively "crowd-sourcing" charging for those unable to find a public charging station.
Again, it's only available in the US, although a spokesperson said that the company hopes to bring the service to other regions soon.
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