The grants, announced by Governor Dannel P Malloy, join nearly 100 other charging stations at public locations and are being funded at a cost of $135,946 from provisions of the April 2012 settlement agreement with the state that allowed for the merger of Northeast Utilities and NStar.

‘These grants will help fulfill my vision of a cheaper, cleaner, and more reliable energy future for the families and businesses of our state,’ said Governor Malloy. ‘A recent federal Department of Energy study shows that it costs less than half the cost of using gasoline to operate an electric vehicle – and the availability of more charging stations helps provide a wider choice of vehicles for our residents.’ 

The grant announcement follows last week’s announcement of an agreement among the Governors of Connecticut and seven other states to promote the use of so-called zero-emissions vehicles in order to put 3.3 million of them on the road in the next dozen years.

‘Our focus on expanding the number of publically available charging stations is critical to meeting the goals of the eight-state agreement to increase consumer awareness and demand for alternative vehicles,’ Governor Malloy said. ‘Building people’s confidence in the availability of charging stations will help spark sales and use of plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles.’