Washington Gets America's First Electric Highway

With the Chevy Volt and the Nissan Leaf on the way, a new crop of electric cars is just about ready for America. But is America ready for them? We'll need places to charge them, right?

Well, residents of the Pacific Northwest will be in good shape. Washington state is planning to line a long stretch of Interstate 5 with seven-to-ten Level-3 fast-charging stations, which can juice up a Leaf in as little as 15 minutes. Early adopters will be able to travel from the Canadian border to the Oregon state line without depleting their batteries. It's being touted as America's first "electric highway."

Washignton's plan is just one part of the $230-million EV Project, which will install 15,000 charge stations in Washington, California, Arizona, Tennessee, and Washington, D.C.

Image: Map of Stage I and II, from WSDOT