Electric vehicles still represent a small fraction of overall auto sales, they continue to build momentum. Tesla continues to be the market leader – by a very wide margin in the U.S. – though in Asia, Wuling Motors’ Hongguang Mini EV has done well.  One of the challenges is consumers are fearful there aren’t enough charging stations, or it will take too long to charge a car during a trip.  Currently, there are more than 113,000 EV charging outlets in the U.S. and the number continues to climb as companies like EVgo and others built out their charging networks.

EVgo Inc., a public fast charging network for electric vehicles, powered by 100% renewable electricity, announced that it was selected to partner with the city of Portland, Maine, to deploy electric vehicle charging infrastructure on city-owned property.

The partnership will aid Portland in reaching its committed goals of reducing emissions 80% by 2050 and shifting to 100% clean energy for the municipality’s needs by 2040.

“Portland residents need to feel confident about charging before they buy an electric vehicle,” said City Sustainability Director Troy Moon. “That’s why we’re working with EVgo to create charging hubs in neighborhoods with large numbers of multi-family buildings.”

EVgo will install eight direct current fast chargers, or DCFC, offering Portland drivers access to 100-plus kilowatt chargers, capable of charging as much as 80% in 15-45 minutes, depending on the vehicle’s charging capabilities.

Up to 44 Level 2 chargers will also be installed across Portland. The Level 2 chargers will provide teachers and city employees with access to workplace charging during school hours. The chargers in the school parking lots will be available for public use during hours that school is not in session.

Portland drivers will also have access to EVgo’s 24/7 customer support.

“EVgo is thrilled to be working with the city of Portland, Maine, to bring EV charging solutions to city sites to help locals, visitors and the municipal fleet all make the switch to driving electric," said Colin Murchie, senior director of business development at EVgo.