Where we've been

The idea of having recharging stations for electric cars is pretty new because modern electric cars themselves are pretty new. Electric vehicles that were established in the early days of automobiles had to be recharged but there was no major infrastructure for these because automobiles on the whole were such a rare thing at the time and the system of roads was small enough that long range vehicles were unnecessary.

Once road networks were developed enough for people to travel long distances and gasoline prices came down (as well as some other changes), the gasoline-powered automobile became more popular than the electric vehicle and gas stations began to litter the sides of roads. Since then, we haven't really looked back and all electric vehicles that have been produced have been of limited range.

Only in recent years have companies begun investing in infrastructure for recharging electric vehicles. Up until now, most of the electric vehicles we have had have been hybrids that got all of their energy from gasoline and couldn't be plugged in, making this a pretty new problem. This page is sure to expand over the next couple years as plug-in hybrids become more popular and we find some way to create the electricity equivalent of the gas station.