Report: CT needs 25K electric cars

Buy an electric vehicle, and Connecticut will give you a great parking space.

This and other benefits of electric car ownership were detailed Thursday when the state Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Council released its final report on making Connecticut a capital of plug-in cars.

The highlight of the report calls for 25,000 electric vehicles in the state by 2020.

Recommendations to meet this goal include tax incentives for buyers, allowing the electric vehicles in carpool lanes, installing public charging stations, giving electric cars parking benefits, promoting electric car businesses with financial incentives, getting California companies to make Connecticut their East Coast affiliate, offering tax incentives for electric vehicle component manufacturers, and offering grants and loans to develop fueling infrastructure.

Connecticut's goal of 25,000 cars coincides with the national goal of 1 million electric vehicles by 2015. The Obama administration committed more than $4 billion in support of this goal.

Since its inception, the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Council has worked closely with car manufacturers to bring their electric vehicle to the state. Chevrolet will roll its Volt out in early 2011, and Nissan is expected to bring its Leaf to the state as well.

Mostly through Northeast Utilities, the state has installed several electric vehicle charging stations, including one at the Capitol complex.