ATLANTA, Jan. 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Georgia Power is now offering workplace charging to its employees throughout the state. The program is part of ECOtality's Electric Vehicle (EV) Project – a public-private partnership with the Department of Energy that evaluates the effectiveness of EV charger infrastructure. Georgia Power is the first company in the state to participate in the program.

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Beginning today, Georgia Power is making 10 smart chargers available to employees at its headquarters in Atlanta to enable EV charging while at work. The company will also add additional chargers at other business locations around the state. Data captured from the chargers will be used to gain insight on workplace charging effectiveness and offer strategies for better use of charger infrastructure assets.

Georgia Power hopes to maximize employees' electric vehicle range and encourage adoption of proven transportation technologies among workers and customers. Some employees may be able to double their daily driving range, and for the first time, long distance commuters can consider electric vehicles as an option.

"Offering this option to our employees is just another way we're showing our commitment to the electric transportation industry," said Mike Hazelton, Georgia Power's vice president of marketing. "Our participation in this project allows us to further explore innovative ways to help our customers save money, use energy efficiently and help the environment."

Hazelton added that it is estimated that in the next 10 years, 5 to 10 percent of new cars on the road in Georgia will be fueled in whole, or in part, by electricity. "It is our belief that this program will serve as a model for the Southeast." 

"By installing electric vehicle charging stations at their corporate office, Georgia Power is leading by example in a region where EV adoption will rise substantially over the course of the next few years, said Ravi Brar, CEO of ECOtality, Inc. "We are pleased to work with Georgia Power as they demonstrate their market leadership in the electric transportation industry."

Georgia Power is the largest subsidiary of Southern Company, one of the nation's largest generators of electricity. The company is an investor-owned, tax-paying utility with rates below the national average. Georgia Power serves 2.4 million customers in all but four of Georgia's 159 counties.

SOURCE Georgia Power