Google adds charging stations to maps

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., March 14 (UPI) -- Drivers of electric cars looking for someplace to charge vehicles when away from home are getting some help from Google, company officials say.

The company has added the locations of electric vehicle recharging stations to the popular Google Maps smart phone application, PhysOrg.com reported Monday.

Despite electric cars becoming mass-market items, drivers still have to deal with infrastructure problems not faced by their fossil-fuel-powered counterparts.

The U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory is providing the data on the charging locations, adding 7,000 alternative fueling stations in the United States to the Google Maps application.

Electric vehicle owners can type "ev charging station" into the application's search function and will then be presented with a local area map with charging stations highlighted, Google said.