PGE joins eTec, state of Oregon and Nissan in five-market rollout of electric vehicles and associated charging stations

Portland General Electric (NYSE:POR) welcomed news today that PGE was named a strategic participant and the state of Oregon was named one of five test markets for the largest rollout of electric vehicles and an associated charging station network in United States history.

PGE was selected by Electric Transportation Engineering Corporation (eTec), a subsidiary of ECOtality, Inc. (OTCBB:ETLY), and a leader in the research, development and testing of advanced transportation and energy systems. eTec announced today the receipt of $99.8 million in federal funds to test and analyze electric vehicle usage and charging infrastructure.

The goal of the project is to encourage the expansion of an electric vehicle infrastructure that will eventually be available for widespread use of EV owners throughout the nation. eTec is partnering with Nissan North America on the project to deploy up to 5,000 electric vehicles and 12,750 charging stations in five U.S. markets.

eTec chose to strategically partner with PGE to advance the understanding of EV usage patterns and their impact on the electrical grid, as well as provide synergies with PGE’s smart grid initiatives.

“This announcement is an exciting and important step forward to develop the critical infrastructure necessary in Oregon to support next-generation electric vehicles that are coming to market in 2010,” said Jim Piro, president and CEO of PGE. “This project will give us a better understanding of how the charging of electric vehicles can effectively be integrated into a smart electric grid at the lowest possible cost. We’d like to thank eTec, Nissan, Governor Ted Kulongoski and the state of Oregon for sharing our vision of bringing transportation and electricity together to better serve our customers.”

PGE has already partnered with local governments and businesses to install nearly 20 EV charging stations in the Portland-metro area and Salem.

“This investment is exciting news for Oregon as we work to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and for consumers who would rather plug-in than pay at the pump,” Gov. Ted Kulongoski said.