Aerovironment Expanding Electric Car Charging Network

has added to its expanding network of car charging stations in the Western U.S, recently reaching an agreement with the state of Oregon to add to a corridor of charging stations in the northwest part of the state.

The Monrovia company, headquartered on Huntington Drive, expects to finish construction of the stations by December 2012 at 22 locations along Oregon's coast.

"This project will help remove a major barrier to rapid adoption of electric vehicles by providing a network of fast charging stations around northwest Oregon,” said Phillip Ditzler, the Oregon Division Administrator for the Federal Highway Administration, in a written statement. “Oregon will serve as a model for the rest of the country in its innovative approach to electrifying transportation.”

Funded by a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, the deal is designed to create a network of charging stations from California to Washington state, according to the company.

The company's EV chargers are currently compatible with the Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi IMiev, according to Steven Gitlin, an AV spokesman. The fast chargers can fully recharge a car's battery in about 15 to 30 minutes depending on how depleted it is, he said.