Which comes first? The charge or the electric car?

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http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-1030-electric-ford--20101029,0,5741823.story

Ford plugs its electric fleet but wants more charging stations in Chicago

By Julie Wernau, Tribune reporter

8:47 p.m. CDT, October 29, 2010

When Ford Motor Co. brought its fleet of plug-ins to Chicago on Friday, it was more than just a preview of the automaker's soon-to-be-released vehicles. The event also was an effort to push the city to support more charging stations.

"In a dense area like Chicago, generally what we'd like to see is that consumers can get to a charging station within 2 or 3 miles," said Sherif Marakby, director of electrification programs and engineering at Ford, which is among a few automakers rolling out plug-in electric vehicles by the end of 2010.

Over the next two years, Ford will introduce several electric vehicles, including the Transit Connect Electric small commercial van, Focus Electric passenger car and a plug-in hybrid. The Transit Connect Electric and Focus Electric will use no gasoline.

Marakby would like Chicago to open up more "Level 3" stations, which can deliver a full charge in less than two hours.