LOS ANGELES—NRG eVgo has secured partnerships and agreements to build 200 fast-charging Freedom Stations throughout California, focusing on San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco. The company, which is a subsidiary of NRG Energy Inc., already has 46 of these electric car charging stations under construction with 15 in operation.

“We are making great progress building a comprehensive infrastructure that will make owning an electric vehicle even more convenient and fun,” says Terry O'Day, VP of NRG eVgo in California. The vehicle charging stations have a Level 2 charger and at least one direct current station that will allow electric vehicle owners to charge their vehicle in just minutes. “We take great pride in helping reframe the way Californians think about electric cars and their ability to enjoy cleaner transportation by providing the state with the best and most robust fast charging infrastructure in the United States,” O'Day adds.

Of the 200 Freedom Stations, 28 are located at apartment communities. These were made possible through a partnership with Sequoia Equities. As a commitment to make these charging stations available to everyone, 20% of the 200 stations are located in lower-income areas. “As this network is built out, it will make buying an EV attractive to even more drivers across California,” O'Day says. “The pace of construction has significantly increased. We have been encouraged by the support of partners like Simon Property Group and Kimco Realty Corp., the nation's largest owner-operators of retail shopping centers, to deploy Freedom Station sites across the state.”

NRG is continuing to conduct hundreds of additional site assessments throughout the state for additional charging-station locations. These sit assessments could potentially lead to an additional 2,000 electric-vehicle charging parking spaces. The 200 charging stations underway will be available in 2016, and will help improve air quality in the state.

The drive to a more sustainable state is not limited to the roads. Many real estate owners have been looking at ways to improve building efficiency. GlobeSt.com sat down with Peter Belisle, Southwest market director at JLL, to talk about the latest trends in green building. Belisle explained that all real estate owners have the opportunity to increase building efficiency in low- to no-cost ways, and for that reason, it is important to focus on increasing the efficiency of existing buildings.