With electric car usage up, cities should be turning their head from gas stations and looking towards the future of electric car charging stations. CNN is reporting that Portland, Oregon is planning to install 500 stations within the next year.

Funding for the vehicle charging stations is coming from the U.S. Department of Energy who has allocated $400 million to electric vehicle infrastructure. With the funding in place, around 12,000 cities are looking to join Portland in the charging station movement within the next year. Most stations are being implemented in the West where power is primarily from alternative energy.

Noreaster has recently teamed up with Plug-In Vehicle Solutions to offer a completely green way to drive: charging stations powered by wind turbines. Combining wind power with the stations completely withdraws any need for conventional electricity and the ability to charge your vehicle at the quickest rate.