Georgia Power will spend $12 million to build new public electric vehicle charging stations and plans to offer residential customers up to $250 rebates to install them in their homes.

It’s part of an effort to reduce “range anxiety.”

Range anxiety is the fear of running out of juice in an electric car with no charging station in sight.

“Range anxiety is a challenge for automakers, because people with electric cars want to go more than 60 miles or 100 miles,” says Michelle Krebs, a Senior Analyst with AutoTrader. “What if they want to drive from Atlanta to Savannah? That would be difficult.”

There are more than 100 public electric vehicle charging stations in Atlanta. And Georgia Power is looking to add 50 more across the state.

“Some experts say considering how many electric vehicles are in the Atlanta area, for instance, we need many more community charging stations,” John Kraft, Media Relations at Georgia Power, says.

Georgia still has a $5,000 tax credit that makes it a hot market for electric car sales.

In fact, Atlanta is second in the nation for electric vehicle sales and that’s why the state’s biggest electricity provider, Georgia Power, is paying attention.

“Electric transportation is another market where we can serve our customers who have chosen to invest in electric vehicles,” Kraft says.

The utility is also offering residential customers a $250 rebate to install electric vehicle chargers in their homes. Owners of commercial buildings can get up to $500 for the chargers.