The Ontario government is investing $80 million into a program that will install electric car charging stations throughout the province.

Premier Dalton McGuinty made the announcement in Markham, Ont. on Tuesday.

"They tell me that today it can cost up to seven dollars to refill your car with electricity as opposed to seventy dollars with gasoline," McGuinty told reporters.

The government hopes that conveniently-located charging stations will encourage more people to buy electric cars.

The government is now looking for public and private companies to come forward with plans to build and test the charging stations. The projects that are selected will get seed money from the government.

But the vehicles are expensive. The Chevrolet Volt, which will be available in Ottawa next month, costs about $41,000. The Nissan Leaf will carry a lighter price tag when it appears in Ottawa next year.

To help encourage people to buy electric cars, the province offers incentives of up to $8,500.

The government hopes one in every 20 vehicles in Ontario will be powered by electricity by 2020.

With a report from CTV Ottawa's Norman Fetterley