With the Plug-In 2011 Conference and Exposition currently taking place in North Carolina, both public and private organizations are taking action to help build the electric vehicle infrastructure and increase electric vehicle (EV) usage.

Illinois has recently passed two laws that will offer grants for EV purchases and establish an advisory panel to encourage EV usage within the state. Meanwhile, Ford Motor Company leveraged social media on Thursday when it hosted a Hybrid Durability Live Chat and fielded questions from the public on EVs.

“We must do everything we can to encourage sustainable and affordable transportation,” said Illinois Governor Pat Quinn.

Part of the increasing adoption of EVs is implementing a sufficient infrastructure to support its usage. Increasing the limited number of EV charging stations may be the beginning of a move towards building up the infrastructure.

Earlier this week, the Automobile Association of American announced it will be dispatching emergency charging trucks for EVs batteries that run out of juice in the middle of the highway. Schneider Electric also made efforts to better the charging infrastructure and industry reliability through the launch of its EVlink outdoor EV charging station.

“With EVs increasingly hitting the roads and President Obama’s call for one million EVs to be on the road by 2014, there is a growing demand for reliable charging infrastructure,” Schneider Electric said in announcing the new station.