WASHINGTON- Pepco Holdings, Inc. (PHI) has implemented its first electric vehicle charging stations and will purchase 10 Chevrolet Volts to support a study on the effects of vehicle charging on the electrical grid.

The cars will be added to the company's fleet and driven by employees as part of a two-year demonstration to assess the impact of these vehicles on the electric system and to evaluate their commercial application to the company's fleet.

"This initiative will provide valuable information about the capabilities of electric vehicles and their growing impact on the grid as we transition to both the smart grid and an electrified transportation sector," said Joseph Rigby, chairman and CEO of PHI.

Rigby said PHI is committed to working with the auto industry, the Department of Energy, local governments and the utility industry to overcome numerous challenges, including support for both a public and commercial charging infrastructure, affordable vehicle-charging rates, and supportive permitting and codes for vehicle charging stations.

Pepco has already installed two vehicle charging stations at its Edison Place garage on Eighth Street Northwest, with eight additional charging stations to be placed across PHI's service areas in the District of Columbia, Maryland, Delaware, and southern New Jersey when the company begins taking delivery of the Volts later this year.