It’s official—The Alternative Fuels Data Center (AFDC) Station Locator has undergone a major makeover. Constant improvement is at the site’s core, which is why the U.S. Department of Energy’s Vehicle Technology Office is always striving to make the AFDC’s tools easier to use and the data more accessible. The updated Station Locator offers new features and an improved user interface built on the same reliable, comprehensive, and fuel-neutral data that our partners have come to trust.
Some of the notable new features include a sleek look and feel, simplifying the user experience, as well as a bigger map populated with consistent circle icons for each station location and updated colors representing each fuel type. Users will also notice a larger and more detailed view of specific station information.
On the Station Locator home page, there are now two tabs at the top of the map: Find Public Stations and Analyze and Download Data.
The Find Public Stations tab allows users to search for public stations at a specific location, with the option to search for all fuels or just one. The total number of stations that fit the search criteria can be found in the upper right.
The search defaults to public stations and the following fuel-specific criteria:
- Level 2 and DC fast charging electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE)
- Propane stations with vehicle-specific fueling services (i.e., “primary” stations)
- Hydrogen stations with full public access (i.e., “retail” stations)
The Map a Route feature, also available on the Find Public Station tab, shows specified fuel types available along a route between two locations. It also displays search results on the right, sorted by distance from the search location.
The Analyze and Download Data tab allows users to refine their search using filters, broken out into three categories: Location, Fuel, and Station.
To search by Location, users can enter a state or a specific address and limit results within a certain mile radius. To search by Fuel, users can filter by a single fuel or multiple fuel types, and conduct fuel-specific searches, including the following:
- Compressed Natural Gas (CNG): fill type, vehicle accessibility, and fill pressure
- Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG): vehicle accessibility
- EVSE: charging levels, connector types, and networks
- Ethanol (E85): stations that also offer mid-level ethanol blends
- Propane: stations with limited vehicle-specific fueling capabilities (i.e., “secondary” stations)
- Hydrogen: stations with limited public access (i.e., “nonretail” stations)
The Station options allow users to filter for public and/or private stations, planned stations, and by owner type and payment methods. All results display on the right, including counts, filters, and options to download the results or see the results on a map.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) collects and confirms alternative fueling station data through a number of industry sources. To submit a new station for inclusion in the Station Locator, visit the online webform. For multiple station additions or updates, email [email protected].
The new Station Locator still includes an embed functionality so users can include the tool within their own websites. If you already have the Station Locator embedded on your website, replacing the code with the new version of the embed code is recommended.
Continue to monitor the U.S. Station Locator for new features, including an alternative fuel corridor planning tool.
- Clean Cities Technical Response Service Team
- [email protected]
- 800-254-6735