The Ford Transit Connect Electric is being released later this year, promising an 80-mile range

The Ford Motor Company is to offer nearly 5,000 free in-home charging stations for its first electric vehicle customers.

The motor manufacturer is teaming up with vehicle recharging specialist Coulomb Technologies to provide the free charging stations for residents of nine cities in America.

The Ford Blue Oval ChargePoint Program is targeting key markets for electric vehicles, which will include Austin, Detroit, Los Angeles, New York, Orlando, Sacramento, the San Jose/San Francisco Bay Area, Redmond, Wash., and Washington D.C.

Under the program, residents of the chosen cities could receive a free ChargePoint Networked Charging Station with the purchase of a Ford Transit Connect Electric vehicle.

The Ford program comes as part of Coulomb Technologies’ $37 million ChargePoint America installation project, which has been funded partly through a $15 million grant from the federal Recovery Act.

Richard Lowenthal, CEO of Coulomb Technologies, said: “ChargePoint America builds upon our established and growing network of charging stations and will in turn encourage consumers to buy electric vehicles.”

Viable

Ford’s global vice president for Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering, Sue Cischke, said the programs would build the necessary infrastructure to make the electric vehicle “a more viable option” for American consumers.

She said: “Ford’s electrification strategy focuses on providing real world value to customers with a range of driving behaviors and conditions. These programs and charging stations help us deliver an added value to our future electric vehicle owners.”

Ford’s Transit Connect Electric is an all-electric small commercial van that is due for release later in 2010. The vehicle will have a targeted range of up to 80 miles per full charge, and will be rechargeable using either 240-volt or standard 120-volt outlets.

The manufacturer also has four other electrified vehicles on the way, with a Focus Electric set for 2011, while 2012 will see two battery-hybrid vehicles and a plug-in hybrid introduced.