LAKE OSWEGO, Ore. -- A new fueling station opened Monday morning in Lake Oswego, but not for gasoline. The station was only for electric cars.

The new plug-in station was located on "A" Avenue, just west of Second Street. It was the first of its kind in Lake Oswego and at least for now, it's free to charge up.

The plug-in was part of the same PGE network of five charging stations around the region. The first one opened at First Street and Salmon Avenue in Portland in July 2008.

The plan was to put in a total of 12 stations in the area. PGE said the benefits to driving electric cars were that drivers could travel farther with little or no gas. Plus, carbon emissions would decrease.

PGE said Portland already has the highest percentage of hybrid drivers in the nation. And they thought the number of people buying electric cars would likely only go up.

That could be true if manufacturers got their request for a consumer tax credit. Makers said tax incentives would lead to a spike in demand and allow manufacturers to pour profits into more development.

There was also a pending tax credit for "electric-only" vehicles, while the tax credit for hybrids was set to expire.

PGE planned to eventually charge drivers a fee to charge up in the future.