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KB Home will start giving buyers of its built-to-order homes the option of getting the houses pre-wired to handle electric-vehicle charging.


The national homebuilder will pre-wire homes to make it easier to add charging stations in garages to facilitate overnight electric-vehicle charging, the company said in a statement today. The cost for the option, which is available now, will vary by location but will average about $250, according to KB Home spokesman Craig LeMessurier.


"It's a great feature for homebuyers who currently drive electric cars, or for those who want to build their new home to accommodate these cars in the future," KB Home CEO Jeffrey Mezger said in a statement today.


The option marks the company's effort to appeal to a group of plug-in hybrid and battery-electric vehicle owners that's likely to grow as the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid and the all-electric Nissan Leaf come on the U.S. market later this year.


KB Home, which is working with U.S. utility companies to provide the new feature, is looking to rebound from the effects of a U.S. housing slump that cut the company's 2009 revenue by 40 percent from a year earlier to $1.82 billion. The company built about 8,500 homes last year, down 32 percent from the previous year.


Danny King, Contributor

Tags: Batteries, Energy Companies, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric, Electric Vehicles, Electric-Vehicle Charging, EV Charging, KB Home, Plug-in Hybrids, Plug-in Vehicles

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KB Home's Newest Option: Pre-Wire Your Built-to-Order House for Plug-in Vehicles was originally published by Green Car Advisor. Read the full story by clicking here.