One of the highlights of this year´s ExpoMovil consumer auto show in Costa Rica, besides the seductive models and the brisk business realized by car loan brokers, was the interest in plug-in hybrids and passenger vehicles that are not fully powered by fossil fuels.

In recent years, environment and conservation analysts bemoaned the little interest shown by drivers in Costa Rica towards fuel-efficient vehicles that can truly be labeled as “green.” Ticos are clearly car-crazy, but they have not been so much into hybrids and electric vehicles until now.

Now that hybrids and other vehicles that require to be plugged in to be charged are being acquired by drivers in Costa Rica, the next step consists of finding residential units where vehicle owners can park and energize their green cars. According to a recent article by Fabiola Vargas of business daily La Republica, one residential developer in Costa Rica has already thought about this and is offering special connectors for these vehicles in garage spaces.

The builder is CondoMio, a firm that is known to practice sustainable construction. In addition of including hybrid vehicle charging stations in their building projects, CondoMio also incorporates solar panel technology so that home owners and tenants can enjoy energy-efficient housing arrangements.

The following planned neighborhoods are where hybrid and electric vehicle owners can find homes with charging stations in Costa Rica. Notice how many of these developments are located in the vicinity of Alajuela, a city that is truly on the rise.

• San Francisco – Heredia
• Doña Elsie – La Guácima
• Natura Viva – La Guácima
• Dulce María-Casas – La Guácima
• Dulce María-Apartamentos – La Guácima
• Los Espaveles – Las Vueltas de La Guácima
• La Riviera – Las Vueltas de La Guácima
• Don Carlo – La Guácima
• La Esperanza – La Guácima
• El Trapiche – Alajuela (close to Downtown)
• San Ignació Taras – Cartago
• Los Helechos – Cartago
• Golden River – Santa Ana