SYRACUSE — Car Charging Group, Inc., a nationwide provider of electric vehicle charging services, plans to acquire EV Pass, LLC and its local network of charging stations from Synapse Sustainability Trust, Inc. of Syracuse.

Synapse is a nonprofit focused on sustainable environmental initiatives. EV Pass specializes in building destination and location networks for electric vehicle charging. Car Charging Group is based in Miami Beach, Fla.

EV Pass’ Central New York network has stations in Syracuse, Rome, and the surrounding areas, according to Car Charging Group.

Locations with stations include Destiny USA, the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse University, and the Oncenter in Syracuse and the JFK Arena in Rome. The network also includes 39 commuter parking locations in downtown Syracuse.

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) was a partner on deploying the network. With the acquisition, Car Charging will administer a pending NYSERDA grant awarded to EV Pass that involves installing charging stations through upstate New York.

“Bottom line, EV sales are growing. [Electric vehicle] sales in January 2013 were more than 300 percent greater than January 2012 and [electric vehicle] sales in February 2013 were nearly 330 percent greater than February 2012,” Car Charging CEO Michael Farkas said in a news release. “To support the increasing [electric vehicle] market, it is our intent to expand our [electric vehicle] charging infrastructure through organic growth and acquisitions of other [electric vehicle] service providers.”

In addition to EV Pass and the Central New York charging network, other Synapse initiatives include the CuseCar car-sharing organization, the Symposium on Energy in the 21st Century, and the Restoration Tree Trust, an effort to foster urban and rural reforestation.

Contact Tampone at ktampone@cnybj.com