Texas, home of the oil oligarchs, I mean, oil cartels, no, I mean, oil barons. Anyway — guess where the first electric car charging station is being built in the Dallas-Fort Worth area?

Frank Heinz of the Dallas-Forth Worth-area NBC news affiliate reports, “Interestingly enough, the charging station is not being added to an existing gas station, but rather a Half Price Books store. The one on the 5800 block of Northwest Highway to be precise. And, the charge is free — until Sept. 2011 anyhow.”

The bookstore will be unveiling the station on Wednesday. Heinz spoke with Kathy Doyle Thomas, executive vice president of Half Price Books: “Since we were founded in 1972, Half Price Books has taken great pride in being a green company that recycles resources. We are pleased we can have this offering for electric vehicle owners in the Dallas area and are proud to lead the charge to make North Texas one of the top green regions in the country.”

The station is part of ChargePoint Network, a global network of charging locations. And Half Price Books is doing the rest, leading the charge into alternative energy. And it’s free! Now that must give our oil friends pause.