The future of electric cars in California has received another boost as plans were confirmed for a $1 billion network of recharging stations to be dotted along the San Francisco Bay area.
Palo Alto-based Better Place announced the deal along with San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums and San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed. It is hoped that the charging stations will be installed in homes, businesses, Government buildings and parking lots by 2012.
If successful, the Bay area would be the first region of the Unites States to create an electric car network and the company is also planning to build mechanised battery swapping centres where robots remove and replace batteries in cars that are compatible with the system.
The project, which has received the backing of California State Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, aims to both the planet and develop the economy. Better Place has also unveiled a prototype electric Nissan Rogue SUV, and hopes to spread the scheme across California to make it the electric car capital of the world.
