Bay Area seeks to become electric-car capital
(Read article summary)The mayors of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose announced an ambitious public-private partnership last week to develop a $1 billion network of charging outlets for electric cars.
The mayors of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose announced an ambitious public-private partnership last week to develop a $1 billion network of charging outlets for electric cars.
The money will be raised by Better Place, a Silicon Valley startup that develops infrastructure to support electric vehicles. The company plans to install about 250,000 charging ports and up to 200 battery-exchange stations in the Bay Area by 2012. The mayors say that they predict that this network will make the area a top-priority market for electric-vehicle manufacturers.
"Our aim is to make the Bay Area – and eventually California – the electric vehicle capital of the US," said San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom in a press release.
The plan was praised by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who touted its environmental and economic potential.
"This type of public-private partnership is exactly what I envisioned when we created the first ever low-carbon fuel standard and when the state enacted the zero-emissions vehicle program." said Governor Schwarzenegger in the press release. "This partnership is proof that by working together, we can achieve our goals of creating a healthier planet while boosting our economy at the same time."
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