Schwarzenegger, Bay Area to Build First U.S. Electric Vehicle Network

Bay Area leaders are hoping that a combo of public and private investments can turn the region into The Electric Vehicle Capital of the U.S., by building out a $1-billion electric vehicle infrastructure. The group involves Silicon Valley’s Better Place and a group of wide-eyed politicians: California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and the mayors of San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland.

The startup says planning and permitting will start as soon as January 2009, and infrastructure deployment could begin as early as 2010. Sounds like a pretty sweet deal for Better Play. Along with the Bay Area, it will the same investment models used in Israel, Denmark and Australia. The company claims that a “mass market availability of electric cars” will be ready by 2012.

The San Francisco mayor also plans policy initiatives to help deliver the electric vehicles to the Bay Area roads. Mayor Newsom says “they will start in December to work with city organizations and private sector partners on different ways to help deliver electric transportation powered by renewable energy,” according to earth2tech.com.

Governor Schwarzenegger said in the release that the state is “taking the lead in the move to electric transportation powered by renewable energy,” and he added “I’m confident that Californians, who love their cars, will love zero emission vehicles even more, so long as they’re fast, fun and affordable.”

Fast, fun, zero emissions? Sign me up!

Photo: © Cammeraydave | Dreamstime.com

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