Ecotality Life

California gets all the cool toys. Not only did the state recently approve initial development of a multi-billion dollar bullet train between Los Angeles and San Francisco, but now plans have been unveiled for a $1 billion dollar charging station network for electric cars. From the article,

San Francisco Bay Area cities promised to build the electric car capital of the United States, announcing a plan on Thursday to work with start-up Better Place to put battery-powered autos on the road in 2012. Mayors of San Francisco, Silicon Valley capital San Jose, Oakland and other cities in the region said they would offer incentives and standardize infrastructure with Better Place, a start-up that aims to offer electric cars as a service, like a cell phone, at prices similar or below standard cars.

Better Place already has experience in building charging station networks; albeit in smaller markets like Israel, Denmark and Australia. Their plan is to garner the capital for the project over the next 18 months (no easy task in today’s economic environment) and then launch a test for 2010. By 2012 — when the market for electric cars is a reality — a full launch will occur around San Francisco.

Gizmodo gives us the DL on how this will all be paid for:

Naturally, a project this vast isn’t going to be cheap—$1 billion is a lot of money to burden the taxpayers with. Fortunately, that won’t be a problem because the project will be funded with an incentive plan directed at companies who install the chargers. Building permits will also be expedited to help move things along. Better Place will also be working with Renault-Nissan to distribute electric vehicles in “much the way telecoms distribute cellphones. Customers will subscribe to drive a certain number of miles and get an electric vehicle at a discounted price. Better Place will own the battery.”

What do you think? Too much too soon? Pie in the sky development? Or just what America needs to kick-start the electric automobile revolution?

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