San Francisco Bay Area getting wired for electric cars

San Francisco CA November 20, 2008; Project Better Place, the company that is pushing a cell-phone business model for electric cars, has now signed its first deal in its own back yard, the San Francisco Bay Area.

The San Jose Mercury News reported Thursday that a billion dollar deal had been signed between the company and local municipalities to provide infrasctructure for plug-in electric cars similar to the concepts already announced for Denmark, Australia and Israel.

Project Better Place is teaming up with the Renault Nissan Alliance, which has two prototype plug-in electric cars as part of its commitment to provide a vehicle that will look and drive like a conventional car or SUV but be powered entirely by batteries.

The notion is tha PBP provides infrastructure - places to plug in and swap batteries - and customers pay an annual fee for their service, much as cell phone users do now.

It's a terrific concept and offers the first real opportunity for electric cars to break through to the mainstream. All they have to do now is deliver on their ambitious promises, no mean feat.