Saw this today and thought it was pretty crazy. Apparently Arnold Schwarzenegger and Gavin Newsom announced that they plan to build a massive electric vehicle grid to cover most of CA. They're using Shai Agassi's Palo Alto tech company Better Place for the grid technology which is a good sign since that company is already working on this stuff in Denmark, Israel, and Australia.
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San Francisco, Calif. (Nov 20, 2008) -- At a press conference held in San Francisco City Hall, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, along with the Mayors of San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland, joined together with the Bay Area Council, the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, and Better Place of Palo Alto to announce a sweeping plan to reinvigorate the state and region’s competitive advantage in innovative technology through public-private investments in electric vehicles and other elements of “green” infrastructure. This new approach challenges conventional assumptions that economic and environmental recovery are at odds with each other, and aligns them, instead.
The group defined a vision for encouraging investment in green infrastructure as a means for boosting the state’s competitive advantage while reducing its dependence on oil for transportation and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The group believes that the move to a sustainable mobility model of electric vehicles fueled by renewable energy, beginning in the Bay area, will serve as an economic and environmental stimulus blueprint for the entire country, particularly the nation’s lagging automotive sector.
“California is already a world leader in fighting global warming and promoting renewable energy,” said Governor Schwarzenegger. “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. 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.”
“Creating an energy-independent economy is our generation's moon-shot,” said Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Venture Partner and Senior Advisor, VantagePoint Venture Partners. “For too long we've believed that economy and environment stood at odds with each other. By coming together in this time of turmoil to build a clean transportation infrastructure, this generation will fuel the economic and environmental prosperity of generations to come.”
You can see the grid map here:
http://www.betterplace.com/californiaFor those of you living in California realize the importance of this announcement. In 4 years you will be able to drive everyday and NEVER EVER HAVE TO STOP FOR GASOLINE AGAIN. :D