The San Francisco Bay Area will feature in the near future a large charging stations network meant to support electric cars. Better Place, a company involved with developing this technology, announced two days ago its newest project, a $1 billion network for this area. 

The company was founded in 2007 and is currently building similar networks in Denmark and Israel, with plans to also move to the Australian market. The work in the Bay Area is scheduled to begin in 2010.

The reason why these battery-charging stations are so important is because, for now at least, the batteries on electric cars can only go 40 miles with each charge. The company is also promoting removable car batteries that could be easily changed at different service centers, allowing drivers to be on their way without waiting for their batteries to recharge.

The company’s founder, Mr. Shai Agassi, is certain that electric cars will enter mass production by 2012 and Bay Area’s project will only be the beginning in a massive effort which will cover the entire country.  

The idea of such a network has been saluted by many, as it represents a clear move for the better. "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 Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, who represents the Bay Area, also appeared enthusiastic about the future: "Promoting the use of electric vehicles will help forward our nation's goals to achieve energy independence, to protect the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and to boost the economy by providing jobs in an emerging manufacturing sector."