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Better Place, based in Palo Alto, California, has announced deals with both the State of California and the State of Oregon to install a network of electric car power stations throughout both states. These should be ready to go by 2012, which is when most experts are predicting that population centers in those states will have a large population of electric vehicles (all electrics, hybrid-electrics, commuters, etc.).

These are to be done through partnerships with Nissan, Coulomb Technologies, and individual city and county governments and business groups. This couples with the announcement by Nissan that they will be releasing their first electric car in Oregon in 2010.

How It Works

The stations will be similar to those that Better Place is doing in Australia, which we covered here at Zoomilife just a short while ago. Rates have not been announced, but the price will be less than the equivalent amount of gasoline (in energy) and the power sources will focus at least partially on renewable resources (wind, solar, etc.).

Many stations, especially along highways or in cities near commute points such as office and industrial zones, will also have “battery swap points” where owners of Nissan cars can swap their EV’s cells with freshly-charged ones or use a charge-while-you-wait service. Nissan has technologies to charge their vehicles with special charging stations at very fast rates.

Both systems will be part of subscription services or one-time-pay offerings, depending on what the driver opts for. Those who commute regularly will likely be interested in buying a subscription to discounted use of the charging stations, for example, while those who drive longer distances may have more interest in the battery-swap and charging station combination. Rental car agencies may also offer EVs and include pre-paid charging cards or other incentives as part of the rental.

Not to leave out traditional service and gas stations, Coulomb Technologies has announced that, for their part, they will be utilizing existing gas stations, service stations, travel stops, etc. as the focus of their electric vehicle charging units. They currently have agreements with 40 locations and the list is growing.

In California

Targeting the San Francisco Bay area, Sacramento, Los Angeles, San Diego, and the highway and freeway corridors between them, Better Place plans to have curbside charging stations similar to parking meters set up throughout these and nearby cities. These will function similarly to the stations they’ve announced for Australia.

The Governator is very excited about this and took the opportunity at a press conference to tout his state’s leadership in environmental issues. Interesting, coming from a multi-millionaire who drives a Hummer and a bulletproof limousine.

Governors and city councils of various towns and cities in California have made a push to institute policies that give incentive to employers and parking facilities to install EV charging stations. They’ve also pushed to create an expedited process for the permitting and installation certification of those stations in homes, businesses, parking lots, etc. “Expedited,” remember, has a different definition for government, so no word yet on what that will really equate to.

Those are just a few of the long list of things the various city and county governments have proposed or promised in relation to this.

In Oregon

At the LA Auto Show on November 20, 2008, Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Nissan-Renault, announced the partnership with the State of Oregon to build a charging network for EVs. He also announced that Nissan’s first electric to hit American shores will debut in Oregon in 2010. Their entire lineup of zero-emission electrics will be available world-wide by 2012.

The partnership in Oregon involves Better Place, Nissan, and Portland General Electric. Oregon has also announced a $5,000 tax credit towards the purchase of any all-electric car. Oregon’s Department of Transportation has also committed themselves to maintaining and operating the infrastructure the state owns or provides.

The charging stations and other facilities will center first around the Portland area, but will eventually include the entire I-5 corridor to link up with California’s infrastructure in the future. No definite plans were given as to time frames, though the Portland-area plans are targeted for 2012 rollout.

Oregon’s plans are more state-focused, as opposed to California’s more municipal focus.

Sources:1, 2