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This is a commercial proposal from that guy from Israel who runs BetterPlace. First he was going to wire Israel with charging stations. Then it was Hawaii. Now it's the SF Bay Area.

I'd be more impressed if he actually deployed something before announcing the next vaporware deal. They haven't even demoed a working prototype of the automated battery-exchange station. There's a an animated video, but it's just conceptual.

The first two locations made more sense. On a small island, electric cars could work - you just can't take a long trip. Since Israel doesn't get along with most of its neighbors, there's not much cross-border car traffic, and the country is small. But the SF Bay Area is a big step up from there.

The whole battery-exchange idea seems too complex mechanically. It requires a big standardized battery pack across a range of vehicles.

It's interesting to think about how one might make the battery-exchange system work. You need a very rugged connector suitable for heavy current, blind mating, and bad weather. Such devices are rare, but the New York City Transit Authority has had them on subway cars since 1914. Subway cars can be coupled and uncoupled without anyone going near a coupler, and the couplers connect air and electrical lines. So there's a mechanism that can do the job.

Cheaper electric cars that *will* sell mass market will be coming from where all the other cheaper electronic devices come from, China. [ shameless plug for illustration purposes ;) ] As long as they are good enough for commuting purposes, range of around 50 to 60 miles, and they can keep up with normal traffic, they'll sell. And that will fund interest and more R&D and so on and they'll get better. And project better place is moving right along as well, with nissan/renault as the manufacturer. The electric car industry has passed critical mass when it comes to global interest, and is now in the early development and deployment stages. There's enough interest out there now and the tech is "good enough" to get going with it. You have to start someplace.