We've told you all about Shai Agassi's (above left) ambitious Project Better Place and how PBP has plans to create a charging and battery-swapping infrastructure to support fleets of electric cars in Israel, Denmark and possibly Japan. We've also noted not only PBP's deals with Renault to be the first major auto supplier for the scheme but Renault's repeated announcements of its intention to bring electric cars to America in couple of years from now. Now all of this seems to be coming together and it appears, much to our jaw-dropping surprise, that a city in California may very well lead the way into this brand new age of electric-car driving.

According to the San Francisco Sentinel, the mayor of that fair city, Gavin Newsom (above on right), is in talks with PBP about setting up shop in his town of steep rolling hills. In Israel last week to encourage exchanges between business peoples of that country with those in the San Francisco area, the mayor met with several different executives from Agassi's company. Over lunch with CEO Moshe Kaplinsky, Newsom offered to work with the company if they would consider using his city as a testing ground. Watch the video from a Israeli news interview after the break to hear the mayor discuss the goings-on in his own words.

Have you been planning on flying into San Francisco and renting a car to get around? The folks down at city hall would prefer that your rental be a hybrid and they are willing to help you pay for it. The free money for making a more environmentally-friendly car rental choice will come in the form of a $15 rebate which ought to be enough for a latte and a croissant or three a couple of gallons of gas.

Mayor Gavin Newsom announced the proposed program just last Tuesday and with two million cars being rented every year at SFO, he's pretty sure someone will take him up on the offer. Besides the rebate for customers, the plan also calls for rental companies who show that at least 15 percent of their rentals have been fuel efficient vehicles to get a 20 percent break on the fees they pay for their concession space at the airport. Don't rush off this instant to take advantage of the saving though as the pilot program is only scheduled to begin in December.

[Source: SFGate]

San Franciscans and neighboring Bay Area residents should be breathing a little easier these days. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and the local transit systems are nearly finished retrofitting over 1,700 diesel buses with exhaust filters.

Under the Clean Diesel Bus Program which began in 2003, these "high-tech emission control filters" prevent over 50 tons of harmful particulate matter and 436 tons of nitrogen oxides (NOx) from being released into Bay Area air each year.

At a cost of $18,000 each, the filter-fitted buses, which have years of service ahead of them, provide a reasonable alternative to new buses which come in around $140,000. The program is being funded by the Air District, MTC and the regional transit districts.

As of last Tuesday, 1,384 buses have undergone the treatment with 340 left to go. Most of the remaining buses are scheduled to go under the knife by the end of this year.

[Source: Metropolitan Transportation Commission]

While wind turbines provide a clean source of energy, they still have a number of short-comings as well as vocal opponents who often come from the sore-sight front. San Francisco, which probably wouldn't have the space for a field of wind turbines anyway, is proposing to decrease the city's dependence on foreign oil by implementing turbines submerged underwater that would sit on the floor of the Bay. Preliminary studies say that San Francisco's tides and currents could generate enough power to light up 38,000 homes.

Public Utilities Commission General Manager Susan Leal said that they will spend $150,000 for a study on harnessing power from the ocean's waves and currents. Mayor Gavin Newsom fully supports the proposal and added that a task force of experts will be formed to advise the city on the matter.

Studies determining turbine location and size as well as the potential impacts they would have on marine life need to be done. Also, it is not yet known who would own the project or who would pay to install the turbines.

Despite the obstacles, city officials hope to start a pilot program by 2009 which they estimate would cost between $5 million and $7 million.

[Source: San Francisco Chronicle]