San Francisco's building code is to be changed so that new structures will all have wiring for electric car chargers. The move puts the city at the forefront of attempts to promote electric cars in the United States. San Francisco has already installed a row of charging stations outside City Hall for electric car users to drive. In March the city will launch a 'sustainable financing program' allowing residents to borrow money to put electric car chargers in their homes. In his latest internet address the city's mayor, Gavin Newsom, who drives an electric car, said: "If you want to put an electric charging station in your home in anticipation of all these electric vehicles, you can do it through this green financing program." Electric car use is expected to increase dramatically with the launch of the Nissan Leaf, a mass market family electric car, at the end of this year. General Motors is also launching the Chevrolet Volt hybrid vehicle aimed at middle class families. Power companies on the US west coast, where electric vehicles are expected to be hugely popular, are working out how to meet charging demands. An electric car can eat up three times more electricity than a house and there have already been complaints that red tape means it takes too long to get a charging station installed at home.

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