The Renault-Nissan Alliance (hereinafter "Nissan") has expanded its agreement with charging station maker ECOtality to bring charging stations for electric cars to Arizona. Earlier, the two companies outlined an agreement to try to put charging stations around Tucson.

Now, the two will work to put charging stations up on the Phoenix-Tucson corridor so people who own the cars, coming out next year, can voyage around the state. Nissan plans to bring all-electric cars to the U.S. and Japan in late 2010 that will cost between $20,000 and $33,000 before federal tax credits of $7,500. Check out the video of a test drive of the prototype here.

Who is missing from this deal? Better Place, the company that wants to build electric charging networks too. Nissan and Better Place are working on a similar project in Israel. It might be expanded, but there's no word yet.

One of the big differences between Better Place and ECOtality is that Better Place is working on ways to develop battery swapping stations so that drivers can get back on the road, in theory, in minutes. ECOtality doesn't support battery swaps.

Batteries in all-electric cars, after all, can weigh 400 to 1,000 pounds.

Although charging stations will inevitably become necessary as electric cars become more popular, most people will charge their cars at home and, if the utilities have any say in the matter, at night so that the cars won't stress the grid.