STEVE INSKEEP, host: NPR's business news starts with Latin America's first car charging station.</s>STEVE INSKEEP, host: It belongs to Chile, which now has the first electric charging station in South America. The country's president, Sebastian Pinera, and other top officials presided over a ceremony last week in the smoggy capital city of Santiago. The aim is to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and air pollution.</s>STEVE INSKEEP, host: Also last week, 10 charging stations opened in Hawaii, a state where gas prices are usually the highest in the country. Those stations are the first of more than 100 that a California company called Better Place plans to roll out. It allows owners of the Nissan Leaf, the Chevy Volt, and other battery-powered cars to pick up a fully-charged battery while they're out on the road.
Chile's president and other top officials presided over a ceremony last week in the smoggy capital of Santiago. The aim is to reduce carbon dioxide emissions with electric cars. Also last week, 10 charging stations opened in Hawaii — a state where gas prices are usually the highest in the country.