Overhead lines are the way to go - plenty of power and others, like the Europeans, don't find the maintenance any big deal. Think of the wires as if arteries and veins. For now batteries remain a trendy "green" novelty, a useful assist for going off line for a time but inadequate for loaded articulateds and hills. That may change but manufacturing large quantities of potent batteries will not come without environmental issues of their own.

Visual pollution is in the eye of the beholder - from my perspective the SalesForce skyrise is ugly as sin. Those anthills are an advertisement of bloated wealth and power - and accordingly the first thing to get blasted by aliens or rampant mother nature in any good sci-fi or disaster flick. Gojira prefers a low-rise Tokyo.