A NEW WORLD
“
a range as an ICE car and a better experience via a battery switch station than having to pump your own fuel.
”
CHARGED: How are things moving forward in terms of battery switch stations?
track, we’ll begin network deployment in Canberra, Australia, later this year with a view toward launching commercial service in the second half of 2012. We’ll expand beyond Canberra to Melbourne, Sydney, etc. We’re on track with all three markets.
SG: One of the biggest myths about Better Place is that we require a standardized battery, which is not true. Our only requirement is that the battery is accessible from underneath the vehicle. What you’ll see in our battery switch stations is the ability to manage multiple form factors of batteries. That’s an important element to our solution.
CHARGED: On April 19, 2011, Better Place announced the initial deployment of its electric car network infrastructure in Hawaii with the installation of the first 10 charge spots across Oahu – five at the Sheraton Waikiki and five at three Hawaiian Electric sites. Why Hawaii? How did this deployment come about?
CHARGED: The company works with all parts of the transportation ecosystem, including automakers, battery suppliers, energy companies, and the public sector to create a compelling solution. Based in California and privately held, Better Place has operating companies in Israel, Denmark, and Australia. How are things going in these three countries and why are you working so closely with them?
SG: Hawaii is one of the most progressive states in the US in terms of EVs and energy policy. Hawaii is nearly 100% dependent on oil and diesel for both transportation and generation. They have a “70X30” policy where they aim to produce 70% of their power from renewable sources by 2030. We’re working with Hawaiian Electric on the initial deployment of our network there and have had tremendous support from the state government and local partners since Day One.
SG: We plan to go live with our commercial service in Israel and Denmark later this year. We’re still in the process of testing our entire solution before we begin broad deployment of the network in both countries. On a parallel
58 CHARGED JAN/FEB 2012
CHARGED: Will Better Place get involved in other partnerships? Care to let us in on any?
Photos Courtesy of Better Place
Our model assumes no new breakthroughs in battery technology, but rather, leveraging this Moore’s Lawlike effect relative to the ever-increasing price of oil.