Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Renault
BREAKING: Project Better Place's electric car debuts, deal with Renault confirmed
Haaretz is reporting that Project Better Place, a company hoping to offer a network of battery exchange stations for electric cars, has unveiled its first electric car. Shai Agassi, the company's founder and CEO, even raced the Project Better Place electric car against a gas car. According to Haaretz, Channel 2 television correspondent Shai Gal says "the electric car is quiet and unexceptional in feel." Shai Agassi also confirmed Renault is working with Project Better Place on creating electric cars. We will give you more details as soon as we get it.[Source: Haaretz]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
ev 9:52AM (1/13/2008)
UQM Ceo said last CC they were meeting and talking.....
Renault deal just confirmed.(ABG)
What about Alti?
BatteryExchangeNetwork.com
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Kent Beuchert 1:25PM (1/13/2008)
I always laugh when I see an amateur trying to solve one problem (limited range of EVs) by
exacerbating another (the hgh cost of batteries). The ultimate irony is that Agassi's is trying to solve a problem that already has a solution in the form of the electric hybrid plug-in, which can
accomplish everything his battery-only electric can, and without the absurd spector of a completely new infrastructure which will greatly increase the price of the already too pricey battery packs for an all-electric. Does he atually realize how many more battery packs he will have his customers finance beyond the one-per car they
would without his scheme?
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imagineafuture 10:09PM (1/13/2008)
Kent,
I understand your point. If we decide not to change anything except add a little electric support for our gas car you'd still be on gas.
We're also in a transitional period so it takes a while before prices go down for batteries. And the infrastructure for electric chargers already exist, we just don't have the outlets for it at the gas stations. It's more efficient and less costly for a electric car in the long run. The batteries will drop in price as mass production takes over.
You mention the initial cost of batteries but you forget that for gas cars you have to do oil changes, change the spark plugs, do smog tests, pay 5 times more for fuel than electrics, while you pollute more than electrics. So I only see plug-in hybrids as a transitional period towards a completely electric future.
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Ruby 10:36AM (1/15/2008)
Here are some highlights of the video, much of which you may have gathered just by watching.
-He presented a modified all EV car
they left in the gas meter, which (naturally) is on empty
- It beat the gas powered car in initial acceleration
- 200 km range
Proposed new business model includes battery swapping stations (cars+infrastructure)
- High level political support in Israel, but no gov't funding.
- $200M in private capital raised in Israel
- Rollout won't necessarily be in Israel
- If everything goes smoothly, expect cars by 2010
Any translation questions?
BTW, a 200km range isn't bad for a country like Israel. Personally, I think some US high-tech rich guy should try a similar model in Hawaii.
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Lascelles Linton 10:53AM (1/15/2008)
Ruby, Thank you! One translation question: Can you confirm the Bob Lutz and other electric car stuff was just background on EVs and not a deal between GM, Tesla etc?
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rlugbill 11:20AM (6/14/2008)
Don't take Kent Beuchert seriously. He is an industry plant, trying to undermine Project Better Place because they are afraid of it. Project Better Place has the backing of a Deutsche Bank report, the governments of Israel and Denmark, Renault, Nissan. This is a serious attempt to convert to all-electric and the gas and oil companies are understandably scared- to the point where they hire people to immediately put up posts, like "Kent Beuchert"'s, thinking that it will sway public opinion away from the coming onslaught of all-electric vehicles.
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E V Hopeful 6:11AM (1/21/2009)
This company footprint sound a bit like all the other E V wannabee's. Get rid of selling Petrol and substitute it for Selling electricity. Doomed to failure until a fast recharge system or alternative energy system, e.g. new footprint batteries are developed. Not knocking, just looking to see who else is jumping on the bandwagon to boost their stock/share price with unrealistic projections.
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Ken 10:38PM (3/05/2009)
OK! I’VE READ A LOT OF YOUR COMMENTS. Some from those who sound like they have thought this out and some that don’t seem to have a clue but want to put their two cents in anyway.
All Electric vehicles, Hybrids, All Gasoline vehicles! If they all cost the same, which would YOU buy? With the exception of the proto-types, most of the ones that are already available are only neighborhood –vehicles. That is they are limited to a top speed of about 35 mph and need to be recharged after only about 50 miles or less. Let’s face reality! Most Americans don’t want to and won’t settle for being limited to going that slow from one place to another. It’s just not in their nature. They want to get there – NOW!
Let’s say that 10% of all cars on the road were all electric, and would go at least 50 miles before they needed recharging. Most people probably could complete most all of there driving needs for one day on a full charge. Now all those people need to recharge – at the same time so they can do it all over again tomorrow. If all those cars are recharging at the same time, when everyone is at home watching TV, on computing or just reading or what whatever people do at night, think of the extra strain on the already over burdened electric companies, to provide all that extra electricity. Don’t think for one minute that the cost of electricity will go down, now that they are selling more. Eventually, it may rival the price of gasoline. That is if the can even meet the increased demand. You thing we had blackouts before?
Recharging stations? How far apart do you need to put them? Every fifty miles, or maybe every forty miles, so you can recharge before you run out of juice. What about those battery switching stations. How many spare batteries would each one have to have for just one day’s demands? I sure hope all those batteries are recyclable.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for all electric vehicles. I just wish the EV! Was still around with its’ 150 mile range per charge. It seems to me that our battery technology has gone backwards over the years instead of forward.
I wish I had the answer, but then if I did, I would be vacationing in the South Seas, instead of sitting here debating the likelihood of this becoming a reality.
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