AutoblogGreen

I like the business model:
"Innovative business model: For the first time in the electric vehicle business, ownership of the car is separated from the requirement to own a battery. Consumers will buy and own their car and subscribe to energy, including the use of the battery, on a basis of kilometers driven. This model is similar to the way mobile phones are sold, with an initial purchase and a monthly subscription for the mobility service."

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I think the money would be better spent on infrastructure like charging stations rather than battery swap stations...and better batteries. But I have to say I am glad to see a government taking EVs so seriously. I hope they prove the world wrong. Small states like RI or DC may learn a thing or two.

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Does anyone know if the charging stations will charge other electric vehicles or will they only charge Renault EV?

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I would imagine charging points would work with other electric cars. I'm assuming that they agree on some sort of common standard.

@dave: Project Better Place are planning to install 500,000 charging points across Israel. The focus isn't just on battery exchange stations.

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Simon, I read the article and saw 500-plus charging stations. My point is that they are reinventing the wheel, which I don't think is necessary. Batteries exist with ranges of 100-250 miles already, more than enough.

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Simon, it'll be a different day rather then filling up at the local gas station. Thankfully. We will have to deal with the drain on the power grids... But maybe there is a solution much like with droughts. You know those whose last names are A-P can charge Tuesdays and Thursdays between 8 am and 6 pm. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays only at night.

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The whole point of the battery exchange station is to enable long distance driving beyond the range of the car.

I have seen many people mention that you can get new batteries that will charge up in just ten minutes. This sounds great but I question how it would scale up. If for example everyone came home after work and plugged in would the power utility company actually be able to cope with such a peak load. Far better to slowly recharge a battery when its sat in a parked car or an exchange station.

I guess we will have both solutions from different companies so it will be interesting to see how either compares in practice.

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@Simon: First of all, without special infrastructure you can't charge your car in 10 minutes at your house. How fast charge could work is to have a large eesu (electrical energy storage unit) say, at a gas station, that can discharge fast enough to fill up a vehicle's eesu as quickly as it can accept the charge. The large eesu could be filled as utility capacity allows. It could also be supplemented by onsite solar electricity generation.
The large eesu's could also help utility companies with load leveling and thereby add another revenue stream and enhance grid stabilization.

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