Australia, Denmark, Japan, Toronto-area in Canada, California's Bay Area, and Hawaii have all signed agreements with Better Place to install charging infrastructure. The vision is to change the transportation landscape much like Apple changed the music world with its iPod player and iTunes online content store.
The Better Place vision foresees electric vehicles having an on-board screen reporting state-of-charge, remaining range, and directions to the nearest charging or replacement venue. Billing would be dependant on miles driven--similar to a cell-phone's per-minute calling plan. A credit card will be swiped at the stylish blue plug-in pole, and a detailed bill will arrive monthly, much like an EZ-pass account.
The first electric car tailored to the Better Place system is an electric version of the Renault Fluence, a Nissan Sentra-sized four-door sedan. In Israel, EV buyers will benefit from a significant break from the large tax on new cars, which in effect will lower the price of a Fluence EV to below that of a conventional 1.6-liter powered sedan there.
I had the chance to drive a prototype Renault EV around a short track outside the Better Place visitor center. Since the Fluence EV is not ready yet, the technology is currently demonstrated in a larger Renault Laguna that's been converted. Typical of EVs, the first impression is of quiet, smooth operation with linear and seamless acceleration. Regenerative braking, which kicks in while slowing down and braking the car, was subtle, but it can be adjusted via a control on the dashboard to be more aggressive and thus aid efficiency and range.
Battery capacity is rated at 24 kwh and the motor puts out an equivalent 95 hp and 217 foot-pound of torque right from the start. These technical specs look somewhat similar to that of the Nissan Leaf--no surprise, given the Renault-Nissan alliance. The Fluence EV should be able to sprint from 0-60 mph in 10 seconds. Range is claimed to be 100 miles--a bit short for the large 550 pound battery installed in that car. Charge time is said to take 6-8 hours using 220-volt current. Better Place points out that driving distances in Israel are short and never more than 100 miles between urban centers. However, the hilly topography, such as between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, is bound to take a toll on driving range.
Unfortunately there was no actual battery-swap demonstration at the center other than a video starring a Nissan Qashqai/Rogue. My hosts said there would be a working battery switch facility at the center, starting in May.
Manufacturers I have spoken with, including Ford and BMW representatives are skeptical about the whole battery-swap idea. They maintain that each vehicle needs its own specific battery with its own shape and optimal cooling. There is also apprehension about properly securing the battery to the vehicle. Better Place says that it is in discussions with manufacturers other than Renault-Nissan for making vehicles compatible with its system, and that keeping the battery secure is a solvable engineering problem. Quin Garcia, an executive with Better Place in Palo Alto, CA, says that those concerns have been tempered of late.
Better Place's staff are all upbeat and enthusiastic. There is no shortage of funding. The company has secured $700 million so far from corporate entities and investors, including recent infusions by HSBC and Morgan Stanley. In Israel, a market where 70 percent of new cars are sold to fleets, dozens of companies have committed to buy or lease the Fluence EV to employees, including Teva pharmaceuticals and Intel. The expected economic advantage of driving an EV is helped by high gas prices of about $6.50 a gallon in Israel.
There is no question that the momentum and long-term drive to make this revolution succeed on a mass scale are there. If it succeeds, the world indeed, might become a better place.
Learn about driving green in the Consumer Reports special fuel economy section.
—Gabe Shenhar
Related:
Electric cars getting a jump start? Electric cars take charge in Israel, Denmark How electric cars will become affordable 
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