"EVs now take advantage of the most advanced lithium-ion battery technologies which are recyclable, environmentally friendly, and safe.Better Place is working with leading battery manufacturers such as A123 Systems and AESC to develop and manufacture lithium-ion batteries for EVs that are maximally effective, recyclable, environmentally-friendly, and safe. Made from nontoxic materials, the safety of today’s lithium-ion battery technology is unprecedented. While early generations of lithium-ion batteries used in laptops were known to occasionally overheat, today’s lithium-ion battery has high abuse tolerance, low heat evolution, stable cathode material, and an intelligent pack design that ensures consumer safety. A lithium-ion battery can also be recycled with minimal environmental impact. More than 95% of the battery materials can be recovered and reused.
The $1 billion per year being invested into lithium-ion battery research, with an increasing proportion going into automotive applications will lead to further advances in battery performance (including power, range, charge time, lifetime, and cost). While the industry has recognized lithium-ion to be the best battery chemistry solution for EVs right now, Better Place is ultimately chemistry-agnostic and willing to adopt new battery technologies as they emerge.
Performance & range
Lithium-ion batteries offer significant performance benefits relative to battery chemistries such as nickel metal hydride (NiMH), used in many of today’s hybrid cars. Lithium-ion batteries can store significantly more energy and generate twice the power per unit volume than these hybrid batteries. These improvements in storage capacity and power generation are critical in maximizing the range of a vehicle. The result is that a 24 kWh lithium-ion battery in a typical sedan provides a range of about 160 kilometers (100 miles) on a single charge.
Charge time
Most cars are parked for more than 20 hours a day, and almost all are parked overnight. Better Place will work with customers to provide charge spots where their cars are typically parked: at home, work, nearby parking lots or on streets. Given that a vehicle battery can be recharged in 4 - 8 hours, if a driver plugs in an EV at night, he/she will wake up every day to a fully charged battery. This type of charging is ideal since this is considered an “off-peak” time when energy demand is lowest, surplus capacity exists on the gride, and there will be no need to increase electricity generation to accommodate EVs. To exchange a battery during a long trip (over 100 miles or 160 kilometers), Better Place customers will be able to use a roadside battery switch station, in which their depleted battery will be switched to fully charged one in less time than it takes to fill a gas tank.
Battery cost & lifetime
The cost of lithium-ion batteries has come down by nearly 75% in the past several years, creating a cost effective, high performance solution for EVs. The lifetime of these new lithium-ion batteries is significantly higher than that of batteries in today’s hybrids. These batteries are expected to perform for over 8 years and 2,000 recharges, a major improvement over earlier generations of vehicle batteries. As EV batteries come with a significant initial cost, Better Place will purchase the batteries to eliminate the initial pricing premium that other EVs require. The use of the battery will be included as part of the Better Place service. In addition to up front cost savings, this model gives consumers the added confidence that if there are any battery issues, Better Place will switch the battery for a good one and service the faulty battery as needed."
The $1 billion per year being invested into lithium-ion battery research, with an increasing proportion going into automotive applications will lead to further advances in battery performance (including power, range, charge time, lifetime, and cost). While the industry has recognized lithium-ion to be the best battery chemistry solution for EVs right now, Better Place is ultimately chemistry-agnostic and willing to adopt new battery technologies as they emerge.
Performance & range
Lithium-ion batteries offer significant performance benefits relative to battery chemistries such as nickel metal hydride (NiMH), used in many of today’s hybrid cars. Lithium-ion batteries can store significantly more energy and generate twice the power per unit volume than these hybrid batteries. These improvements in storage capacity and power generation are critical in maximizing the range of a vehicle. The result is that a 24 kWh lithium-ion battery in a typical sedan provides a range of about 160 kilometers (100 miles) on a single charge.
Charge time
Most cars are parked for more than 20 hours a day, and almost all are parked overnight. Better Place will work with customers to provide charge spots where their cars are typically parked: at home, work, nearby parking lots or on streets. Given that a vehicle battery can be recharged in 4 - 8 hours, if a driver plugs in an EV at night, he/she will wake up every day to a fully charged battery. This type of charging is ideal since this is considered an “off-peak” time when energy demand is lowest, surplus capacity exists on the gride, and there will be no need to increase electricity generation to accommodate EVs. To exchange a battery during a long trip (over 100 miles or 160 kilometers), Better Place customers will be able to use a roadside battery switch station, in which their depleted battery will be switched to fully charged one in less time than it takes to fill a gas tank.
Battery cost & lifetime
The cost of lithium-ion batteries has come down by nearly 75% in the past several years, creating a cost effective, high performance solution for EVs. The lifetime of these new lithium-ion batteries is significantly higher than that of batteries in today’s hybrids. These batteries are expected to perform for over 8 years and 2,000 recharges, a major improvement over earlier generations of vehicle batteries. As EV batteries come with a significant initial cost, Better Place will purchase the batteries to eliminate the initial pricing premium that other EVs require. The use of the battery will be included as part of the Better Place service. In addition to up front cost savings, this model gives consumers the added confidence that if there are any battery issues, Better Place will switch the battery for a good one and service the faulty battery as needed."
Lithium batteries have become an industry standard for Electric Cars, with billions invested in research, development and production facilities lithium-ion storage energy systems becomes an anchoring technology for the next stage of innovation in green mobility. Better place and Renault-Nissan approach allows to break the cost factor of entering electric space: batteries will be leased, standardised and can be easily swap on switching stations. It will not be a solution for all Electric Cars, but it could be the solution for the mass market for electric cars. Next stage will be the secured lithium supply - with this approach more batteries will be needed than cars in the fleet.
Startfor: "As hybrid vehicles become more popular, vehicle manufacturers will seek more sources of lithium to produce car batteries. Lithium is the most efficient raw material for battery production, but there are only a few lithium deposits in the world -- mostly in South America."
"Bloomberg Renault Targets U.S. Electric-Car Partner for France
By Laurence Frost
Nov. 11 (Bloomberg) -- Renault SA plans to bring in U.S. partner Better Place to run its future electric-car charging network in its home market of France, Chief Operating Officer Patrick Pelata said.
Besides recharging stations planned by Electricite de France SA, the country needs the California startup’s battery- swapping service to maximize demand for electric vehicles, Pelata said in an interview yesterday at Renault’s headquarters in the Paris suburb of Boulogne-Billancourt.
“We’re working on having it in France,” Pelata said. “Nobody else is working with this business model, so it’s probably going to be with Better Place.”
Starting in 2012, drivers of electric Renault cars in Israel and Denmark will use Better Place’s roadside stations to switch depleted batteries for recharged units in three minutes, extending their effective range beyond a single charge. In France, the government has appointed state-owned EDF to roll out a recharging network that may be open to rival power suppliers and operators.
Renault, France’s second-biggest carmaker, rose as much as 53 cents, or 1.7 percent, to 32 euros and was up 0.4 percent as of 2:12 p.m. in Paris trading. The stock has gained 70 percent this year.
The company and Japanese affiliate Nissan Motor Co. are committed to investing 4 billion euros ($6 billion) in the electric vehicles and batteries that they plan to begin introducing in 2012. Another 1 billion euros has been pledged by the French government to stimulate demand for the models.
‘Uncomfortable’ Range
Without swapping stations, “anybody who drives more than 120 or 130 kilometers from time to time will be uncomfortable with the 160-kilometer (100-mile) range” offered by the Renault models, Pelata said. “We’re expanding the volume potential for the car.”
The Israeli and Danish plans require power utilities to support Palo Alto-based Better Place as a front-line operator that supplies the batteries, runs charging and swapping facilities and bills customers for usage and power.
Shai Agassi, the U.S. company’s founding president, acknowledged resistance from EDF in a Sept. 15 interview and said the utility shouldn’t regard him as a competitor.
Both sides need to “leave egos behind” in talks on their roles in the French rollout, Agassi said at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. Choosing a single incumbent operator “would extend EDF’s monopoly from kilowatt-hours to kilometers.”
A spokeswoman at Paris-based EDF said the company had no comment. Better Place “would be happy to work with Renault to develop the French market,” Agassi said in an e-mailed response to Pelata’s comments."
Nov. 11 (Bloomberg) -- Renault SA plans to bring in U.S. partner Better Place to run its future electric-car charging network in its home market of France, Chief Operating Officer Patrick Pelata said.
Besides recharging stations planned by Electricite de France SA, the country needs the California startup’s battery- swapping service to maximize demand for electric vehicles, Pelata said in an interview yesterday at Renault’s headquarters in the Paris suburb of Boulogne-Billancourt.
“We’re working on having it in France,” Pelata said. “Nobody else is working with this business model, so it’s probably going to be with Better Place.”
Starting in 2012, drivers of electric Renault cars in Israel and Denmark will use Better Place’s roadside stations to switch depleted batteries for recharged units in three minutes, extending their effective range beyond a single charge. In France, the government has appointed state-owned EDF to roll out a recharging network that may be open to rival power suppliers and operators.
Renault, France’s second-biggest carmaker, rose as much as 53 cents, or 1.7 percent, to 32 euros and was up 0.4 percent as of 2:12 p.m. in Paris trading. The stock has gained 70 percent this year.
The company and Japanese affiliate Nissan Motor Co. are committed to investing 4 billion euros ($6 billion) in the electric vehicles and batteries that they plan to begin introducing in 2012. Another 1 billion euros has been pledged by the French government to stimulate demand for the models.
‘Uncomfortable’ Range
Without swapping stations, “anybody who drives more than 120 or 130 kilometers from time to time will be uncomfortable with the 160-kilometer (100-mile) range” offered by the Renault models, Pelata said. “We’re expanding the volume potential for the car.”
The Israeli and Danish plans require power utilities to support Palo Alto-based Better Place as a front-line operator that supplies the batteries, runs charging and swapping facilities and bills customers for usage and power.
Shai Agassi, the U.S. company’s founding president, acknowledged resistance from EDF in a Sept. 15 interview and said the utility shouldn’t regard him as a competitor.
Both sides need to “leave egos behind” in talks on their roles in the French rollout, Agassi said at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. Choosing a single incumbent operator “would extend EDF’s monopoly from kilowatt-hours to kilometers.”
A spokeswoman at Paris-based EDF said the company had no comment. Better Place “would be happy to work with Renault to develop the French market,” Agassi said in an e-mailed response to Pelata’s comments."
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