Showing posts with label better place. Show all posts
Showing posts with label better place. Show all posts

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Better Place: Hydrogen Versus Plug-In Electric Vehicles

  

  There are still a lot of questions about the future of transportation: whether it will be Electric Cars based on Energy storage solution - Batteries or Hydrogen can power the fuel cell and it will be the most efficient way of transportation in post carbon society. Better Place has its own answers for us today. 

Plug-in battery electric vehicles are far more energy efficient than either hydrogen fuel-cell or hydrogen internal combustion engine vehicles.

Hydrogen is often touted as “the next big thing” in transportation fuels, used either in a fuel-cell-powered electric car, or as fuel for vehicles with an internal combustion engine (“ICE vehicle”). This technical note examines the relative merits of using hydrogen to power our cars in either of these ways, compared with using electricity in battery electric vehicles, looking at the entire supply chain (“well-to-wheel”) for both energy sources. Whilst there can be no doubt that hydrogen cars themselves are clean – their direct emissions are mostly water vapour – it is critical for any comparison to examine the entire energy life cycle. This raises the question: are hydrogen cars the best way to use our limited energy resources and how do they compare with electric cars?

HYDROGEN PRODUCTION
Hydrogen gas does not occur naturally on earth. To use hydrogen as a fuel, it first needs to be separated from other atoms with which it is bound up, and isolated it in its elemental form: H2 (hydrogen gas). There are two main ways to make hydrogen gas: from a fossil fuel, or from water by using electricity. Both methods involve a large inherent efficiency loss.
From fossil fuel: Hydrogen gas can be extracted from natural gas (methane) by mixing it with steam under very high temperature and pressure, leading to the production of H2 and carbon dioxide (CO2). Further processing separates the H2 for storage and distribution. Whilst natural gas is both plentiful and cheap, this method of hydrogen production produces vast amounts of CO2, both as a byproduct from the process itself, and also from the production of the electricity and heat required to drive it. As a result, a hydrogen-based transportation system delivers few environmental benefits if the H2 is formed in this way, and it will not be considered further here. It would make much more sense to put the methane directly into the car rather than turning it into H2 first, but even this is far less efficient than using the gas to produce electricity for a pure electric car.1
From water: Electrolysis – where an electric current is passed through water to produce H2 and O2 – is a more environmentally friendly method of hydrogen production. However, since this is the reverse of the combustion reaction, it uses a significant amount of energy to drive the process. The efficiency claims for hydrogen produced in this way are in the range of 50-80%,2 so a massive amount of energy is lost in order to produce the hydrogen from electricity.
HYDROGEN DISTRIBUTION, STORAGE AND SAFETY
Hydrogen is a dangerous and difficult substance to handle, and therefore costly to safely store and distribute. In principle it would be possible to produce hydrogen gas locally, at filling stations or even at homes, in the latter case even perhaps using solar power. However, the cost and safety considerations would be considerable, and so for the purpose of this document we will presume that the hydrogen is produced at central facilities optimised for economical operation and safety.
Distribution: Building a network of underground pipelines for distribution of hydrogen to service stations would be extremely expensive, and would likely also pose a grave and unacceptable safety risk given the explosive nature of the gas, and its tendency to leak through many materials. The only alternative to pipelines would be to distribute the fuel by truck, but because of the low volumetric energy density of compressed H2 and the heavy weight of the steel pressure tanks, it would take more than 20 tanker trucks to distribute the same amount of energy that can be distributed by a single petrol tanker. Hydrogen is easier to transport in large quantities if it’s liquefied, but this requires further large amounts of energy to cool it below -250°C under pressure.
Storage: Wherever it is produced, hydrogen gas must be compressed and liquefied for storage in a vehicle’s specially designed high-strength fuel tank. Once there, it must be used quite quickly, as it otherwise boils off over time.
Safety: There are many issues surrounding the storage and transport of hydrogen in a vehicle. With a gravimetric density 14 times lower than air, H2 has to be compressed to extremes to provide a driver with reasonable range. There is only one hydrogen-fuelled car that has made it past the concept stage: Honda’s FCX Clarity. The pressure inside its tank when fully fuelled is 5000 psi,3 which is 350 times atmospheric pressure. This pressure requires a tank with very thick walls to contain it, which in turn adds considerable weight and bulk to the vehicle (and further reduces its efficiency). The Clarity needs a 173 litre tank (compared to 50 litres in a similarly-sized ICE vehicle) to contain 4.1 kg of H2 that delivers a range of 300 km.
VEHICLE EFFICIENCY
Considering all the inefficiencies of generating, transporting and distributing hydrogen, and comparing them with generating and distributing electricity, how do the “well-to-wheel” efficiencies compare? Ulf Bossel, director of the European Fuel Cell Forum, has published just such a comparison.4 He found that “the power-plant-to-wheel efficiency of a fuel cell vehicle operated on compressed gaseous hydrogen [produced by electrolysis] will be in the vicinity of 22%”, and that “using liquefied hydrogen does not improve the situation… the power-plant-to wheel efficiency of a fuel cell vehicle operated on liquid hydrogen will be in the vicinity of 17%”. In comparison, he finds that electric cars are a much more attractive proposition: “with these numbers, the power-plant-to-wheel efficiency of an electric car with regenerative braking becomes 66%”. This means that a driver could travel three times as far in an electric car as they could in a hydrogen-powered car using the same amount of electricity. Hydrogen-fuelled ICE vehicles are even less efficient than hydrogen fuel cell vehicles,5 and thus provide even poorer overall efficiency again: around 14% and 11% for compressed and liquefied hydrogen respectively.

The distance driven by a vehicle is proportional to the mechanical energy available. Even for the most favourable comparison, being against a hydrogen fuel-cell car, the electric vehicle can drive three times further per kWh of electricity consumed. Compared with a H2-fuelled internal combustion vehicle, the electric car can drive around five times further (see graph below). The fundamental problem of using hydrogen as fuel is that the process uses electricity to produce H2, then more energy to compress and transport it, and more energy again to convert the H2 back into electricity that is finally used to drive the same electric motor that is found in a battery-powered electric car. That is in part why, when concluding his paper to the IEEE entitled “Does a hydrogen economy make sense?”, Bossel answered with one word: “Never.”6
hydrogen note chart

1. See Better Place Australia technical note: “Driving further on natural gas”.
2. Werner Zittel; Reinhold Wurster; "Chapter 3: Production of Hydrogen. Part 4: Production from electricity by means of electrolysis". HyWeb: Knowledge - Hydrogen in
the Energy Sector. Ludwig-Bölkow-Systemtechnik GmbH. http://www.hyweb.de/Knowledge/w-i-energiew-eng3.html#3.4 .
3. http://corporate.honda.com/environment/fuel_cells.aspx?id=fuel_cells_fcx
4. Ulf Bossel, “E fficiency of hydrogen fuel cell, diesel-SOFC-hybrid and battery electric vehicles”, Discussion paper E04, European Fuel Cell Forum, 2003.
http://www.efcf.com/reports/E04.pdf
5. Henning Lohse-Busch, Thomas Wallner & Neeraj Shidore (2007), “E fficiency-Optimized Operating Strategy of a Supercharged Hydrogen-Powered Four-Cylinder Engine
for Hybrid Environments”, SAE International JSAE 20077209.
6. Ulf Bossel, “Does a Hydrogen Economy Make Sense?” Proceedings of the IEEE, Vol 94, No 10, pp 1826-1837



Friday, February 17, 2012

Lithium Drive: Better Place Battery Swap Feb 12 2012 ilc.v, tnr.v, czx.v, rm.v, lmr.v, abn.v, asm.v, btt.v, bva.v, bvg.v, epz.v, fst.v, gbn.v, hao.v, jnn.v, ks.v, ktn.v, kxm.v, mgn, mxr.v, rvm.to, svb, ura.v, nup.ax, srz.ax, usa.ax



  Better Place technology is ready - now we should see how fast can they go with its deployment. China will be the key to the adoption of this potential game changer in the Electric Cars space.



Lithium Drive: Better Place Electric Cars

"Finally, Better Place electric cars are taking to the streets, let's see now how fast can it go. For our Lithium Dreamz it is the best possible outcome - battery swapping stations will have to run the additional park of lithium batteries.



Lithium Charge: Better Place Places One Foot Into China


  "It still remains to be seen whether Better Place can establish itself in China as a business or Chinese companies will "adopt" Better Place idea themselves - in any way development of this technology in the huge potential market for Electric Cars in China is very promising."
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Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Lithium Drive: Better Place Electric Cars ilc.v, tnr.v, czx.v, rm.v, lmr.v, abn.v, asm.v, btt.v, bva.v, bvg.v, epz.v, fst.v, gbn.v, hao.v, jnn.v, ks.v, ktn.v, kxm.v, mgn, mxr.v, rvm.to, svb, ura.v, nup.ax, srz.ax, usa.ax



  Finally, Better Place electric cars are taking to the streets, let's see now how fast can it go. For our Lithium Dreamz it is the best possible outcome - battery swapping stations will have to run the additional park of lithium batteries.


Lithium Charge: Better Place Places One Foot Into China


  "It still remains to be seen whether Better Place can establish itself in China as a business or Chinese companies will "adopt" Better Place idea themselves - in any way development of this technology in the huge potential market for Electric Cars in China is very promising."








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Monday, December 26, 2011

Lithium Charge: Better Place Places One Foot Into China ilc, tnr.v, czx.v, rm.v, lmr.v, abn.v, asm.v, btt.v, bva.v, bvg.v, epz.v, fst.v, gbn.v, hao.v, jnn.v, ks.v, ktn.v, kxm.v, mgn, mxr.v, rvm.to, svb, ura.v, nup.ax, srz.ax, usa.ax



  It still remains to be seen whether Better Place can establish itself in China as a business or Chinese companies will "adopt" Better Place idea themselves - in any way development of this technology in the huge potential market for Electric Cars in China is very promising.

Video: Mike Sieb International Lithium Hard Assets SF

"We have an interesting interview with Mike Sieb - President of International Lithium Corp. Insiders are only buying this stock and Chinese partner apparently has spent 9 months doing DD on this company. We are looking forward to the announced drill campaign at Mariana Lithium and Brine project in Argentina now."




Lithium Drive: Better Place gets $200 million investment at 2.25 billion valuation


"Looks like Better Place is back in the game or at least they are raising money again. Recently there was a total mass media black out on this company, but apparently it is still moving forward. Big boys are taking their seats in the Next Big Thing - Electric Cars. Among investors in this round are UBS and GE.

  Better Place has made the largest order in the history of Electric Cars for 100,000 of Renault Fluence ZE. Now the company has the cash for the down payment and its ambitious plan for the switching stations. Connection with China will be very interesting to watch: whether Chinese will allow Better Place for a market share there or will just push them to share technology and go forward alone.
  Stakes in this game are getting higher and it is still under the radar screens of the most investors."




HybridCars:


Better Place Places One Foot Into China

PUBLISHED DECEMBER 12, 2011

BY BERTEL SCHMITT


China has big plans for the electrification of its cars. After spending a whole day at Beijing’s airport a week ago, waiting for the smog (not the “fog” as it was officially called) to clear, all I can say: “Get on with it.” (Unless the electrification results in more smoke-belching coal-fired powerplants.)
Better Place, the company that wants to swap the battery in your EV in the same time it would take to pour gas in your car, always wanted to have a piece of the Chinese action. Now, at least there is a first step into China. Today, China’s Southern Power Grid (CSG) and Better Place opened their “Switchable Electric Car Experience Center” in China’s southern city of Guangzhou.
According to a Better Place release, CSG is part of a “government-led but enterprise-guided” approach to providing energy for EVs:
“The company’s strategy has battery switch at its core combined with centralized EV charging. CSG will promote the development of national technical standards and build a smart EV network. CSG has signed EV infrastructure agreements with Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, and other provinces. The company has also signed similar cooperative agreements with Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Nanning, Haikou, and other cities.”
Nevertheless, it will be a while until you can drive into a station in China’s south, yell “switch ‘er out” (in Chinese) and head for the bathroom while your car is fitted a fully charged battery faster than your hands will dry.
centre-outside610


Located in a green (see picture) building in the city’s largest auto mall, the station in Guangzhou is a demonstration project only, and will open to the public next month. The biggest obstacle is that currently, you have a hard time buying an electric vehicle in China at retail, and don’t even think of getting one with switchable battery technology. Asked whether Better Place has a contract with a manufacturer in China, Better Place spokesman John Proctor says:

“No.”

However, Proctor reports that there is great interest in the technology amongst China’s automakers. He hopes that the center will “help raise additional interest amongst other players in China"

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Monday, November 14, 2011

Lithium Drive: Better Place gets $200 million investment at 2.25 billion valuation ilc.v, tnr.v, czx.v, rm.v, lmr.v, abn.v, asm.v, btt.v, bva.v, bvg.v, epz.v, fst.v, gbn.v, hao.v, jnn.v, ks.v, ktn.v, kxm.v, mgn, mxr.v, rvm.to, svb, ura.v, nup.ax, srz.ax, usa.ax


  Looks like Better Place is back in the game or at least they are raising money again. Recently there was a total mass media black out on this company, but apparently it is still moving forward. Big boys are taking their seats in the Next Big Thing - Electric Cars. Among investors in this round are UBS and GE.
  Better Place has made the largest order in the history of Electric Cars for 100,000 of Renault Fluence ZE. Now the company has the cash for the down payment and its ambitious plan for the switching stations. Connection with China will be very interesting to watch: whether Chinese will allow Better Place for a market share there or will just push them to share technology and go forward alone.
  Stakes in this game are getting higher and it is still under the radar screens of the most investors.




IEA: World Energy Outlook 2011: Crude could reach $150 and warns of Irreversible Climate Change in Five Years


"We are just coming out of the "Europe's  End of The World" scenario, all world economies are on the edge of recession, but Oil is moving closer to $100 again. We have a very sobering reminder from IEA about the real issues behind all recent events in the financial markets. There is NOT enough Oil for everybody left, Peak Oil is all about the price and transportation is driving this demand with half of the global oil demand coming from China only. By 2015 more cars will be manufactured outside of OECD. Oil prices can go up to $150 by 2015 in the real terms and $176 in the nominal terms. It will be the major risk for the global economy. Time is to check your Lithium portfolio."




Lithium Drive: Better Place Unveils Europe’s First Battery Switch Station in Denmark

"Finally Better Place gets on the ground in Europe! We like the idea for our Lithium investments as it will increase the amount of Lithium batteries needed in order to have the ready and charged batteries at the Battery Switch Stations. Whether it will be commercially viable remains to be seen. Government support in this infrastructure roll out will be crucial, but it is the ready technological solution to dramatically quit Oil addiction within just a few years if somebody really liked to. 
  This scheme will require a large capital investments in order to build the Battery Switching Stations and keep the stock of the Lithium batteries. Customers will have to chose only one model of Electric Car at this moment, but it all will become irrelevant if Oil will be priced above $150. Israel is rolling out this system already, Denmark has now its first station and Australia has signed out as well now. Chinese are talking about thousands of Battery Switching Stations and they can succeed, because there it is the part of the new 12th Five Year Plan. 
  The very important message is that Electric Renault Fluence Z.E. price will be the lowest on the market compare to other Electric Cars. You will not own the battery and will have to lease it from the company. It is a smart solution, when warranty and battery's durability is taking out of customer decision process. This battery lease allows to make the pricing lower with monthly payments. Nobody pays for the gas upfront when we are buying ICE cars anyway. Better Place and Renault promised that the price for the Electric Car will be comparable to the Renault Fluence with diesel engine  and your running cost, including battery lease and electricity bills, will be at least the same at these gas price levels."


"Better Place Raises $200 Million Series C Financing

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(November 11, 2011) – With the launch of the first nationwide electric car networks in Israel and Denmark just months away, Better Place today announced that it has secured $200 million through a Series C equity financing from a consortium of top-tier investors and partners, nearly doubling the company's valuation to $2.25 billion (post money valuation on a fully diluted basis) since the last financing in January 2010. Since its founding in 2007, Better Place has raised more than $750 million of equity financing globally in an economic climate where investors continue to seek a competitive alternative to oil.

Better Place will use the proceeds to expand into Western Europe while it continues to advance the company's deployment projects in Northern California, Southern China, Japan, Ontario, Canada, and Hawaii. The company will launch its initial commercial service in Israel and Denmark early next year and has already announced a series of consumer offerings for electric mobility services that are competitive with gasoline-based cars. Better Place will begin initial commercial service in the second quarter of 2012 in Australia, starting in Canberra.

"We've worked hard over the past four years to engineer and build a technology solution that competes with oil-based transportation," said Shai Agassi, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Better Place. "We are entering the next phase of growth for our company where we prove that our solution works, that it's in demand, and that it scales, as we begin to push into new markets and attract new investors and new partners. I believe that our investors should be applauded for having the vision to finance the future of transportation."

New investors in the Series C round include GE and UBS AG, among others. Existing shareholders, including Israel Corp., HSBC Group, Morgan Stanley Investment Management, VantagePoint Capital Partners, Ofer Group and Maniv Energy Capital also joined the round. The Series C financing transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2011.

"With this round, our shareholder base now includes the world's largest banks, blue chip asset managers and leading industrial holding companies," said Idan Ofer, Chairman, Better Place. "Our Board, as well as all of our investors, continues to be both confident and enthusiastic about the opportunity that Better Place presents. The highly competent Better Place team has the talent and technology to rapidly deploy its electric car network on a global scale. Our Board and investor base are committed to leveraging their vast networks, experience, and diverse set of skills to accelerate the global adoption of electric cars."

BETTER PLACE TARGETS WESTERN EUROPE NEXT

By the end of the year, Better Place will have demonstrated its solution across four continents including locations in Europe, the Middle East, the U.S., Australia, China and Japan, with each project providing unique insights into these markets.

With the Series C financing, Better Place will expand its geographic footprint beyond Denmark and further into Western Europe where government policy supporting electric cars and interest in public / private partnership are the strongest.

The company, which currently has more than 100 employees in Europe, will leverage its Danish operations, its European Commission-approved projects, and its market-leading ecosystem of partners as the building blocks for expanding into Western Europe. In September, Better Place opened an office in Paris to serve as its European headquarters, which it will use as a base for attracting talent, investors, and partners.

BETTER PLACE SET TO LAUNCH COMMERCIAL SERVICE

Better Place will launch initial commercial service to a select group of customers in Israel and Denmark in the first quarter of 2012, expanding to full commercial operations over the following months. A similar process will follow in Canberra, Australia in the second quarter of 2012. The company is currently in the final technical validation stage of its solution along with the Renault Fluence Z.E. cars. Interest and demand for Better Place mobility services and the Renault Fluence Z.E. electric sedans continues to be very strong across all three initial markets. Better Place's goal is to help make the switchable battery electric car the top selling car in the markets it enters.

In Israel, Better Place has seen strong market demand from both fleets and consumers, as over 400 corporations, representing a potential of 80,000 employee cars, have signed letters of intent to begin switching their fleets to Better Place as the cars and the service become available.

Denmark is also seeing strong momentum. Almost 7,000 people have come to the Better Place Center in Copenhagen, opened earlier this year, with 90 percent expressing an interest in buying an electric car in the future. The company has received over 1,000 pre orders from both private and business customers. Better Place also has been successful in reaching agreements with 50 of the country's 98 municipalities, covering 69 percent of the population, related to infrastructure deployment and fleet transitions.

In Australia, the company's first large country deployment, Better Place has announced a series of agreements with multi-national companies, including Renault and GE, and leading local companies including ActewAGL, Lend Lease, and the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV), for the introduction of electric cars and the rapid deployment of an electric car network. By the end of 2013, Better Place expects to have the largest electric car network in the world in Australia, rivaling other competitive efforts underway in the U.S. and China.

About Better Place
Better Place is the leading global provider of electric car networks that enables the mass market adoption of electric cars through an innovative battery switch model that makes driving electric cars more affordable, convenient and sustainable than today's petrol-based cars. Better Place owns and operates a network of battery switch stations and public/personal charge spots, along with the supply of batteries that power the cars, to provide drivers with instant range extension and the convenience to drive, switch and go across an entire region. Where possible, Better Place uses renewable sources of energy to deliver fully zero emissions driving. The World Economic Forum has named Better Place a "Global Growth Company Industry Shaper" for its innovative approach in advancing the global switch to electric cars. Check out www.betterplace.com"
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Wednesday, July 06, 2011

Lithium Drive: Better Place Unveils Europe’s First Battery Switch Station in Denmark ilc.v tnr.v, czx.v, cgp.v, alk.ax, lmr.v, rm.v, nup.ax, srz.ax, usa.ax, jnn.v, abn.v, ura.v, mxr.v, tsla, res, mcp, avl.to, quc.v, cee.v, sqm, fmc, roc, li.v, wlc.v, clq.v, lit, nsany, byddf, gm, dai, rno.pa, hev, aone, vlnc


  Finally Better Place gets on the ground in Europe! We like the idea for our Lithium investments as it will increase the amount of Lithium batteries needed in order to have the ready and charged batteries at the Battery Switch Stations. Whether it will be commercially viable remains to be seen. Government support in this infrastructure roll out will be crucial, but it is the ready technological solution to dramatically quit Oil addiction within just a few years if somebody really liked to. 
  This scheme will require a large capital investments in order to build the Battery Switching Stations and keep the stock of the Lithium batteries. Customers will have to chose only one model of Electric Car at this moment, but it all will become irrelevant if Oil will be priced above $150. Israel is rolling out this system already, Denmark has now its first station and Australia has signed out as well now. Chinese are talking about thousands of Battery Switching Stations and they can succeed, because there it is the part of the new 12th Five Year Plan. 
  The very important message is that Electric Renault Fluence Z.E. price will be the lowest on the market compare to other Electric Cars. You will not own the battery and will have to lease it from the company. It is a smart solution, when warranty and battery's durability is taking out of customer decision process. This battery lease allows to make the pricing lower with monthly payments. Nobody pays for the gas upfront when we are buying ICE cars anyway. Better Place and Renault promised that the price for the Electric Car will be comparable to the Renault Fluence with diesel engine  and your running cost, including battery lease and electricity bills, will be at least the same at these gas price levels. 


"We have very interesting news today from AutoBlogGreen on "better place" new deal in China. Now we can see more juice in Shai Agassi's business vision if he will be able to tap into the Chinese market of Electric Cars. Listen to Shai Agassi himself on the link"


"Lithium Drive: Warren Buffett: "In not many years, you are going to see a clear change towards Electric Cars"  Warren Buffett first pronounced in November 2009: "In 20 years, all cars on the road will be electric" Now we can hear his call on Electric Cars from the Master himself. He has invested in BYD - Chinese auto maker and Lithium battery company, which promise to bring its Electric Cars to U.S. BYD has made later investment in Lithium producer in China. We are in a very good company with our Lithium Dreamz."



June 28, 2011

20 Battery Switch Stations to be deployed over the next nine months

Copenhagen, Denmark (June 28, 2011) — In preparation for commercial launch later this year, Better Place today unveiled the company’s first Battery Switch station in Europe at an event in Gladsaxe, just outside Copenhagen. The station, which showcased the company’s Battery Switch technology, switching a Renault Fluence Z.E., is the first of 20 Battery Switch Stations to be deployed across the country over the next nine months as part of the company’s nationwide network of charging infrastructure that will launch later this year in partnership with DONG Energy and more than 45 municipalities.

In March, Better Place opened the Better Place Center in Hellerup, Denmark and since then, nearly 3,000 visitors have passed through the center and interest in a tour of the Better Place Center continues to grow. Moreover, nine out of 10 visitors have said after the visit, that they are considering buying an electric car. Better Place and Renault will begin marketing the Fluence Z.E. later this fall.

"The Better Place solution offers a great driving experience, improves air quality and increases the share of renewable energy in the electric grid – all of this at a more affordable cost of ownership than comparable conventional cars," said Johnny Hansen, CEO of Better Place Denmark. “I am convinced that with the Battery Switch model we have overcome the last barrier to the electric car's commercial breakthrough: range, and based on the interest we have received so far, I expect this to be the top selling car in Denmark in just a few years.”

“Today marks a significant milestone for the partnership between Better Place and Renault. Together we are unlocking the full potential of electric cars, giving them virtually unlimited range because they no longer have to wait hours to charge. Danish consumers are poised to lead the transition to a more sustainable transportation model,” said Henrik Bang, Renault Denmark.

The battery switch experience is a simple, fully-automated process that together with the Renault Fluence Z.E. gives drivers the autonomy of unlimited range. Customers simply swipe their membership card, which authenticates the car and subscription via the Operations Center to activate the switch. The rest of the process is automated, similar to going through a car wash, so the driver never has to leave the car. In just a few minutes, a robotic arm removes the depleted battery and replaces it with a full one and the driver is back on the road.

Denmark’s adaptability in terms of new climate friendly technology, a strong commitment to renewable energy, largely powered by wind and political leadership that has set ambitious carbon reduction targets makes it the perfect match for Better Place and the Renault Fluence Z.E.

“Denmark is leading the global transition from oil based transportation to electric. Over the next nine months, the solution you see here will be replicated across the country – giving drivers the confidence and freedom to drive zero emission, zero oil cars with the same convenience they enjoy with today’s gas cars,” Hansen concluded.

###

About Better Place

Better Place is the electric car network that makes driving more affordable, convenient and sustainable through a revolutionary switchable battery model. Better Place is building the infrastructure and intelligent network to deliver a range of services to drivers, enable widespread adoption of electric vehicles, and optimize energy use. The Better Place network addresses historical limitations to adoption by providing unlimited driving range in a convenient and accessible manner. 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. More information is available at http://www.betterplace.com.

For more information, contact:
In Denmark:
Mikkel Linnet
Press Officer, Better Place Denmark
+4531734561
Mikkel.Linnet@Betterplace.com

In Israel:
Julie Mullins
Better Place
+972 548300654
Julie.mullins@betterplace.com"
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