better place Archives – The Green Optimistic

Tesla Model S Battery Swap Pilot Program – Online Soon in California

Benji Jerew — Mon, 22 Dec 2014 15:59:01 +0000

It’s been a few months in coming, but Tesla Motors is finally making good on its promise to offer battery swapping, for realz this time, for the Tesla Model S. We all know at least three things about the Tesla Model S: 1) It’s quite the performer, that is, it has a high fun-to-drive quotient, […]

The post Tesla Model S Battery Swap Pilot Program – Online Soon in California appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Renault Fluence ZE Electric Vehicle Shelved After Better Place Failure

Benji Jerew — Fri, 31 Jan 2014 17:34:01 +0000

Renault’s fleet of electric vehicles is a little smaller, now that the company has quietly discontinued the Renault Fluence ZE, but it’s easy to see why the company took that action. “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket” could be the reason for the declining chicken hatchings in an increasingly violent world, but also […]

The post Renault Fluence ZE Electric Vehicle Shelved After Better Place Failure appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

A $9,999 Electric Vehicle to Upset the Automobile Market, Says Shai Agassi

Benji Jerew — Mon, 02 Sep 2013 15:18:08 +0000

Electric vehicles are not like conventional or even hybrid electric vehicles, and hard lessons have been learned by startup and established automakers alike. Don’t forget the lessons that drivers need to learn, as well! Shai Agassi, founder of now-bankrupt electric vehicle startup Better Place, still thinks the best way to produce a market-upsetting electric vehicle […]

The post A $9,999 Electric Vehicle to Upset the Automobile Market, Says Shai Agassi appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Better Place May be Saved by “Captain Sunshine” – Yosef Abramowitz

Ovidiu Sandru — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 15:43:08 +0000

Better Place, the Israel-based company that we’ve been talking about lately and that proposes battery swapping instead of charging, has seemingly found a savior in the person of Yosef Abramowitz, aka “Captain Sunshine.” Abramowitz, known for building Israel’s first commercial solar field two years ago, wants to purchase Better Place’s assets and start over… this […]

The post Better Place May be Saved by “Captain Sunshine” – Yosef Abramowitz appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Sad News: Battery Swapping Company Better Place Goes Bankrupt

Benji Jerew — Mon, 27 May 2013 16:33:04 +0000

Better Place has stuck by its vision of electric vehicles that recharge in minutes, via battery swapping, but there just isn’t enough support for it, be it from automakers or consumers. It seems like a great idea, being able to quickly swap out the traction battery in an electric vehicle in about 10 minutes. Instead […]

The post Sad News: Battery Swapping Company Better Place Goes Bankrupt appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Better Place Retires U.S. and Australia Facilities

Leigh Hutchens — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 08:44:19 +0000

After Shai Agassi’s departure from the CEO position in EV battery swapping Better Place, the company seems to be going downwards. Now their only focus will remain on Denmark and Israel. Venture-backed company Better Place is working to produce a market-based transportation infrastructure that supports electric vehicles. The company invented, installs, and operates EV battery […]

The post Better Place Retires U.S. and Australia Facilities appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Better Place’s Founder Still Believes in His Dream

Benji Jerew — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 19:46:18 +0000

Electric vehicles are often tagged with the word “limited,” as in, “limited range” and “limited recharging opportunities,” but this is mostly psychological. Bigger rechargeable battery packs increase range, as high as 300 miles in some cases, and the number fast-charging stations, with recharge times as little as thirty minutes, are becoming more and more common. […]

The post Better Place’s Founder Still Believes in His Dream appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Better Place Sees No Profits in Israel, Lays Off Hundreds

Benji Jerew — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 17:44:10 +0000

Electric vehicles [EV] aren’t only having a hard time breaking into the market here in the US, but abroad as well. Some government and large company programs are implementing EVs into their fleets, where the main concerns about range and recharging time, as well as expense, are fairly easy to absorb until the returns are […]

The post Better Place Sees No Profits in Israel, Lays Off Hundreds appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Better Place and CODA Partner for Airport EV Taxis with Battery Swapping

Benji Jerew — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 17:23:44 +0000

The fastest way to recharge an electric vehicle [EV] is not on an L3 480V charger, over 30 minutes, but to simply swap out the battery, which takes about five minutes. Better Place Mobility Services, an EV battery-swapping company, has charging and battery-swapping stations around the globe, and is finally getting a foothold in the […]

The post Better Place and CODA Partner for Airport EV Taxis with Battery Swapping appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Battery-Swapping Project Better Place Signs Important Deal With Chinese Utility

Ovidiu Sandru — Wed, 04 May 2011 12:34:34 +0000

Besides being a place where you can manufacture things cheap, no matter what the processes' cabon dioxide emissions are, China is one of the most advanced countries when it comes to electric cars and electrification, in general. Project Better Place, an Israel-based company aiming at developing more efficient charging infrastructures has just signed an agreement with one of the largest Chinese utilities.

The post Battery-Swapping Project Better Place Signs Important Deal With Chinese Utility appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Better Place: Electric Car Battery Swapping Service Envisioning Worldwide Expansion

Ovidiu Sandru — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 20:17:10 +0000

You may have probably heard of Project Better Place before - it's the business led by Shai Agassi that imposes itself a truly hard to get goal: to make a network of battery swapping and charging stations for the not-so-distant electric cars.

The post Better Place: Electric Car Battery Swapping Service Envisioning Worldwide Expansion appeared first on The Green Optimistic.