Better Place has entered into an agreement with Chinese utility China Southern Power Grid to bring their battery swap stations to the Asian country.
The first phase of the partnership will bring a battery swap station and an education center to city of Guangzhou by the end of the year. By that time, more details of larger infrastructure projects between Better Place and the utility will be formalized and China will be well on its way to a booming EV infrastructure.
The State Grid Corporation of China only recently declared that it would like to see 2,300 battery swap stations in the country by 2015.
Better Place founder Shai Aggasi sees this partnership leading to a shift in Chinese EV manufacturing to switchable-battery cars for both the Chinese and international markets, which will mean more demand for Better Place's technology globally -- a true win-win for both parties involved.
via Autoblog Green
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written by Bill, May 03, 2011
I never understood this concept. What happens when you pull up in your new car and get a 5 year old battery that dies on your way home and has to be replaced? I wouldn't want to take that kind of risk without some kind of guarantee in place.
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written by Ronaldo, May 04, 2011
I don't think much of the concept either. Apart from the obvious marketing 101 truism that the 'rental' model always ends up costing the consumer a lot more in the long term. The rental model in this case even extends to the civic and governmental 'partners'. Good work if you can get it!
As you alluded, there are matters of causality to be considered as well.
What happens if you inadvertently get handed a dangerous battery which explodes on your way home? You may not be able to get quick attendance by the accident response teams because of the hazardous materials and possibly high voltages present. You may have to wait until a Hazmat team arrives to extract you from the wreck, by which time you could very well be needing the services of the city morgue instead of an emergency medical team.
As you alluded, there are matters of causality to be considered as well.
What happens if you inadvertently get handed a dangerous battery which explodes on your way home? You may not be able to get quick attendance by the accident response teams because of the hazardous materials and possibly high voltages present. You may have to wait until a Hazmat team arrives to extract you from the wreck, by which time you could very well be needing the services of the city morgue instead of an emergency medical team.
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written by dattskool, May 04, 2011
You are thinking too American. Think of dense population and limited commutes. This type of design would be beneficial in densely populated areas. It alleviates the need for wasted time for charging the batteries. Also at the charging stations it would be less than productive for the batteries to not be charging correctly. How difficult is it to monitor how a battery is charging or holding a charge? My little duracel battery tells me how much energy it has left. We don't wait for hazmat teams for car accidents in the states and the fossil fuel is explosive! This is definitely a step in the right direction. Not the one I would have taken but still very cool.
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written by Visual Carbon, May 06, 2011
This is going to be super popular wherever it rolls out because it is fast to "refuel" and because you don't have to own the most expensive part of an electric car: the battery.
If it dies on the way home (very unlikely) you get a replacement battery. You don't own the battery so it doesn't matter if it goes bad.
You also get the buy the car for dirt cheap because you aren't buying the battery.
And as battery tech gets better you get a better battery and longer range instantly. I wish I could do this with my several year old Prius right now. The battery is fine but the new model battery is even better with more range.
The greatest thing about electric transport is how clean the air will be for everyone including bikers, kids, pedestrians. The fresh air and much healthier lungs of everyone will be a huge unexpected benefit.
If it dies on the way home (very unlikely) you get a replacement battery. You don't own the battery so it doesn't matter if it goes bad.
You also get the buy the car for dirt cheap because you aren't buying the battery.
And as battery tech gets better you get a better battery and longer range instantly. I wish I could do this with my several year old Prius right now. The battery is fine but the new model battery is even better with more range.
The greatest thing about electric transport is how clean the air will be for everyone including bikers, kids, pedestrians. The fresh air and much healthier lungs of everyone will be a huge unexpected benefit.
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written by Rich, May 06, 2011
I like the sound of this scheme. One thing possibly stopping a lot of people getting an electric car is the high price of batteries coupled with the batteries length of life which I believe is between 5-10 years. Makes more sense to NOT own the battery.
Great to see a country like China with its high emissions looking to make a change. I wonder if the western world will make change as quickly?
Great to see a country like China with its high emissions looking to make a change. I wonder if the western world will make change as quickly?
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written by haggar, May 11, 2011
How I love the negative approaches ! This system is in gestation in Israel, Denmark, Hawaii and other places.
How long will it take before the USA will be the last country to be stuck with the oil producer's blackmail to the extent that it is now ? And then complain that the rest of the world is passing us by unfairly ? Do we go on considering that the rest of the World is not as smart as we are so let's serenely ignore reality, instead of leading the world in new technologies . . . . keep it up and Walmart will be selling China-built cars and charging stations on the cheap.
How long will it take before the USA will be the last country to be stuck with the oil producer's blackmail to the extent that it is now ? And then complain that the rest of the world is passing us by unfairly ? Do we go on considering that the rest of the World is not as smart as we are so let's serenely ignore reality, instead of leading the world in new technologies . . . . keep it up and Walmart will be selling China-built cars and charging stations on the cheap.
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written by Asaf Shalgi, May 14, 2011
I have to say that I agree with Hagar. Are you all blind by the recent events? Wake up! By 2054 there won't be any oil left in the world. We need alternatives.
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