Better Place Electric Car Sales Now Open to Public in Israel

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After a test trial on about 250 cars Israel's Better Place electric car company has opened its doors to the general public this week. Apart from announcing new pay-as-you-charge deals, instead of the off-putting flat rate, the company offers a new twist on the limited mobility of EVs: battery switch stations located throughout the country for people who need a quick charge. Normally it can take hours for an electric battery to recharge, thus limiting the range and driving distance of cars.

After a test trial on about 250 cars Israel's Better Place electric car company has opened its doors to the general public this week. Apart from announcing new pay-as-you-charge deals, instead of the off-putting flat rate, the company offers a new twist on the limited mobility of EVs: battery switch stations located throughout the country for people who need a quick charge. Normally it can take hours for an electric battery to recharge, thus limiting the range and driving distance of cars.

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With Israel being a small country –- about the size of New Jersey –– the new EV idea in planning for the past 5 years, could either be a boon or a flop. Those who buy into it will be buying electricity from the grid, instead of foreign bought oil, reducing emissions in the cities, and Israel's reliance on imported oil. While Israel's grid isn't expected to be stable this summer since natural gas deals have been sabotaged by Egyptians, Israeli officials announced today that the brownouts predicted will be avoided this summer.

Meanwhile Israel is sitting on a natural gas goldmine, off the country's coast, gas which it is exploring with a private businessman Yitzhak Tschuva and the US company Noble Energy. Once the Israeli gas goes online, the country should be energy independent for at least the next 20 years.

Who's buying into the Better Place EV program? A number of countries have signed on for pilots including Denmark, and now a new deal with GM in Australia.

Article continues at Green Prophet

Image credit: Better Place