Oil stain approach in project Better Place

Better Place’s mission statement is the following:

“We believe that it is past time to begin making it possible for consumers to choose an electric vehicle [EV] that is much less expensive to operate, does not emit pollution or greenhouse gases and provides a better driving experience from their current automobiles.”

The scale of plans is not modest. Through an oil stain approach, eventually hundreds of thousands of vehicles are to be replaced with electric alternatives.

Oil independence
Israel was the first country to commit itself to the project’s objectives. The country formulated an oil independence strategy and adopted a favourable tax policy. The Israelian wish to shake off oil dependence comes as no surprise: the country is surrounded by more or less hostile oil states. Last January a press conference was held to announce the cooperation of Better Place and Renault-Nissan with Israel.

Denmark
The Danish can also look forward to being amongst the first consumers for whom the dream of affordable EVs becomes reality. Late March, Danish energy company DONG Energy and Better Place agreed to combine their strengths to reduce CO2 emissions from cars. Over the next few years Better Place Denmark will introduce battery driven EVs in Denmark, offering at least the same road-holding qualities as fuel-based cars.

Anders Eldrup, CEO of DONG Energy, explains another advantage of the project: “We will achieve a new way of storing the unstable electricity output from wind turbines, as EVs are typically charged during the night, when the exploitation of power generation is low. This provides optimum exploitation of our resources for the benefit of the environment."

Zero emissions; no compromises when it comes to driving performances; and efficient use of available energy – what more could anyone want from a car.

Alliances
Commercially, this is an interesting project as well. Geographically, it started out small, but it has potential to grow virtually without boundaries. Alliances are at the heart of the project.

Invest In Denmark, an initiative of the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs to point out Danish business opportunities to foreign companies and investors, brought Better Place and DONG Energy into contact with one another. Both businesses then joined the Copenhagen Climate Council, an international forum of business representatives and researchers. The Climate Council will try to establish a global agreement at the United Nations climate summit of 2009 in Copenhagen and is searching for innovative solutions to climate challenges.

Last January, Better Place announced its partnership with Renault-Nissan.

Renault and Nissan have an alliance marked by cross-shareholding, ensuring a large market share. Renault has agreed to produce the EVs for the market on a mass-scale while Nissan, together with NEC Japan, developed an advanced lithium-ion battery pack for the vehicle. The battery will also be mass-produced.

Obstacles
Together, all these parties must be able to achieve at least some of the goals of Better Place. But worldwide mass-scale introduction of EVs still has to overcome a few obstacles. Oil states and oil companies, for example, are unlikely to share with project Better Place the same ideas on exactly how we can make the world a better place.