Electricnick, The EV Revolution

Better Place, the group that wants to introduce the mass reality of electric cars, recharging stations as well as swapping stations is showing how the swap will look and work.  While some governments already bought the dream, will people?

The gist is that many companies and groups are eying the very lucrative electric vehicle, EV developing industry as well as its infrastructure made up of charging stations on the streets and swapping battery stations for extended range drives.  Better Place has been a big proponent of the EV with a twist, buy the miles, let us take care of the rice of the car.  Sounds familiar?  Think the cell phone industry business model.

How Will It Work? According to Better Place, we will all drive EVs, which we, at Electricnick, couldn’t agree with more.  However, we won’t need to buy them.  We will only lease the cars with a plan based on estimated mileage and electricity consumption.  While in theory, it all sounds good, the technicalities involved are huge.

Battery Swapping Station.  For the over rated, over used and even media abused “range anxiety” fear drilled into the public, Better Place proposes battery swapping stations.  The idea sounds simple enough.  Drive far away, further than what your batteries can hold and approach a battery swapping stations that will unload your old pack and replace it with a fresh new one.

According to Better Place, the $500,000 swap station can replace your worn out battery pack with a new one to get you back on the road in less time than it takes to fill your gas tank.  According to CNET, Better Place has already opened 17 EV charging stations in Tel Aviv in its first step to have 150,000 throughout Israel by 2011.

All in all, many contenders are fighting to get a piece of pie and Better Place has had a head start on the implementation of the technology.  We know governments have bought into it but will people?