November 6th, 2007
By John DeFore
For many of us, daydreaming about green cars extends only as far as plug-in hybrids, which are all-electric on short commutes but require some gas for longer trips. But Shai Agassi (pictured), a former exec at software giant SAP, would like to leapfrog this evolutionary stage — by building the infrastructure necessary to make 100% electric vehicles practical before gas/battery autos even get a foothold.
His “Project Better Place,” which boasts a $200-million bankroll, launched this week in a blitz that not only included newspaper and TV profiles but (as Agassi noted on his blog) coincided with the price of oil hitting record highs. The plan envisions not only a worldwide network of charging stations (where, say, the parking lot at your office would juice your car while you work) but a fresh notion that seems obvious once it’s said: that all electric vehicles should use an industry-standard battery, which could be swapped out quickly at standalone filling stations.
Customers would buy their electricity through a subscription model which Agassi compares to the cell phone industry, an analogy that probably works better with corporate backers than with consumers who’ve been burned by phone contracts. Testing for the plan begins early next year, with Agassi hoping to begin sales in 24 months — before Chevy’s buzzed-about Volt, a plug-in that still needs gas to drive further than 40 miles at a stretch, will even hit showrooms.
