Switching the world to electric cars

People talk a lot about trying to find a solution to the global economy’s addiction to the automobile. But not many have come up with a viable alternative to gas-guzzling vehicles that won’t be just as destructive to the world economic system as global warming will be. This seems to be an either/or proposition, with each side of the equation promising something bordering on total collapse.

However, some people think there’s a way between the dual horns of this dilemma, and they’re putting their money where their theories are. A company called Better Place is one of these innovators.

Shia Agassi, the founder and CEO of Better Place, in response to the question, “How do you make the world a better place by 2020?” posed at the World Economic Forum in 2005, launched his company in 2007 as his answer. The goal of Agassi and the company, simply put, is to move the world from oil-based vehicles to zero-emission vehicles powered by electricity from renewable sources.

Not only does the company promote the production of electric vehicles (called EVs), but it recognizes that you still can’t drive them very far unless you’ve got something resembling the current filling stations that put gasoline in petroleum-based vehicles. So Better Place is working on creating not just the EVs, but the global infrastructure to support their operation and maintenance.

Better Place received considerable initial publicity in 2008 from its partnerships with the governments of Israel and Denmark. These were the first two countries to sign on to a plan to create EV battery charging and swapping stations along all major roadways. As more electric cars are produced and move onto the roads in those countries, the refueling stations will be there to keep them running. And to demonstrate that this type of system isn’t just for small countries, but will work in larger ones as well, Better Place has launched a project to develop a similar infrastructure for Australia.

To top that off, Agassi has told the Disruptive by Design conference in June of 2009 that China is now on the verge of giving the go-ahead to a similar project.

The Better Place website points out that this upcoming switch to EVs – which the company believes is inevitable all over the world – could in fact be the savior of the automobile industry, as demand increases. Already the Renault-Nissan Alliance has come on board, to be almost the first to introduce EVs in a major way. And many other auto manufacturers are looking into the plan.

But it isn’t just electric cars and infrastructure that preoccupy Better Place’s attention. The company is working on creating worldwide standardization of things like battery modules and plug connectors, as well as in-car software and smart navigation systems. Better Place is working with manufacturers to create advanced lithium-ion batteries that are environmentally safe, and which store more energy and generate twice the power per unit volume than current hybrid batteries. And it’s even helping to develop software and charging systems that will use electricity outside of peak periods, so the wider energy grid is never overloaded.

Better Place and its projects are growing by leaps and bounds. With so much innovation and so many companies and countries keen to be partners, it won’t be surprising if that goal – a gas-guzzler-free world – really is achieved by 2020.