Denmark

Better Place presents the environmental case for EVs during COP15

At the U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP15), Better Place presented its case for reducing deadly greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) and low urban particulate matter via rapid adoption of electric cars only made possible by nearly ubiquitous infrastructure that intelligently manages the charging and electrical grid impact. Better Place will took part in the conference, which ran Dec. 7 – 18, 2009, by participating in a number of government, industry, non-governmental and pop culture events to raise awareness that solutions exist today to fight climate change.

Better Place and Renault demonstrated their vision for mass-market, zero-emission vehicles through a technology and auto showcase that included test drives of the fully electric Renault Fluence Z.E. Delegates and other invited guests learned first-hand how Better Place and Renault are bringing sustainable transportation to Denmark and Israel, beginning in 2011, and how EV batteries can serve as distributed storage to optimize energy use and enable more renewable energy on the grid.

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Other News

Better Place wins 2009 INDEX: Design to Improve Life Award

Better Place received the 2009 INDEX: Design to Improve Life Award in the community category for creating a complete electric vehicle services solution. INDEX is a Danish non-profit organization whose mission is to inspire designs that meet the needs of society, and since its launch, Better Place’s philosophy has been that with the right combination of infrastructure and services, electric vehicles can not only meet society’s needs but surpass traditional gas-powered cars in every aspect. With the award comes a €100,000 prize that Better Place will use to fund a university-level student design contest, the details of which will be announced on October 27, 2009, the company’s second anniversary. Upon receiving the award, Better Place Founder and CEO Shai Agassi remarked, “We’re thrilled to be recognized by a design leader like Kigge Hvid and the INDEX team and are honored to receive this year’s award.”

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The road to COP15

Better Place and the City of Copenhagen will partner on developing a blueprint for the rapid deployment of electric car-charging infrastructure for sustainable mobility.  Better Place and the City hope the blueprint is adopted by cities around the world as one solution to combating climate change. This partnership establishes the best conditions for the rapid deployment of electric car-charging infrastructure in the municipality of Copenhagen with the initial outcome resulting in a demonstration at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP15) in December.

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Better Place Denmark Takes Important Step

As Denmark prepares for the U.N. Summit on Climate Change, Better Place Denmark took an important tangible step towards answering the country's commitment to reduce its CO2 emissions by 21 percent by 2012. In conjunction with DONG Energy, Better Place Denmark closed approximately €103 million Euro (770 million Danish Kroner) in equity and convertible debt for the initial deployment of their electric car charging network in Denmark. The move sets the stage for Better Place and DONG Energy to execute as planned against their commitment to enable the widespread adoption of mass-market vehicles by 2011.

Better Place has also named Jens Moberg as Head of Better Place Europe, Middle East and Africa Business Development and Chief Executive Officer of Better Place Denmark. As CEO, Mr. Moberg will focus on establishing Denmark as our first operation in Europe and play a significant role in expanding Better Place to other European countries. He joins Better Place Denmark from Microsoft Corp., where he was responsible for developing and growing Microsoft's multi-billion dollar enterprise business in Russia, India and China. Mr. Moberg is eager to continue Denmark's progressive and innovative leadership and is uniquely positioned to do so, as the economics of a green industry - sustainable mobility - provide a compelling return for investors in congruence with creating jobs for industry and reducing greenhouse gas emissions for the health of the Danish people.

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Statement from Copenhagen Climate Council

Statement from Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Quote from The Climate Group

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Jens Moberg Bio

Better Place Announces Denmark Agreement

In March of 2008, DONG (Danish Oil & Natural Gas) Energy signed an agreement with Better Place, clearing the way for Denmark to move off of oil for transportation. Renault-Nissan’s electric cars will be among the first to be on Danish roads by the middle of the next decade.

Similar to Israel, Denmark’s size and gasoline taxes makes it an ideal early adopter for Better Place’s sustainable transportation infrastructure. It also has very progressive environmental policies, which have helped develop a sizable wind turbine industry that supplies 20% of the country’s energy. DONG Energy will be able to store the unstable excess output of its turbines into the electric recharge grid, allowing the zero-emission cars to have a reliable source of renewable power.