better place

Global Progress

  • 2012

    September / Netherlands

    Battery Switch
    Station Opens.

    Schiphol airport is now home to the first Battery Switch Station (BSS) in Western Europe. The BSS will be the focal point for an innovative electric taxi project. This project demonstrates the feasibility of non-stop electric driving by running 10 switchable battery Renault Fluence Z.E. electric taxis on the Schiphol-Amsterdam corridor.

  • 2012

    March / HAWAII

    Charging Network
    launched in Hawaii

    OpConnect bought our network in Hawaii in March 2013. OpConnect will operate the network which offers 130+ charging points and replace its charge spots with their own charging stations. The decision to sell the Hawaii network is part of Better Place’s near term strategy to focus on its two core markets Denmark and Israel.

  • 2012

    january / israel

    The first 100 Renault Fluence Z.E. electric cars reach drivers.

    It’s an ideal way to celebrate our four-year anniversary: 100 lucky drivers step into their very own Switchable Battery electric cars from Renault. The day was marked with a celebration, followed by a drive through the streets of Israel.

  • 2011

    December / china

    Ribbon cutting at our experience center in China.

    Our partnership with the China Southern Power Grid leads to our Switchable Electric Car Experience Center in Guangzhou’s Pearl River New Town. The center educates citizens and promotes the widespread adoption of electric vehicles in southern China.

  • 2011

    november / global

    $200 million more in equity financing.

    After initiating the first nationwide electric car networks in Israel and Denmark, Better Place announces it has secured $200 million in equity financing from a host of top-tier investors. We use the funds to expand projects across the globe.

  • 2010

    april / japan

    A Tokyo taxi program puts a Battery Switch Station to the test.

    The world’s first switchable-battery electric taxi and our Battery Switch Station are demonstrated in a partnership with the Japanese government and Tokyo’s largest taxi operator. The 90-day project shows that electric cars can have nearly unlimited range.

  • 2010

    february / israel

    We open our first Better Place Center near Tel Aviv, Israel.

    Our new center (built inside a refurbished oil tank for obvious symbolic reasons) lets visitors experience the benefits of driving electric—by taking the switchable-battery Renault Fluence Z.E. for a spin on our test track, among other unique activities.

  • 2010

    january / global

    $350 million in funding. Nice.

    Almost two years after announcing our first deployment in Israel, Better Place seals an agreement with an HSBC-led investor group for $350M in equity financing. The deal marks one of the largest clean-tech investments in history. Look out, world, here we come.

  • 2009

    september / global

    Renault commits to the Switchable Battery car.

    This agreement is the result of a two-year mission to create the world’s first mass-market, zero-emission car with a Switchable Battery. Renault’s Fluence Z.E., a 5-seat sedan, is now guaranteed for Israeli and Danish drivers in huge numbers: 100,000 cars by 2016.

  • 2009

    may / japan

    We demonstrate battery switching in Japan.

    At invitation from the Japanese government, we prove the viability of our Battery Switch Station concept. With officials from the Japanese Ministry of Environment watching, our robot changes out a Switchable Battery in mere minutes. No pressure, right?

  • 2008

    december / hawaii

    Mahalo, Hawaii.

    Hawaiian Governor Linda Lingle and Better Place unveil a plan to bring an electric-car network to Hawaii, creating a model for the adoption of electric cars in the U.S. The bold move helps fuel Hawaii's drive to lead U.S. states in renewable energy use.

  • 2008

    october / australia

    We go big in Australia.

    Australia is huge, wide open, and has 15 million cars on the road. It’s a perfect place to prove our concept. So we forged deals with the nation’s AGL Energy and financial advisor Macquarie Capital Group to begin deploying the Better Place model down under.

  • 2008

    march / denmark

    Europe’s first Switchable Battery electric car network.

    Denmark’s DONG Energy and Better Place sign a letter of intent aimed at reducing CO2 emissions in the Danish car fleet. A second goal is also agreed on: Give Danish consumers access to affordable electric vehicles. Better Place Denmark is born.

  • 2007

    january / israel

    Our journey begins in Israel.

    Israel becomes the first nation in the world to commit to an all-electric car infrastructure. Israeli President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert were key forces behind the agreement, having backed Better Place founder Shai Agassi’s vision for years.

  • Israel

    The Delivery of the First Tens of Cars to Employees in Israel

    Just five years ago, almost to the day – we stood together with President Peres and Carlos Ghosn and announced our commitment to break the world’s dependence on oil, starting in Israel. We were a small start-up with a powerful vision and what many called an audacious plan. Today, on our fourth anniversary, that audacious plan reached another important milestone: the delivery of the first tens of cars to employees in Israel. As you can see in the attached photo, today was a day of celebration, followed by a joint drive of all cars through the streets of Israel. 

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  • Denmark

    The Better Place network in Denmark is complete

    In December, 2012, we completed Europe's first nationwide electric car network. Our solution offers a real alternative and the same mobility for electric car owners, as petrol car drivers have become accustomed to in the past 100 years. Now, however, you can stay inside the car, take a break, check your e-mails or listen to your favorite music during the five minutes battery switch. Now, does that sound better than standing in the cold next to the petrol dispenser waiting for the fuel tank to fill? Since the opening of the first battery switch station in June 2012, we have switched batteries more than 10,000 times. The stations are unmanned and run 24/7. We also have 1,400 operational charge points of which nearly half are public. Last, but not least, we have a number of quick chargers available at select battery switch stations to our fixed battery members.

     

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  • The Netherlands

    The Future Of Driving Arrives in The Netherlands

    Schiphol airport is home to the first Battery Switch Station (BSS) in Western Europe outside Denmark. The BSS allows electric cars powered by a switchable battery to exchange a depleted battery for a fully charged one in less than five minutes, thereby for the first time enabling non-stop electric driving. 
    The BSS is the focal point for an innovative electric taxi project. This project demonstrates the feasibility of non-stop electric driving by running 10 switchable battery Renault Fluence Z.E. electric taxis on the Schiphol-Amsterdam corridor. The taxis drive as much as up to 600 km per day, proving that electric taxi driving works successfully.

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  • China

    CSG and Better Place Open Switchable Electric Car Experience Center in Guangzhou

    China Southern Power Grid (CSG) and Better Place announced opening their Switchable Electric Car Experience Center in Guangzhou’s Pearl River New Town. A switchable battery electric car today drove out from the experience center, marking Guangzhou as the starting point for EV network infrastructure in the five Southern provinces served by CSG.

    As a member of the State-Owned Enterprise EV Industry Alliance, CSG is aiming to implement China’s national energy conservation and low emission strategy, and implement EV infrastructure construction in accordance with local needs. Not unlike fuel stations for gas-powered cars, widespread EV adoption requires an extensive network of infrastructure.

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  • European Union

    SELECTED AS ONE OF 10 NEW TEN-T PROJECT SUCCESSES

    BRUSSELS – (November 28, 2012) – Better Place today announced that a consortium project to de-carbonize road transport is being named one of 10 successfully implemented infrastructure projects in Europe for 2012.

    The Trans-European Transport Network Executive Agency (TEN-T EA) – an agency of the European Commission – today named the Better Place initiative as one of the agency’s “10 (more) out of TEN” campaign highlights for 2012.  The 10 projects are a sample of successfully implemented projects selected for their positive impact in supporting the completion of the TEN-T network, sound project management, attention to budget, and good working relationship with the TEN-T agency.

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