Charge Spots
The charging spots of the Better Place mobile operator network will be the regular point of interface between a driver’s car and the electric power grid. Within a few short years, these units will be available for use in parking garages, retail spaces, street curbs, as well as within the homes of drivers everywhere you need them to be so that they can keep the batteries topped off.
But what will these charging spots look like, and how will they function?
Each unit is about the same size as a standard parking meter. When an electric vehicle pulls up and parks, on-board software instructs the vehicle to link-up with the charging station until the battery is charged. The driver doesn’t have to do anything to begin the process. All vehicles within the Better Place model will have the same plug that allows them to charge at these spots, regardless of the make, model or power requirements of the electric car being driven. Cars outside the Better Place model can re-charge their batteries as guest vehicles, so long as the driver acquires an easily-installed converter. This allows for the growth and promotion of all zero-emission vehicles on the road, for the benefit of our health, planet and economies.
The charge spots function at 3.3 kW and 6.6 kW. In terms of voltage, the trickle charge is the same as a standard wall outlet in a home. The units are perfectly safe, as they are designed to only interact with the vehicles equipped to link up with them, and are completely weather-proof.
The change in landscape, when it occurs, will be striking. Gradually gas stations will transform into battery exchange stations. Electric charge spots will begin to sprout almost organically in and around our communities and places of business. Best of all, these Better Place charging spots will be a slender reminder of the world’s shift towards oil independence and sustainable mobility.