Press
Better Place to Present Environmental Case for EVs During COP15
December 4, 2009
At the U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP15), Better Place will present 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 take part in the conference, which runs Dec. 7 – 18, 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.
Beginning on Dec. 7, Better Place and Renault will demonstrate their vision for mass-market, zero-emission vehicles through a technology and auto showcase that includes test drives of the fully electric Renault Fluence Z.E. Delegates and other invited guests will learn 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. The showcase will be held at the Radisson Blu Scandinavian Hotel through Dec. 18 (email .to request a test drive).
Better Place also will participate in the EV showcase—arranged by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs—in front of the Bella Center, where delegates will attend the COP negotiations. Better Place charge spots have been deployed at the technology showcase and will recharge EVs from various manufacturers, including Renault. The demonstration will run from Dec. 7 – 18. The EVs will shuttle journalists attending COP15 to visit Danish showcases.
On Wednesday, Dec. 9, Better Place will help shuttle guests attending Fashion Summit, which will focus on sustainability, to and from the Copenhagen Opera House.
On Dec. 10, at the invitation of the Danish Chamber of Commerce, Better Place will address a select group of business leaders pushing for a global climate agreement. Other speakers at the event, “1 Climate Commitment - 1000 Business Opportunities,” include author C.K. Prahalad. The event will begin at 9:00AM CET at the Danish Stock Exchange.
On Dec. 12, Better Place will join business leaders from around the globe for a Copenhagen Climate Council event at Kronborg Castle to build on private-sector leadership in developing a low-carbon economy.
On Dec. 14, in conjunction with The Climate Group, Better Place will join a working group coalition of government and industry leaders to push for the highest common denominator of EV policies and action in the fight against climate change.
On Tuesday, Dec. 15, Better Place has been invited to the Bella Center by the Danish Climate Consortium to discuss how EVs can help add more wind power into the energy system and how EVs should be seen as a tool for fighting climate change.
That evening, Better Place will join award-winning filmmaker Catherine Cunningham in the world premiere of “Eye of the Future,” which will debut at the Tycho Brahe Planetarium’s Omnimax theater, beginning at 8:00PM CET. At the Danish Film Institute the same night, Better Place will be part of the GoodPlanet Foundation’s Environmental Film Festival, which will screen “Who Killed the Electric Car?” with director Chris Paine and “See You in Copenhagen” with filmmaker Gabriel London of Found Object Films, beginning at 8:00PM CET. London’s “See You in Copenhagen” segment with Better Place has been selected by The Timberland Company as part of its “Don’t Tell Us It Can’t Be Done” campaign.
The next day – Dec. 16 – Better Place will join the Climate Summit for Mayors as cities worldwide represent the front lines in the fight against climate change. The activities will include a discussion on public-private partnerships as well as a green car parade driving through the streets of Copenhagen.
To keep up-to-date on Better Place at COP15, visit our COP 15 page or our COP15 press kit.