When Better Place was founded in 2007, it was a promising new company, with a visionary leader in Israeli entrepreneur Shai Agassi, and several good ideas, notably a strategy of concentrating on places that are likely to be early adopters of electrification (Israel, Denmark, Hawaii). Better Place raised around $850 million from investors, and got… Read more »
Search Results Found For: "Renault"
A new LEAF, localized manufacturing, and a focus on infrastructure
With a longer range and a lower price, the 2013 Nissan LEAF screams upgrade, but it’s only one small aspect of the company’s aggressive EV strategy. Proprietary, localized manufacturing and improved infrastructure also play key roles in Nissan’s plan for world domination electrification. Sometime back in the 60s, Mr or Mrs Ghosn must have put… Read more »
Supercars, hybrids and EVs take the stage in Geneva
At Geneva’s enormous Palexpo convention center, it’s obvious we’re not in Detroit – there’s hardly a pickup truck in sight, and the wine and coffee are flowing freely. Reflecting Europe’s colorful collage of cultures, a vast variety of vehicles from hybrids to EVs to seven-figure super-sports cars are spinning on the turntables. Europe is just… Read more »
Carlos Ghosn sees little future in battery swapping
The future of the battery swapping concept looks dim, which is bad news for the pioneering firm Better Place. In an interview with Danish news outlet Energi Watch, Renault-Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn seemed to say that Renault’s Fluence ZE will probably be the first and last production vehicle to offer battery swapping capability. “When you… Read more »
California Air Resources Board to discuss minor changes to Zero Emission Vehicle regulations
The California Air Resources Board (ARB) plans to propose some minor modifications to its Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Regulation, the program that requires automakers to sell a certain number of zero-emission vehicles in the state. According to ARB, the changes include clarifying the Section 177 state optional compliance path provision, defining how caps apply to… Read more »
Smart and Nissan offer battery leasing options
When the smart fortwo electric drive goes on sale in the US next month (at a base price of $25,750), buyers will have the option of renting the battery for a monthly fee.
Its not just EVs that are selling slowly in Europe
Many of us have been puzzled about the fact that plug-in sales are taking off more slowly in Europe than in the US, given the continent’s compact cities, high fuel prices and tradition of greenery. However, looking at 2012’s auto sales figures may provide a simple explanation. While the US auto industry had a spectacular… Read more »
European Union official says chargers are the chicken for the EV egg
European Union Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard has come out in strong support of a pending plan to deploy 795,000 charging points in the EU by 2020, the Copenhagen Post reported. The proposal must be approved by the European Parliament and all 27 member states before it goes into effect. “We can finally end the discussion… Read more »
Pike Research makes 10 predictions for the EV industry in 2013
Pike Research has issued a white paper entitled Electric Vehicles: 10 Predictions for 2013, that should make (mostly) cheerful reading for EV enthusiasts. Saying that “doubts about the long-term viability of the plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) market were put to rest” in 2012, Pike predicts “the industry will be racing ahead in second gear in 2013.”… Read more »
Better Place launches battery-swapping taxis at Amsterdam airport
The company already has pilot programs going in China, Japan, Israel and Denmark, and this week it began a new trial project with the deployment of 10 electric taxis.