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A California-based company is demonstrating a new battery-swapping technology that could overcome a key obstacle to the adoption of electric cars - their reliance on frequent, long stops for recharging.
Founded two years ago, Better Place unveiled a model of its battery switching station in Yokohama, seeking to garner enthusiasm for its one-of-a-kind technology among Japan's auto heavyweights, government officials and consumers.
The company is aiming to establish a ubiquitous network of charging posts, supplemented with a series of battery exchange stations where drivers traveling long distances can quickly swap a drained battery for a fully charged one, said CEO and founder Shai Agassi.
Better Place's stations would have drivers back on the road with a new battery in as little as 40 seconds. They are designed to have a driver pull over a square underground platform that would reach up, remove the old battery from the belly of the vehicle and replace it with a new one.
Its "quick switch" model is being touted as among the most promising innovations for the development of emissions-free cars, which continue to face a number of barriers to mass market appeal.
Automakers still need to configure the cars' large lithium ion batteries for mass production and ensure they are long-lasting and safe. The vehicles themselves are still too expensive for the average consumer without hefty government incentives. And the troubled auto industry has yet to figure out which next-generation technologies will ultimately prevail in the market.
The Nissan Motor Co.-Renault SA auto alliance has teamed up with Better Place to build an electric vehicle network in Israel and Denmark.
Japan's No. 3 automaker is working to introduce plug-in electric vehicles in the U.S. in 2010 and mass market them globally two years later.
Regardless of format, Agassi is certain that the infrastructure must first be in place before car sales can take off.
Agassi says the stations will accommodate different battery and car models, and will cost about $500,000 to build-cheaper than a standard gas station, which can run $1 million to $2 million. AP
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