JAPAN: A new prototype of a "battery swapping station" for electric vehicles is unveiled

Record ID: 463455

  • Title: JAPAN: A new prototype of a "battery swapping station" for electric vehicles is unveiled
  • Date: 15th May 2009
  • Summary: YOKOHAMA, JAPAN (MAY 13, 2009) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF WHITE VEHICLE ARRIVING AT BATTERY SWITCHING STATION VARIOUS OF PLATE MOVING AND REMOVING EMPTY BATTERY DRIVER FULL BATTERY BEING INSTALLED CAR LEAVES SWITCHING STATION WIDE VIEW OF PRESS EVENT SHAI AGASSI, FOUNDER AND CEO OF BETTER PLACE, SPEAKING TO MEDIA JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (English) SHAI AGASSI, FOUNDER AND CEO OF BETTER PLACE, SAYING: "We are surrounded by cars all times. We breathe in what they spew out. But imagine a world with no gasoline, with no exhaust pipe, and without noise. That's what we're going to experience with consumers." YOAV HEICHAL, CHIEF ENGINEER FOR BETTER PLACE, SHOWING ELECTRIC CAR (SOUNDBITE) (English) YOAV HEICHAL, CHIEF ENGINEER FOR BETTER PLACE, SAYING: "A switch station is actually a gas station for electric vehicles. But it's clear because you're using the energy from solar panels or a wind turbine. So you get very clean solution because energy is clean and the vehicle doesn't create any emission, so it's very friendly for the environment." VARIOUS OF SOLAR PANELS CONVENTIONAL GASOLINE-POWERED CARS RUNNING ON STREET
  • Embargoed: 30th May 2009 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Japan
  • Country: Japan
  • Topics: Science / Technology,Transport
  • Reuters ID: LVADU0RLCSFE5ANGDFZKCX9P73L8
  • Story Text: The problem with electric cars is not being able to recharge the batteries very easily when on the road.
    Well, one California company unveiled on Wednesday (May 13) a possible solution - a prototype for a network of energy stations that swap electric vehicles' empty batteries for fully charged ones.
    The company hopes such network would replace existing conventional gas stations sometime in the near future.
    The demonstration, held in Yokohama, Japan by Palo Alto-based Better Place, which used a Nissan electric car, attracted journalists from across the world.
    Company officials said an electric vehicle is capable of running up to 200 kilometres on a single battery, and a depleted battery can be replaced with a fully charged one at an automated "battery switching station"
    within a matter of a few minutes.
    The company says the system allows an electric vehicle to travel theoretically "unlimited distances" if it keeps swapping batteries at those battery switching stations.

    "We are surrounded by cars all times. We breathe in what they spew out. But imagine a world with no gasoline, with no exhaust pipe, and without noise. That's what we're going to experience with consumers," Shai Agassi, founder and CEO of Better Place, told Reuters.
    The company believes that the idea can make a killing as it weans drivers off their dependency on Big Oil.

    "A switch station is actually a gas station for electric vehicles.
    But it's clear because you're using the energy from solar panels or a wind turbine. So you get very clean solution because energy is clean and the vehicle doesn't create any emission, so it's very friendly for the environment," said Yoav Heichal, chief engineer for Better Place.
    Much like with mobile phone contracts, customers simply choose the distance they want to travel by subscribing to various monthly plans tailored to best suit their driving needs. Under the current business plan, the batteries will belong to the switching stations, not to the individual car owners.
    Among the potential markets that Better Place eyes for building the first batch of its battery switching stations are Israel, Denmark, the U.S.
    West Coast, Australia, Japan and the Canadian city of Ontario.
    Better Place has partnered with Renault and Nissan to develop electric car infrastructure.
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