A Better Place is just around the corner

Shai Agassi is the founder of a Better Place - literally! Better Place is a company based in California that simply put, aims to reduce global dependency on petroleum through the creation of a market-based transportation infrastructure that supports electric vehicles.

Better Place is built on the premise that a major overhaul of the personal transportation system as we know it today from a petroleum based network supporting internal combustion engines to one where electric vehicles swap batteries when running low on energy instead of filling up on gasoline must take place. Cars will be built by Renault-Nissan and have a range of about 100 miles before requiring a fresh battery which will be installed in a few minutes at a service station, in a similar fashion to how we top off our tanks now.

Sounds easier said than done, but since beginning just about 3 years ago, Agassi has raised over $400 million in capital to develop the business into more than just a brilliant idea but a fully functioning system with sites around the globe. Steady progress toward building charging stations in the U.S. is also moving ahead in Hawaii and in San Francisco where Governor Schwartzenegger's somewhat controversial executive order signed in August 2009 mandating California utility companies must get 33% of their power from renewable resources will more than likely be helpful in making more investors confident of Better Places long term success.

It's probably no surprise that Agassi is from Israel, a country essentially embattled since it was founded in 1948 and one in which the people find the idea of reducing or eliminating the dependence on foreign oil imports to be very appealing which has led to a culture of public preparedness. In Israel, like the United States and other countries, energy policies are closely related to national security issues, making Better Place a perfect GreenZoneSolution.

Renewable: An audacious goal Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen might call a disruptive innovation - to completely recreate the automobile industry, from how they are built, to how they are fueled, and how they are purchased. Better Place has developed solutions including algorithms that will construct individual user charge plans aimed at minimizing charging requirements during peak hours. Better Place’s services will also create an opportunity for utilities to utilize electricity produced from intermittent renewable energy sources more effectively.

Reliable: In August, the New York Times published an article outlining the US government's recognition that "...the changing global climate will pose profound strategic challenges to the United States in coming decades, raising the prospect of military intervention to deal with the effects of violent storms, drought, mass migration and pandemics". If Better Place is successful, a reduction in the amount of greenhouse gas emissions is likely to be just one of the benefits.

Remarkable: Outstanding user experience design is essential to the success of the project: "To ensure that we can confidently drive an EV anytime, anywhere, Better Place is developing and deploying EV driver services, systems and infrastructure. Subscribers and guests will have access to a network of charge spots, switch stations and systems which optimize the driving experience and minimize environmental impact and cost." People are likely willing to "go green" if there is a minimal amount of disruption to the habits they've developed. The cost structure and refueling are just a couple things to look forward to in Better Place. Totally renewable, reliable and remarkable.