Electric Car Planned for Israel

March 31, 2008

The cars produce zero emissions and zero noise. Making the cars even more attractive, the Israeli government has extended a tax incentive for purchasing zero-emissions vehicles until 2019, meaning the cars will cost, at most, the same price as an equivalent gasoline car.

Israel is considered a “perfect first mass market,” partly due to its shorter driving distances. Ninety percent of car owners in Israel drive fewer than 70 kilometers [43.5 miles] per day. The driving performance of the vehicles will be similar to a 1.6 liter [0.42 gallon] gasoline engine and will use lithium-ion batteries for greater driving range. The 2011 car is a three-box sedan with the goal to make it as normal as possible.

Tal Agassi, a part of the management team with Project Better Place said since oil will eventually run out, the time to act on such a project is now. “I really don’t think that there is any other way to go around our energy needs,” said Agassi. “So we can choose to wait until the last drop of oil, but once we get to the last drop of oil and we don’t have a solution, we are in very big trouble.”

Their solution will be made possible by Project Better Place’s recharging grid across Israel that will have 500,000 battery-charging spots. The amount of power remaining and the nearest recharging point will be given to the driver via an onboard computer system. When a battery is depleted, such as on trips longer than its 200-kilometer [124-mile] charge life, Project Better Place also thinks they will set up about 150 automated battery exchange stations where the battery can be replaced with a fully-charged battery in about three to five minutes—all without making the driver exit the car.

Speaking at a recent press conference for the project, Israel President Shimon Peres said this pioneering beginning “can grow into a revolution.” “I think what we really have in mind is not a penny, but the future, not how to make money, but how to make the world a world with fresh air, cleaner water, and a clearer capacity to live better.”

By Joshua Spurlock, BFP Israel Mosaic Radio

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