Company in talks to set up electric car network

BendiBus

Rather than add to a previous thread which referred to the same project in Denmark, here's the latest on developments in Ireland

Company in talks to set up electric car network

Electric cars could be a common sight on Irish roads by 2011, according to the European head of Better Place, a Californian firm that is in talks to set up an electric network in Ireland.

Christian Egenfeldt, European business development manager of Better Place, said the company was in advanced negotiations about securing investment worth hundreds of millions of euro from investors and strategic partners. The backing would allow the company to build the infrastructure necessary for widespread use of electric vehicles.

Better Place is already working with AGL Energy and Macquarie Capital Group in Australia to raise more than €50 million to fund an electric vehicle network there. The company is also building major networks in Israel and Denmark.

Egenfeldt said the company was targeting Ireland because of the government’s ‘‘very progressive attitude’’ towards reducing carbon emissions from the transport sector. The firm also believes the high cost of motoring in Ireland will lead to strong demand among motorists.

However, in order for the project to go ahead, Better Place needs to secure backing from large investors and power companies, according to Egenfeldt. It must also form partnerships with local retail chains in order to build a network of battery service stations.

Egenfeldt would not specify who Better Place was in negotiations with, but the firm is known to have held meetings with the ESB and senior government officials.

Energy minister Eamon Ryan and transport minister Noel Dempsey are soon expected to announce details of an electric transport programme designed to help Ireland hit EU carbon emissions targets.

At present, electric vehicles are exempt from vehicle registration tax (VRT) and are liable for motor tax at the lowest rate, since the tax is calculated on the basis of carbon emissions.

‘‘It is up to the government to decide how much they want this to happen,” Egenfeldt said. He cited the example of the Danish government, which has scrapped a range of motoring taxes on electric vehicles, meaning that the electric equivalent of a €45,000 conventional car could be bought for €15,000.

Better Place does not supply electric cars, but builds the infrastructure to support their use. Owners of electric vehicles pay a subscription fee to the company, which supplies a battery for their car, a recharging station for their home and a network of battery replacement depots at locations around the country.

Egenfeldt said that, for every 100,000 electric vehicles on the road, the firm anticipated having between 250,000 and 300,000 charging stations and a further 100 to 150 battery exchange stations. With a typical charge lasting for 160 kilometres, motorists undertaking longer journeys can swap their battery at these stations.

The process is wholly automated, takes around three minutes, and the driver simply drives into the station as they would with a car wash.

Charging of vehicles takes up to three hours and Egenfeldt said that the system would be optimised to ensure that charging took place late at night, when electricity was cheapest and demand low. He said that electric cars could now rival the performance of conventional vehicles and it was possible to buy a large family car capable of driving at speeds over 100 kilometres an hour.

Better Place already has a partnership agreement with Renault Nissan and is in discussions with other car manufacturers, according to Egenfeldt. The firm was founded last October by Shai Agassi, a former senior executive with software firm SAP, and raised first round of funding of more than €155 million from a range of investors.

The earlier thread:

Denmark signs up for electric car infrastructure

Húrin

This alone makes me think it's a spoof:

Egenfeldt said the company was targeting Ireland because of the government’s ‘‘very progressive attitude’’ towards reducing carbon emissions from the transport sector.