Israel begins extensive electric vehicle charging station program
12/09/2008, 8:44 AM
By Andrew Ganz
Over 400 electric vehicle charging stations have been built in Israel since June and the country says it is on track to build a total of 100,000 such stations by 2010. Yesterday, Israel officially began an initiative aimed at reducing the country’s dependence on oil with a fleet of electric cars developed by Renault-Nissan. The electric cars are set to be on Israel’s streets by 2011.
With the help of Project Better Place, a California-based company, the country is building a massive infrastructure that it hopes will lure Israelis out of gasoline cars and into electric cars.
Pini Leiberman, the infrastructure manager of Project Better Place, says that the cars will cost less to operate than equivalent gasoline-fueled vehicles. The charging stations, which will be located every 25 miles in rural areas and will be much more widespread in cities, will calculate the cost of charging based on the number of miles the car drove between charges.
The company is also developing battery changing stations to swap out drained batteries for new ones for drivers who don’t have time to recharge.
If the initiative comes together as planned, Israel is set to be the first country to have a large fleet of electric cars operating on its streets.
12/09, 9:07 AM
posted by:
RaineMan
Amazing the Middle Eastern countries can figure this out and we cannot.
12/09, 9:33 AM
posted by:
Z06ified
The U.S. funnels billions of dollars to Israel every year, and then they buy from the French and Japanese? That’s the thanks we get (along with most of the world hating us). That’s messed up.
12/09, 10:45 AM
posted by:
pavlindrom
Go Israel!
12/09, 11:23 AM
posted by:
idrinorbarsaku
this was the last place i would imagine to start doing this? it just shows how little we care
12/09, 11:47 AM
posted by:
tastyorange
Z06ified.
The reason Israel isn’t buying electric cars from the US is because we AREN”T producing any that are affordable!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GM and Toyota made some in the past…. but forcibly took them back and crushed them.
If you know of ANY all-electric cars being produced RIGHT NOW in the USA (other than the expensive Tesla), please let me know and I will admit I AM ignorant.
RaineMan.
It isn’t the “middle eastern” countries figuring this out. It’s ONE middle eastern country: Israel.
idrinorbarsaku.
Why7 is it the last place you would think of doing this?
Israel is a very forward thinking country as far as alternative energy is concerned.
12/09, 1:41 PM
posted by:
crackerhemi
No, tastyorange. You are not being ignorant. Z06ified is just a brainless moron.
12/09, 3:00 PM
posted by:
yarddog82abn
DON’T MESS WITH THE ZOHAN….
12/09, 3:43 PM
posted by:
F3INT))AP3X
I think I am more amazed that they can set all of this up while being in conflict all the time. With the necessary funds however this is not a difficult project even though the headlines blow it up to be so. Israel currently holds somewhere around 7.5 million people and when you compare that population to spots in the US that would be like arranging charging stations for about 5 major cities which in and of itself is not a challenge. So in a roundabout sort of way I am addressing RaineMan’s comment there at the top; yay for Israel for doing this but as for the US not being able to “figure it out,” it is simply a matter of our country holds 40 times the amount of people that theirs does making a bit harder.
12/09, 3:46 PM
posted by:
F3INT))AP3X
To make that even more clear to people who would ask why not even one of our cities has been converted this way, Silicon Valley (I gotta rep the Bay) is already in process of doing this and depending on its success as a system the government will likely start to form a plan at a National level for said technologies.
12/09, 5:04 PM
posted by:
athens
I had read the ultimate goal for Israel was 500,000 charging stations, with most of the electricity coming from a solar panel grid. This for a country of 4 million people.
This is the same alliance that is implementing charging infrastructures in San Francisco and Portland by end of 2010 to charge a fleet of plug-in Nissan-Renault municipal or local government vehicles.
Anyone have doubts whether Nissan will weather the automotive storm?
12/09, 5:10 PM
posted by:
athens
BTW the Renault Megane based plug-in is expected to run at prices less than comparable gas powered models.
All-electric version
The electric version of the Mégane saloon that Renault is building will come with a lifetime warranty, and payment will follow the model established by the mobile-phone industry. After buying the car, owners will subscribe to a battery-replacement and charging plan based on their anticipated mileage. Recharging will be done at one of 500,000 spots that Project Better Place will build and maintain.
12/25, 12:24 AM
posted by:
myaddi
tastyorange-its refreshing to see that there’s a few of us out there that haven’t been completely brainwashed to think that israel is the backwards country here. they have been at the forefront of technology and innovation since their establishment, they have helped the world of science and medicine in ways that would be unimaginable by a country the size of RHODE ISLAND! (to put it into perspective)
it is simply a matter of will power. the israeli people do not want anymore blood oil…the money they pay to pump gas into their vehicles quite literally goes to the mullahs who hand out checks to the families of suicide bombers that kill israelis. the israelis realize this and have taken pro-active steps towards self-reliance. if only america did the same…