In the world of batteries, what does “end of life” really mean? According to the industry, end of life is defined as that point in time when a battery has lost 20% of its original energy storage capacity or 25% of its peak power capacity. This implies that an EV battery, with an initial range of 100 miles per charge, will reach its end of life when, years later, it only delivers 80 miles per charge.

That time is likely to be reached only after the battery has carried an electric car about 200,000 miles or 2,000 cycles. But that’s not really the end for an EV battery – it’s just the beginning of a second life that not many people know about. read more >>

Earth2Tech has reported that Tesla’s long-anticipated Model S will include a switchable battery. The wide, long and flat battery will be positioned underneath the car to make the automated battery switch process quick and efficient – in fact, Tesla is quoted saying that the switch process will take around 60 seconds.

At Better Place, we’re enthused at the growing momentum we’re seeing around battery switch from automakers and governments. It’s great to see Tesla embracing battery switch and the recent announcements by Chinese government officials that they have selected battery switch technology in combination with standard charging (instead of fast charge) as the preferred standard. read more >>

Here in Hong Kong, Mayor Michael Bloomberg vowed to promote the rollout of electric taxis immediately upon being sworn in as head of C40, the coalition of cities founded to fight carbon emissions.

In his inaugural speech yesterday, Bloomberg discussed how national governments have struggled to promote sustainability, and how it is up to the world’s great cities to fill the vacuum of leadership with decisive action. Where to start? Bloomberg pointed out that C40 member cities collectively have over 1 million taxis that could go electric. He said, “Think of that — a million-plus autos, the most iconic vehicles in our downtowns, that we can start to work together to make more efficient and less polluting.” read more >>

The Report of the Prime Minister’s Task Group on Energy Efficiency, issued last week, contained promising recommendations to lower our carbon footprint in Australia. But it also seriously erred in perpetuating the myth that electric cars are much worse emitters than petrol vehicles. The report claimed that electric vehicles produce 30 per cent more carbon per kilometre than their petrol-powered counterparts, echoing similar conclusions made in The Garnaut Climate Change Review, and the high-profile ClimateWorks paper by consultants McKinsey & Co. The claim is simply wrong. A straightforward assessment that uses fuel consumption ratings published in the Federal Government’s Green Vehicle Guide shows that electric cars in fact deliver significantly lower carbon emissions than similar-sized petrol cars. read more >>

Three years ago Better Place’s journey began with the vision of a virtual oil field – an approach to integrating renewable energy, smart grid technology, and advanced batteries to create an unparalleled electric car user experience for the mass market.

A lot has transpired to make this vision a reality and to bring us to the cusp of our commercial launch in Israel and Denmark. We’ve demonstrated that the technology and solution are real. With Renault, we’ve partnered to deliver the first, mass-market, switchable-battery EV, and we’ve built a strong supply chain with partners like Intel, Microsoft, Flextronics, and Continental. We’ve received significant financial validation from some of the world’s most conservative institutions (HSBC, Lazard Asset Management, Morgan Stanley Investment Management) in the form of one of the largest clean tech investments to date, to support our first markets. The addition of a world-class company like GE is another strong validation and a great opportunity for both companies to ensure that EVs reach their full potential. read more >>