Better Place Denmark EV charging network powers through worst winter in 14 years
During the first major snows of this winter in Denmark, the running joke was: what happens when a charge spot is designed on the Equator and installed in the Arctic? To our delight, the charge spots powered through the worst winter we’ve had in 14 years, keeping our initial users fully charged.
During fall 2009 and winter 2010, Better Place Denmark and our colleagues from Palo Alto and Tel Aviv installed the first phase of our initial deployment of infrastructure in Denmark, including more than 60 charge spots in a number of locations in and around Copenhagen.
We have selected a number of EV drivers to use our charging network at no cost for the initial phase that runs through the first half of 2010. The user group represents private individual users, private fleet owners and public fleet owners. The user insight that we are gaining here in Denmark is being incorporated into our global R&D and deployment plans, helping us ensure that our EV network and services fully meet the needs (and even exceed the expectations) of our subscribers.
The network can be seen on our website specially developed for the initial deployment phase. It is also the first time we developed user-facing materials that articulate how to use our network and charging service, so it is a significant milestone for the whole company. We have developed a number of tools to support the first users of our Denmark charging network, including:
1. A comprehensive User Guide
2. A Quick Reference Guide with charging network map and instructions
3. A charging kit including a custom Better Place cable contained in a branded bag
4. A mobile charging network website
The toughest winter in 14 years was also a very good stress test of our charge spots and our system as such. Perhaps the greatest sign of success was that we came through the winter without any malfunctions or service calls to our 24/7 customer support call center.
The infrastructure deployed in and around Copenhagen represents the first steps in our agreements signed with the municipalities in Denmark. Today, Better Place Denmark has signed agreements with 10 municipalities in Denmark and 7 Vision Partner agreements with private companies.
As the winter snows start to thaw, we are beginning to ramp up infrastructure deployment and travel further down the road to sustainable transportation.
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