Israel Takes Major Step Toward Renewable Energy
Country to Run on Electric Vehicles; Reduce CO2 Emissions and Particles Pollution
For the first time in history, all the conditions necessary for electric vehicles to be successfully mass-marketed will be brought together in a partnership between the Renault-Nissan Alliance and Project Better Place in Israel. The Israeli government would provide tax incentives to customers, Renault-Nissan Alliance would supply the electric vehicles, and Project Better Place would construct and operate an Electric Recharge Grid across the entire country. Electric vehicles will be available for customers in 2011.
The vehicles will run on pure electricity. The objective of zero emissions will be achieved, while at the same time offering driving performances similar to a 1.6 liter gasoline engine. They will be equipped with lithium-ion batteries, ensuring greater autonomy and longevity.
Project Better Place plans to deploy a massive network of battery charging spots. Driving range will no longer be an obstacle, because customers will be able to plug their cars into charging units in any of the 500,000 charging spots in Israel. An on-board computer system will indicate to the driver the remaining power supply and the nearest charging spot.
This comes in response to the Israeli State’s challenge to the auto industry and its supply chain to migrate the country’s transportation infrastructure to renewable sources of energy.
In Israel, where 90% of car owners drive less than 70 kilometers per day, and all major urban centers are less than 150 kilometers apart, this would be the ideal means of transportation and could therefore cover most of the population’s transportation needs.
