Better Place Swapping Stations
For some time now I’ve been harping on the problem of infrastructure as the central difficulty in the widespread adoption of electric vehicles. Better Place, a company headquartered in Palo Alto, California, has come up with an innovative approach to solving that very problem – swapping stations to change out spent car batteries with fresh ones. And it’s all automated, the driver never even has to get out of the car.
The following two-minute video (while not a thrilling production), shows how the process would work. It’s oddly reminiscent of a really, really quiet trip through a robo-wash -like procedure.
Green Inc. the New York Times Energy & Environment blog runs down the planned proliferation of these stations in the piece, “Better Place Unveils Battery Swap Station” by Kate Galbraith on May 13. The idea is a new take on the tried and true filling station and would allow electrics to take trips of 100 miles or more while charging up at home when the longer distances are not required. While the fees in these scenario are still somewhat unclear, it’s hard not to feel that this is the right direction for EV “fueling.”