HAWAII IS A GREAT PLACE FOR BETTER PLACE

"Some men see things as they are and ask ‘Why?’ I dream things that never were and ask ‘Why not?’" …attributed to Robert F. Kennedy

These precious words, attributed to RFK, should not be quoted lightheartedly. Yet they could not but come to mind when Shai Agassi announced he had pulled yet another high-profile partner into his breathtakingly ambitious electric vehicle scheme.

It was barely a week ago that the Mayors of the San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose (California) metropolitan region signed on, joining the governments of Israel, Denmark and Australia. Now Agassi has his first entire state, Hawaii.

The Better Place plan should be familiar by now. The company wants to sell all-electric vehicles (EVs) co-manufactured by Nissan and Renault at competitive prices and make its real revenue by signing drivers up to monthly usage plans, based on miles driven and minutes charged onto the EV battery, a business plan modeled on the cell phone industry.

To make the use of EVs convenient, Better Place will build a system of charging stations everywhere local, commute-distance drivers will likely go (downtown curbsides, mall and office parking structures, neighborhoos and garages). Agassi describes the charging stations as like parking meters except that the driver takes electricity out instead of putting coins in.

To make EV use practical for long distance driving, Better Place will build a system of battery-swapping stations, never farther apart than the ultimate range of the vehicle’s battery (~ 100-to-200 miles at present). Agassi describes these stations as like car washes except the automated process swaps out a run-down battery for a fully charged one in less time than it takes to get a car washed.

It is far from clear that the Better Place scheme will succeed but it is quite clear there is a real genius in Agassi’s dream of something that never was.

In selecting his home country of Israel for the plan’s first trial, he selected a small country with little inconveniently long-distance travel and an intelligent, progressive population with a particularly high motivation to escape dependence on petroleum-based transport.

In selecting Denmark for the plan’s next trial, he chose another conveniently small country and progressive population and, perhaps more importantly, a country with a lot of very cheap wind-generated electricity being produced at night that it is anxious to put to use charging batteries.

Australia is not an obvious choice. It will, perhaps, be Agassi’s biggest test. But Australia has enormous undeveloped solar and wind resources for which Better Place might provide development motivation. Too, Australia is an import-dependent island nation extremely motivated to kick the oil habit. For Better Place, though, Australia’s most unique feature is its vast interior covered largely by a single artery. This will facilitate, under especially controllable circumstances, the development of the battery-swap stations for long-distance drivers.

The SF Bay Area metro region population is progressive, aware of and anxious to get at battery-driven vehicles and its use of the relatively new Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) subway/metro rail system proves its adaptability to new transport.

Hawaii has characteristics of all the previously chosen trials and Governor Lingle has recently committed the state to obtaining 70% of its power from New Energy sources by 2030. (see WHAT HAWAII WILL DO WITH NEW ENERGY).

Part of moving her state to this enormous reliance on New Energy is the Governor’s commitment to a newer, smarter transmission system. Agassi is anxious to demonstrate that his EVs can participate in a V2G New Energy/Smart Grid system. Lingle sees the EVs as a way to make her New Energy go farther by using the cars’ batteries for short-term storage.

Linda Lingle, Governor, Hawaii: "This is the preferred future…Today is a part of the execution of our energy independence, and our getting off the addiction to oil."

Agassi sees one extra benefit in opening up Hawaii to Better Place: Rentals to the state’s 5 million yearly Japanese tourists could lead to opportunity in Japan.

The Better Place world, so far. (click to enlarge)

Hawaii to be 1st state with electric car stations
Audrey McAvoy, December 3, 2008 (AP)

WHO
The State of Hawaii (Linda Lingle, Governor); Better Place (Shai Aggasi, founder/CEO)

WHAT
Lingle announced Hawaii would become the 1st entire U.S. state to participate in the Better Place electric vehicle experiment.

The Better Place Hawaii plan. (click to enlarge)

WHEN
- In October, Governor Lingle announced an ambitious plan to have the state obtaining 70% of its power from New Energy sources by 2030
- Better Place hopes to have its system running in parts of Hawaii by 2011 and statewide by 2012.

WHERE
- The state of Hawaii will join the countries of Israel, Denmark and Australia and the San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose (California) metropolitan region as participants in the Better Place plan.
- Better Place is based in Palo Alto, Ca.

WHY
- Agassi was anxious to get Hawaii signed on to his project after Governor Lingle announced aggressive plans to shift the state away from fossil fuels.
- Hawaii imports oil for ~ 90 percent of its energy. One-third of that oil is used to power cars and buses on island streets.
- The Better Place plan has 3 basic parts: (1) All-electric vehicles will be sold at cost-competitive prices along with subscription plans; (2) Charging stations will be built everywhere for short distance driving; (3) Battery swap stations will be built close enough together to facilitate long-distance travel.
- Better Place will buy off-peak New Energy to charge its batteries from Hawaiian Electric Co., the state's largest utility.
- There will be 50,000-to-100,000 charge spots in parking lots, downtown streets, and neighborhoods.
- Agassi insists his company’s electric cars will be cost-competitive with gas-powered vehicles and, because they take half the time to make and have fewer moving parts, will eventually be cheaper.
- Lingle says the plan will not cost her state any extra revenues but Hawaii may offer tax breaks to get the project rolling.

Better Place: The car and the concept. From Imaguration via YouTube.

QUOTES
- Governor Lingle, on the possibility of introducing other EVs in Hawaii: "Nobody will want to be left on the sidelines once these networks are up…"
- Agassi, Better Place: "If we can get [Hawaii’s 5 million yearly Japanese tourists] into electric cars when they rent, we do two great things…One, we avoid emissions and, two, we use the opportunity to educate them, to teach them in Hawaii how it needs to be done in the rest of the world."