Better Place wants to be big in Japan

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Better Place, the Palo Alto start-up that wants to wire the world for electric cars, today conducted the first public demonstration of its vehicle battery-switching system in Japan.

Better Place, founded by Silicon Valley entrepreneur Shai Agassi, is trying to jump-start the adoption of electric cars by finding solutions to “range anxiety” — that sinking feeling that occurs when an electric car runs out of juice and there is no way to recharge it quickly. Such fears have made it difficult to persuade consumers that EVs are practical for much more than city driving and commuting.

In Yokohama, Better Place showed its two-pronged approach to the problem. It proposes to saturate cities or regions with charging stations that EV owners could use based on a subscription plan — similar to a cellphone plan — or a pay-as-you-charge basis.

The second part of the plan involves locating battery-switching stations along heavily traveled routes, where depleted batteries could be quickly switched out with fresh units, allowing drivers to make long trips without lengthy stops for battery recharging.

The Japanese government is pushing electric car adoption, and Better Place was one of several utilities, battery markers, car companies and other parties invited to participate in the project. Although no deals emerged with the Japanese government, Better Place thinks the demonstration had the desired effect.

“It’s one thing to see it on a Power Point slide show,” Jeff Curry of Better Place said. “It’s another thing to see it actually functioning in a real car.”

“Real car,” of course, is a relative term in the EV world. Nissan-Renault is planning to produce electric cars that eventually could include swappable batteries compatible with the Better Place system. But those cars aren’t in showrooms just yet.

There are also reservations about the whole concept of switchable batteries for cars. Besides meeting stringent safety requirements, there’s the issue of standardization — the latter being especially important when major manufacturers such as Toyota have expressed doubts about the idea.

But Better Place is forging ahead. It’s already installing a network in Israel, and has raised $135 million to get work started on one in Denmark. Fundraising efforts are under way in Australia, the Bay Area and elsewhere.

-- Martin Zimmerman