Major Step toward Renewable Energy

Factors might be reaching critical mass in Israel for that embattled country to switch from gasoline- and diesel-burning vehicles to electrically powered vehicles. Some suggest that for the first time in history all the conditions necessary for electric vehicles to be successfully mass-marketed on a national basis will be brought together in a partnership between the Renault-Nissan Alliance and Project Better Place in Israel. In the proposed move, 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 contemplated by the project will run on pure electricity and produce nearly zero emissions, while at the same time offering driving performances similar to that offered by a car powered by a 1.6-liter gasoline engine. They will be equipped with newly developed lithium-ion batteries, ensuring greater range and longevity.

Project Better Place plans to deploy a massive network of battery-charging spots throughout Israel. Because of this driving range will no longer be a giant obstacle, since 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. Re-charge time, however, might still be an issue.

The proposal comes in response to the Israel's challenge to the auto industry and its supply chain to migrate the country's transportation infrastructure to renewable sources of energy. The country might be a fertile spawning ground for electric vehicles since 90 percent of its car owners drive fewer than 43 miles (70 kilometers) per day, and all major urban centers are fewer than 100 miles apart. This environment mitigates the prime objection to electric vehicles -- their limited range.

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