Feb 17, 2010

Electric Vehicle Demonstration Center Opens

Better Place, a company that aims to turn the auto industry toward an electric future, has announced the grand opening of the company’s first electric vehicle (EV) demonstration center in Israel.

Ironically, the new center is constructed inside a refurbished oil tank, symbolizing the transition to electric transportation taking place worldwide.

The company marked the occasion by announcing the signing of 92 corporate fleet owners as well as a partnership with Dor Alon, one of Israel’s leading gas station operators, for the deployment of battery-switch stations at Dor Alon’s facilities.

Ninety-two companies, including Computer Associates and Motorola, have joined the ranks of Better Place Vision Partners, which have agreed to convert a portion of over 45,000 conventional cars to electric vehicles from Renault when they become commercially available in 2011.

The opening of the Better Place Center represents an important step for the company as it prepares for commercial launch in Israel and Denmark next year. The Center is open to the public to come and familiarize themselves with all aspects of the Better Place solution: a fully electric, battery-powered car; a comprehensive infrastructure that includes charge spots and a battery-switch station; and a comprehensive suite of in-car services designed to provide drivers with the best possible EV driving experience.

“Today’s announcement marks another step toward our commercial launch next year in Israel,” said Moshe Kaplinsky, CEO, Better Place Israel. “Israel welcomes the world to come and experience the thrill of clean, electric vehicles.”

The Better Place Center is built on the Pi Glilot site, one of the last gasoline storage and distribution centers remaining in Israel. The Center offers a unique virtual experience along with a driving track for the electric vehicles, and it expects to receive tens of thousands of visitors from Israel and abroad in its first year. The tour of the center begins with a multimedia show and combines a large-screen experience with an innovative hologram and individual screens placed alongside the seats, fashioned out of old car seats. Each visitor then gets the opportunity to drive an electric vehicle a specially-designed 1.5 kilometer test track.

In the near future, the Better Place Center will have a demonstration edition of the Renault Fluence ZE, which will be available in Israel in 2011.