Karin Stanton / Hawaii247.com Contributing Editor

KAILUA-KONA — Imagine the world as a better place, one without the pollution and noise of myriad vehicles.

That’s what Shai Agassi envisioned. So, a year ago, the software entrepreneur revved up Better Place, a venture-backed company that aims to reduce global dependency on oil by providing a cleaner, sustainable, personal transportation alternative – the electric car.

With Israel, Denmark and Australia already on board, the company now is looking to make Hawaii a better place. A decision on whether to dive into the market across the state is likely to be made by year’s end; the project already has Gov. Linda Lingle’s approval.

“There are still financial details and decisions on whether or not it will work,” said Pete Cooper, the company’s Hawaii representative. “There’s been lots of positive reaction. People who are familiar with electric vehicles are enthusiastic.”

Cooper, in a visit to Kailua-Kona last week, said the biggest obstacle to bringing an electric vehicle infrastructure to Hawaii is the cost of electricity, although it is not insurmountable as the state expands its renewable and alternative energy production.

“That’s the one challenge specific to Hawaii – the cost of electricity,” he said. “There has to be an increasing amount of renewable energy to match the increase of electric vehicles.”

Cooper said the company faces other challenges, but is determined to break the global addiction to fossil fuels.

“Economies orbit around oil and its geo-political issues,” he said. “There is a growing sentiment trending toward electric vehicles.”

The mass adoption of electric cars requires four elements:
• Electric cars produced by major car companies that are competitive with internal combustion engine cars and offer a comparable experience;
• Safe and affordable batteries with a reasonable driving distance between charges;
• Exchangeable battery stations and ubiquity of charge networks to ensure customer confidence; and
• An affordable business model that reduces total electric car ownership.

The Better Place concept would allow consumers to buy a car – the company is partnering with Renault and Nissan Motor Company – and would lease them the battery. That means the cost of a mid-size, four-door vehicle would be in the $20,000 range; Better Place would own the $12,000 battery.
Drivers would sign a contract, much like a cell phone contract, and charge up at public stations, parking lots, and their homes.

For longer drives or when drivers don’t have three hours to wait for a full charge, head for a swap station. Similar to a car wash, the automated stations would swap out the depleted battery for a fully charged one.
Better Place already is building its first Electric Recharge Grids in Israel, Denmark, Australia and California. Wide scale deployment of electric vehicles for Israel and Denmark is set for 2011, while Australia and California are slated for 2012.

“We’re putting the plugs in all around Israel right now,” Cooper said.
In Israel, 90 percent of car owners drive about 40 miles per day and all major urban centers are less than 100 miles apart, which makes it ideal for electric cars to serve most of the population’s transportation needs.

And Hawaii could be the next ideal better place.

A Better Place electric car service port in Jack London Square, California. (Photo courtesy of Better Place)

— Find out more:
Better Place: www.betterplace.com
Shai Agassi: http://shaiagassi.typepad.com/