Plugged in and ready to go

On the whole, Better Place customers are satisfied with their product, though they point to a few less convenient aspects.

By MAURICE PICOW
electric car (photo credit: courtesy brian london)
electric car
(photo credit: courtesy brian london)
David and Aviva Rose were among the first private individuals to receive a Renault Fluence ZE car from the Better Place electric car company in April. Since then, they have driven it more than 10,000 km., and they have nothing but praise for the battery-powered vehicle.
“We received our car on April 4 and did our first battery swap on May 26,” says David, referring to the battery-exchanging stations that the company has opened across the country to accommodate the new cars, as an alternative to gas stations. “The average time it has taken to switch the battery has been around four and a half minutes – about the same time it takes to go through an automatic car wash.”
The Roses, who made aliya from Maryland in 1980, now live in the pastoral community of Vered Hagalil, just north of the Kinneret. Aviva, a teacher and counselor, drives the electric car to and from work daily. David hopes they will soon be able to drive it all the way from Vered Hagalil to Eilat; more battery-exchange stations are set to come online in the Negev and Arava regions within a few months.
The Roses are not alone. After more than four years and much anticipation, the country’s first Fluence ZE owners are now taking to the roads in their 100% electric cars. Better Place’s long-awaited launch of 100 of these cars in January began with a dream by company founder Shai Agassi and the blessing of the Transportation Ministry back in 2007. The first stage of the company’s countrywide electric car network is now in place, including several batteryexchange stations in select locations such as Yokne’am, Elyakim, Hadera and Yarkonim.
“The idea from the beginning was to establish the charging and batteryexchange network before the cars go out on the road,” says Julie Mullins, who works in communications and marketing development at Better Place.
She explains that each car purchaser enrolls in a monthly service and logistics agreement with the company, which includes the electricity necessary to charge the 250-kg. lithium ion battery pack, and enables the car owner to switch the spent batteries at the company’s exchange stations for free.
“At present, there are around 10 of these switching stations already online in Israel, and several more will be ready in two or three months, enabling drivers to extend their cruising beyond the average of 140 km.
from a fully charged battery,” she says.
In addition to the battery-switching stations, Better Place installs a blue “charging post” at the purchaser’s residence, allowing the owner to recharge the battery at night when overall electricity rates are lower. It takes around eight hours to charge fully.
David Rose hopes the car will help reduce air pollution, saying that while he is aware that electric company power plants use fossil fuels, “the pollution these plants cause is still much less than overall air pollution caused by cars on the road.”
He adds that people still think his car is a hybrid and keep trying to find the gas tank.
ELIYAHU AND Shira Smiles, who made aliya 10 years ago from the US on one of the first Nefesh B’Nefesh flights, received their car in May and have since put slightly more than 3,500 km on it, mostly on trips outside their home in Ramat Beit Shemesh.
“People in my neighborhood are mostly religious Jews of American and French origin. They seem to like the idea of this kind of car, and others are thinking about buying one,” says Eliyahu Smiles, a Mississippi native.
He says he opted for the minimum distance agreement with Better Place, which is 20,000 km. a year and includes all logistical assistance and other benefits.
“They first gave us a 50-percent discount on the monthly service agreement due to not all charging and battery-switching stations being set up yet; and [the discount will be in effect] until more stations are in operation,” he says. He received a further price reduction for having signed up in advance for a four-year plan.
His wife drives the car to her job in Jerusalem three times a week, he says. “She isn’t able to recharge the battery at her job, as there is no facility available.
But so far, she has enough juice in the battery to get there and back to Beit Shemesh.”
Drivers who work for companies that have leasing agreements with car rental companies like Albar, Eldan and Avis will soon be able to lease the ZE cars as well. Because these drivers travel mostly to and from work – usually no more than 50 km. a day on average – they can leave the car to charge at the company while they work, and drive home on a full battery.
Asked why he decided to buy the car, Smiles points to the Jewish concept of tikkun olam, or repairing the world.
“Jews like to find ways they can help improve the world in which they live,” he says. “Because of the environmental advantages of owning this kind of car, it seemed like the right thing to do.”
The Smileses’ longest trip so far was from Beit Shemesh to Sderot and Netivot, and then on to Jerusalem. They charged the battery at the Mamilla Mall and later returned to Beit Shemesh. In each direction, he adds, they switched the battery in Kiryat Gat as well. They have also taken the car to Rachel’s Tomb in the West Bank.
So far, he is happy with Better Place’s service.
“The car has an on-board computer and GPS that ‘gets to know’ each driver and can calculate how he or she drives in order to save electricity,” he explains. “The computer can also tell drivers whether or not they can make it to their destination before needing a recharge or battery swap.”
However, he acknowledges that the system has its limits, noting that the software is “a work in progress like any computer” and that the software program does not function properly if he leaves the computer’s USB in activation mode.
“You only need the software to plan trips, as the company’s tech support center figures everything out. Someone who doesn’t know computers might get confused, though,” he says.
In addition, he believes that not using accessories like air conditioning will enable the car to travel further. “I can see this happens during the hot months of July and August when use of an A.C. is necessary,” he says.
He doesn’t know what kind of service he can expect from Better Place later on, but as of now, he is satisfied.
SO IS former Londoner Brian London, who also received his car in May.
“I was a real petrol guy as far as cars were concerned and have driven all types of cars, including luxury models like Mercedes Benz and Toyota’s Lexus. I went to a presentation that Better Place had for their car network idea that included a movie in which the company founder, Shai Agassi, talked about the need to wean the world off dependence on fossil fuels. This made me start thinking about this alternative transportation concept.
I was really impressed afterward, after seeing a caravan of them traveling on the highway – the first batch of cars delivered in January.”
London, who arrived in Israel with his family three years ago, took a short test drive in one of the cars at the Better Place center in Pi Glilot.
“I was very impressed by the car’s silence and handling qualities that reminded me a lot of how high-priced luxury models feel. Yet here was a car that was being sold for considerably less money – NIS 123,000 for the basic model and the monthly usage agreement that went along with it. I had been in the market for a new car, due to my oleh rights to purchase a car [with reduced taxes] nearly expiring. I was able to purchase this car for a lot less than my target purchase price, including the service agreement,” he says.
Like Rose and Smiles, London took out the minimum usage agreement of 20,000 km. a year, as he did not drive much on a daily basis.
“I usually drive about 40 km. per day,” he says. “But now I want to drive more, due to the way the car handles on the road.
So far, we have driven around 3,600 km. since receiving the car on May 23. I’ve also exchanged the battery four times.”
He, too, opted for the four-year prepaid service and usage agreement, and automatically received a discount.
His wife Keren is still reluctant to drive the car, he admits; she prefers to drive a regular fuel-driven car.
Up to now, they have mainly taken the car on a couple of jaunts from their Ramat Hasharon home to Jerusalem, and once to Beit Shemesh to see a concert. On their first trip, to the capital’s Mamilla Mall, they switched the battery in Modi’in.
“I was still a bit nervous about running out of charge in the battery. It later turned out I didn’t need to do this, as there would have been enough battery charge since the Mamilla Mall now has Better Place charging posts in their parking garage. On the second trip there, and after a four-hour charge at Mamilla, we got back home with no problem.”
Just in case, though, the company does provide extra assurance for its drivers: According to London, the battery-swapping stations have at least one or two cars available for car owners’ use in the event that there are no charged batteries on hand.
“This gives people extra peace of mind,” he adds.
London’s longest trip to date was a recent 306-km. business trip from his home to the Tefen industrial park near Karmiel, which involved switching the battery at the newly opened Vulcan Junction swapping station between Haifa and Karmiel.
“We were also helped by being able to charge the battery for three hours while we conducted our business and had lunch at our destination,” he adds.
On the down side, he says that at present his family still cannot go on extra-long trips, such as to Mitzpe Ramon or to Eilat.
He also says that driving in hilly areas, such as the route to Jerusalem, requires extra power and throws off the car’s mileage calculation computer, which can calculate the energy needed in flat areas to within 98 percent accuracy.
“I have already noticed that when driving in hilly areas that require more energy usage, the energy usage discrepancy increases to 10%-15%. This means that this much additional energy usage has to be taken in account when driving in these areas, such as to Jerusalem and other hilly areas like the Dead Sea.”
Compared to other cars he has driven, he says, the ZE performs well. “It’s very quiet on the road, doesn’t shake or shimmy, and has amazing acceleration when pulling away from traffic lights.
One has to understand that while a petrol-driven car has to go through its acceleration and gear sequence to reach a certain road speed, the ZE car doesn’t have this problem. It goes straight on and reaches a desired road speed much faster.”
In addition, he notes, “the ZE car won’t wear out as fast as a petrol-driven one. The electric motor is much more durable.”
WHILE BETTER Place’s road service infrastructure is now being implemented here in Israel, other countries, such as Denmark, are taking more time to go on-line.
According to one Danish car news writer, although there are now around 500 Better Place charging stations in his country, the first battery-switching station is only now about to become operational. He says that Better Place delivered 76 Renault Fluence ZE cars last month, but he does not know how many will arrive by the end of July.
In addition, he says, another Renault electric model, the ZOE (a smaller car about the size of the Renault Cleo) is being introduced in Denmark, but it does not have a switchable battery.
“Here, we can also buy the Nissan Leaf ZE car, as well as sport models like the Tesla [an expensive sports roadster and coupe made by the US’s Tesla Motors],” he says. “The Fluence ZE car can also be bought here directly from Renault, but one needs to also purchase the Better Place service agreement that goes along with it.”
Here, so far drivers are satisfied with their product, though London admits the car isn’t suitable for everyone.
“Anyone who uses a car to commute short distances to work, say no more than 30 km.-40 km. each way, will be comfortable with this car. But for people who drive really long distances each day... it might not work out that well for them,” he sums up.
How it works
C alifornia native Julie Mullins joined the Better Place electric car enterprise in August 2008. Having relocated to its first market, Israel, in January 2011, she now works in the company’s communications and marketing development division and is involved in establishing the electric car network in Australia, Denmark and the UK as well.
“If we were to explain what we are doing in one simple sentence, I can say that we at Better Place buy electricity and batteries for these cars, and then provide the infrastructure that goes with driving them,” she says.
In order to market the car so it could compete price-wise with non-electric models, as well as break into a high-volume auto market, Better Place decided to separate the ownership of the car and the battery used to power the car. The cost of the battery alone is around $12,000.
“This battery and car separation idea has enabled a reduction in price for the car and also is better for the car purchaser,” she explains.
People who buy the car sign up for a monthly service package agreement with the company. These packages started at a minimum annual distance of 20,000 kilometers, which costs around NIS 1,100 per month (NIS 0.65 per km.). However, the company is now reaching out to drivers who drive less on an annual basis, and as a result it has reduced the minimum distance to 12,000 km.
“This distance reduction opens the purchase of the [Renault Fluence] ZE car to customers who don’t drive as much, such as retirees,” says Mullins.
A car owner or leaseholder who agrees to purchase a three-year service agreement receives an up-front discount of NIS 0.55 per km.
“For new owners, the service package agreement is more standardized than it was when earlier purchasers were given special deals as an inducement,” she says. “The prices for the service packages haven’t really changed, but we’ve structured them on a per-kilometer basis to make the calculation simpler.”
According to Mullins, Israelis will soon have other brands of electric cars available as well, including a Citroen model, the GM Chevrolet Volt and the Nissan Leaf. However, she points out, these companies will have less flexibility when it comes to infrastructure.
“At present, only Better Place has an electric car infrastructure,” she explains. “This means that other electric car importers may have to enter into an infrastructure agreement with our company, at least as far as recharging the car battery. They will not be able to switch their car’s battery, as only the Renault Fluence car has an exchangeable battery.”
The locations of the 10 battery exchange stations now in operation range from Beit She’an to Kiryat Gat.
“We hope to have stations opening every week, with more in the South, toward Eilat,” she says. Other stations include the Vulcan Junction near Haifa and the Yarkon Junction near Petah Tikva.
“We are now working with a large number of companies that want to sign up with us, such as Cellcom and Matrix,” she adds. “At least 200 companies are interested in our concepts, and we are working on converting the desire of these companies for this technology into orders for fleet cars for use by their employees.”
TAKING OUT one of the cars for a test drive turns out to be an experience of its own. The acceleration is quick, since the car does not go though a gear-changing sequence as gasoline-driven cars usually do.
“With an electric motor there is no wasted fuel, like in an ordinary car,” says Mullins, who has come along for the ride. True enough, the car responds well and is virtually noise-free except for the sound of the tires on the pavement.
Mullins acknowledges that the power plants that supply the electricity for these cars use fossil fuels like coal, heavy fuel oil and natural gas, but she argues that the cars reduce air pollution on the roads.
“It’s true that all power plants run on some form of fossil fuel – even though natural gas is somewhat cleaner than the others. The idea, though, is that every electric ZE car that is being driven means that much less air pollution on the highways. We now have around 350 cars delivered and many more are on order.”
She adds that when the offshore natural gas fields are finally delivering to the mainland, this will mean less need for power-plant fuels like coal and oil.
“The idea is to eventually wean car drivers off depending on using petroleum as an energy source,” she says, expressing hope that solar and other forms of renewable energy will one day be available as well.
“It’s just a matter of time before the Israeli government realizes that there is no choice other than to devote more efforts into developing renewable energy projects,” she says. – M.P.


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