EV revolution in a Better Place
Denmark charged and ready for electric vehicle sale by early next yearWith Denmark anticipating national coverage by Q1 2012, the electric car is closer than many may think. To date, the Better Place model has attracted 1000 firm orders – eight months before the first car is even delivered.
Denmark’s geography, concentrated road network and population size makes it an ideal starting point for the electric vehicle model, with 20 battery swap stations ensuring an electric car is never more than 65km from a fresh battery. As well, street-side and home charging points offer top-up or complete charge, filling an empty battery in six to eight hours.
Street-side charging stations are already being installed in Denmark with 60 sites in Copenhagen already good to go. Eventually, 500 six-car sites will be installed in business districts, dense residential areas and large parking centres, such as shopping malls and airports, across the country, eventually offering a 1:10 ratio of charge points to electric vehicles.
Battery switching stations will offer a drive-in/drive-out scenario similar to a car wash that exchanges the battery beneath your car for a fresh one in less than six minutes. Placed strategically across the country, Better Place says these facilities will service up to 80 per cent of the country’s population. The system ensures drivers have guaranteed access to a serviced battery, as well as the latest advances in battery technology.
These stations, currently configured for the Renault Fluence ZE, can handle up to 12 different battery types, with the scope to reconfigure as the market expands. Eventually, Better Place aims to offer a corridor through major European capitals allowing battery switching between countries, the proposed route to link Denmark, Holland, Belgium, France, Spain and the UK. If all else fails, Better Place customers are offered a significant 25 per cent discount on rental vehicles for those times when an EV just won’t do.
As for private buyers, Better Place will have a charging station installed in your home within 30 days of placing an order. The subscriptions range in price depending on just how far you plan to travel with a network of approved tradespeople installing an intelligent wallbox in an appropriate location. This system knows how much power is required to charge your vehicle and “learns” your driving pattern so as to ensure the car ready to go when required. If you need the car sooner, a button on top of the box will override the system and commence charging immediately.
Connected services, through Smartphones, iPads and PC show remotely your state of charge (and other useful information) from 5 Euro per month. Better Place says the average home installation is around 800 Euro, it’s plug standardised to charge all brands of electric vehicles. Electricity is included in your subscription and will not appear on your domestic utility bill.
The car itself is covered by the same finance, warranty and maintenance offered as conventionally powered Renault vehicles.
Fast Facts:
- Europe consumes 85 million barrels of oil per day
- Europeans spend 25 million Euro a day on petrol and diesel
- 30 billion tonnes of CO2 is emitted from cars annually in Europe alone
- An estimated 3 billion electric cars can be built from the lithium supplies available
- On average, for every two hours a car is driven, it is parked for 22
- Smart GPS software knows where your nearest charge point is and adapts to real-time traffic conditions
- When charged from the grid, the average electric car emits 40g/km of CO2
- 20 per cent of Denmark’s power comes from renewable sources
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