Jeremy Bass•3 Jun 2013
NEWS
Renault hammers final nail in Better Place's coffin
Technology partner Renault officially ends relationship with battery and EV infrastructure supplier Better PlaceRenault, maker of the only car designed to accommodate Better Place’s battery swap technology, has severed ties completely with its former partner. The French giant has set about assuring owners of its all-electric Fluence ZE that their warranties and maintenance services will not be affected.
Renault’s Asia-Pacific chief, Gilles Norman, told media last week that the company had declined to take part in Better Place’s final round of fundraising. “This is not our role,” he said, adding that the company’s investment in the partnership “hasn't been significant”.
The deal, struck in 2008, saw Renault develop and build the compact sedan around Better Place’s QuickDrop battery-leasing business model, aimed at effectively extending range by allowing drivers to take their cars into fully automated exchange stations for sub-five minute battery swaps.
Shortly after, the pair were forecasting sales of 100K or more of the cars in Better Place’s main markets of Israel and Denmark by 2016. By the time Better Place was wound up in May, Renault had sold 1000 Fluence ZEs in Israel and 240 in Denmark.
While the car was designed to accommodate the Better Place system, it’s effectively business as usual for owners, who can still charge their cars using established conventional methods.
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Written byJeremy Bass
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