Hawaii unveils plans for Electric Vehicles

Hawaii has decided to partner with Better Place 

to bring car battery exchange stations for electric 

vehicles to the islands, Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle 

announced Tuesday.

Better Place stations, similar in concept to gas 

stations, offer drivers with electric vehicles an 

automated system that swaps out exhausted 

lithium ion car batteries for fully-charged ones. 

The swapping system is intended to be convenient 

for both drivers and local electric companies, 

since Better Place can recharge the exhausted 

batteries with excess electricity generated 

from renewable sources during off-peak electricity 

hours.Lingle said the project is an example of 

Hawaii's efforts to gain independence from foreign 

oil, and to stimulate its economy through 

investment in energy technology.Not surprising 

due to its geography, Hawaii spends about $7 

billion a year on oil imports with its drivers facing 

some of the toughest prices at the pump in the U.S. 

The plan to implement Better Place stations 

coincides with the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative 

(HCEI) intended to change that. Signed in 

January, it sets Hawaii's renewable energy bar at 

70 percent clean energy by 2030, as well as 

encouraging programs that foster local economic 

growth.

Shai Agassi, founder and CEO of Better Place, was 

also on hand at the plan unveiling in Hawaii on 

December 2. According to Agassi, Hawaii is the 

second state in the U.S., and the fifth place in the 

world, to adopt the Better Place electric-car 

infrastructure. Better Place stations have already 

been implemented in Denmark and Israel, with 

Australia and California recently announcing 

intentions to add them."Hawaii, with its ready 

access to renewable energy resources like 

solar, wind, wave, and geothermal, is the ideal 

location to serve as a blueprint for the rest of 

the U.S. in terms of reducing our dependence 

on foreign oil, growing our renewable energy 

portfolio and creating an infrastructure that will 

stabilize our economy," 

Agassi said in a statement to the press.Hawaii 

Electric is also onboard. The state's electric 

utility signed a Memorandum of Understanding 

(MOU) with Better Place which plans to power 

its public charging and battery-swapping stations 

with renewable energy resources.According to 

the plan, Better Place will pull permits for its 

stations in 2009, offer electric cars within 18 

months, and make both available for the mass

market in Hawaii by 2012.Better Place has said 

it's in talks with major automakers and would like 

to offer swappable batteries for any electric vehicle 

regardless of which company makes the car. 

But right now the company's stations only service 

two electric vehicles: the Renault Megane and the 

Better Place Rogue, an electric vehicle based on the 

Nissan Rogue crossover SUV. (picture)

Posted by Candace Lombardi