Better Place

Canadian organisation ‘Better Place’ envisions a world living ‘free from oil’, by producing zero-emission electric cars fuelled by a ‘clean energy grid’. Better Place recognise that collaboration of governments, manufacturers and energy companies is essential to make this transformation into low carbon mobility. Since 2005, the vision has been building, as the founder Shai Agassi proposed a unique renewable energy business model resembling those of mobile phones. The company, established in 2007 following a significant venture capital injection, quickly announced cooperative agreements with Denmark and Israel to transform infrastructure that currently supports high emission transportation, into renewable energy platforms for electric vehicles.

The Better Place model requires consumers to subscribe to transportation as a service, whereby automobile companies make electric cars that plug-in to a distributed recharge network, consisting of battery swap stations. Energy companies provide the networks power through renewable energy projects while governments implement policies which favour this transformation. Better Place opens up the possibility for transportation to be completely oil-free, potentially delivering zero emission personal transport, transforming it into the most sustainable transport available.