Better Place is a venture-backed company based in Palo Alto, California that aims to reduce global dependency on petroleum through the creation of a market-based transportation infrastructure that supports electric vehicles, providing consumers with a cheaper, cleaner, sustainable, personal transportation alternative.[1]

To ensure that consumers can confidently drive an EV anytime, anywhere, Better Place is developing and deploying EV driver services, systems and infrastructure. Subscribers and guests will have access to a network of charge spots, switch stations and systems which optimize the driving experience and minimize environmental impact and cost.[2] Better Place is building its first electric vehicle network in Israel, and will expand to Denmark and Hawaii as small test markets. Better Place plans to deploy the infrastructure on a country-by-country basis with initial deployments beginning in 2010 and commercial sales beginning in 2012.[1]

The company was publicly launched, as Project Better Place, by Shai Agassi on October 29, 2007. As of April 2009 it has already raised $400 million and several countries and states have offered tax breaks.

In January 2008, Better Place announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Renault-Nissan to build the world's first Electric Recharge Grid Operator (ERGO) model for clean transportation in Israel. Under the agreement, Better Place will build the electric recharge grid, and Renault-Nissan will provide the electric vehicles. In 2009, Better Place expects to deploy hundreds of charging stations as the company moves toward wide-scale deployment in 2011. Renault has committed to spend $600 million over three years to develop a car with swappable batteries, in time to the 2011 deployment. Renault will offer electric models of existing vehicles, like the Mégane sedan, but at competitive prices to similar gasoline models.

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Better_Place

2. http://www.betterplace.com/solution/