Recharging versus Switching Batteries

In the world of alternative fuel vehicles, there are those that are for them and those that are against them. Those that are against them claim that they are unreliable, unproven and expensive. A University of California-Berkeley study as well as information released by A Better Place may stomp out some of those fears. The study at the University of California showed that the alternative fuel cars were now selling at prices comparable to those of conventional automobiles with some key beneficial factors thrown in as well. (This cost would be without the battery).

Instead of having to recharge your battery for your electric vehicle (EV) you would simply drive to the nearest battery switching spot and the battery would be changed while you wait. This is a simple process that does not take longer than ten minutes. A Better Place demonstrated one such battery switching spot and one an award for it as well. A Better Place "envisions itself as a major battery leasing enterprise and originator of quick-change battery swapping stations" (Edmunds green car advisor 2009).

The benefits of switching batteries rather than recharging them are numerous and some are surprising as well. These benefits include:

* Reduced cost of owning and operating an EV which would make them more attractive, even to the most reluctant convert. The Berkeley study has EV sales accounting for over half of all light vehicle sales by 2030.

* Reduced oil imports which would benefit the environment as well as the economy. This in turn would help the US trade deficit according to the Berkeley study which has the deficit reduced by $94 to $288 billion dollars by 2030 mostly due to the reduced oil importation.

* Surprising benefits included in the study were reduced health care costs - fewer combustion engines means less pollution which will equal less illness. Currently, the World Health Organization reports that 900,000 deaths each year are directly attributable to outdoor air pollution (abetterplace.com). More jobs will be created by the battery charging and changing industry. Additional jobs will be created in building the charging spots and in making the cars themselves.

* Finally, this industry is ripe with new investment opportunities. This means that the US could become a major exporter of automotive batteries in the near future.

References: U.C. Berkeley Study Says Battery Switching Model Would Accelerate EV Acceptance, (no author listed). Posted July 2009 on http://blogs.edmunds.com/greencaradvisor/2009/07 A Better Place website at http://www.abetterplace.com, retrieved