Better Place outlines services

Electric car infrastructure provider Better Place unveils the next step in its nationwide EV service, which will entail subscriptions to access its charging points

The electric car (EV) revolution is slowly beginning to take effect, with Mitsubishi's iMiEV the first electric car from a major manufacturer offered to the public.

Electric cars can deliver potentially greener motoring -- depending on the source of the electricity used to charge their batteries -- and can reduce our reliance upon fossil fuels.

Better Place Australia is the leading electric vehicle services provider and is investing significant funds into setting up the infrastructure needed to ensure electric cars never run out of energy. In essence, that means charging points and battery swap stations -- the EV equivalent of petrol stations.

The company plans to spend around $600 million "putting metal in the ground" according to CEO Evan Thornley, to create charge spots and a handful of battery swap stations.

The idea behind the Better Place infrastructure, which will be rolled out first in Canberra late in 2011 and major cities nationally in 2012, will be for electric car owners to buy 'subscriptions' that take care of almost everything involved in running an electric car.

This subscription would see Better Place Australia cover the costs of replacement batteries and electricity so that drivers simply plug in their car and swipe their smart cards over the charge points -- which could be at a shopping mall or at work -- and away they go.

As well as offering safe, reliable and convenient charge points, Better Place Australia subscribers will also get a digital interface that will guide them to the closest charging points or battery swap stations not in use.

The nerve centre of this new system is called NOC, the Network Operations Centre, and the Carsales Network was given rare access to the Better Place NOC in Melbroune to see how the company will provide customers with a high quality service.

"The NOC is the brains of the Better Place service and will ensure that EV drivers never run out of energy," says Alan Finkel, Chief Technology Officer for Better Place Australia.

One of the issues the company faces will be to ensure the electricity grid isn't overloaded when large numbers of EV drivers plug in, as happens during hot weather when air conditioners and such are running constantly, and Better Place is confident its NOC can keep things running smoothly.

"The NOC will always prioritise the needs of EV customers, while optimally managing the capacity of the grid. As more and more Australian drivers begin to switch to electric vehicles, this will be fundamental to the success of the [Better Place] model."

Though the company will record data of users -- such as where they charge their cars and for how long -- Better Place claims that this data will be kept private and will not be for sale.

Better Place will be targetting big fleet operators from the outset, and expects to find many private subscribers who want the convenience of a national charging network.

While pricing structures are still being calculated for subscriptions to the new infrastructure, CEO Evan Thornley suggested that the average cost of fuel for small fleet cars was around $5000 to $6000 per annum and that it would cost around $1000 to $1500 to cover the same distances using electricity -- which provides an early hint of yearly subscription services.

Asked if oil companies and petrol retailers would jump on the EV infrastructure bandwagon, Thornley said it was a possibility.

"We're certainly rivals over revenue. They [oil companies] make $25 billion per annum right now out of petrol bowsers in this country in the light vehicle fleet alone, and we want to take a big piece of that. How they choose to respond, time will tell.

"The traditional retail location of the service station is actually not that important to the electric car. What we have to build is much smaller [than a petrol bowser]. Most people will charge their vehicles at home and at work," said Thornley.

The big question for EV early adopters will be whether to go with a company like Better Place and subscribe to their plan, or simply call up an electrician and install their own 15 amp socket in the garage at home, or in the office carpark, as the Carsales Network has done for our Mitsubishi i-MiEV.

CTO Alan Finkel (pictured) argued that safety is one reason to consider installing a Better Place charging point.

"Charging from a modified wall outlet, when you plug that cable in and bring it over to the car, you've got an extension cord. Fine, you take care of it normally, but if you start using it every day, you get negligent and leave it on the ground in a puddle, there are safety risks -- there's a live current. With our system, there are few risks. We disengage the current the moment you pull it out, and it only engages once it's plugged in you've swiped your card over the charging point," explained Finkel.

Dr Finkel went on to say that fleet managers would find the system more useful as Better Place can track power usage and provide regular reports to fleet managers from employees who have a charging point in their home.

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