Glorious Pill For Range Anxiety
Photo courtesy of: Better Place
A couple weeks back Better Place successfully installed it’s first working battery swap station for public use in Ekron, Israel. These swap stations are an effective way of overcoming the problem of ‘range anxiety‘. Range anxiety is that fear that sets in when a vehicle is nearing empty. It’s a natural dilemma that has been the major prohibiting factor in the development of widespread electric car infrastructures. Battery life, curretnyl allowing for around 100 miles of travel, has still not been extended to overcome this issue and until technological advances extend battery life dramatically batteries are insufficient for longer journeys. Furthermore, recharging a battery still takes an impractical amount of time.
Photo courtesy of: Better Place
This is where Better Place’s battery swap stations can save the day. Instead of relying on recharging the battery, they merely swap your used battery for a pre-charged one in a matter of minutes… and your on your way! They are for all intensive purposes, little different from a typical petrol station. In fact, woeful carbon footprint worries aside – they are ever better! According to Better Place:
The car proceeds along a conveyor while the automated switch platform below the vehicle aligns under the battery, washes the underbody, initiates the battery release process and lowers the battery from the vehicle. The depleted battery is placed onto a storage rack for charging, monitoring and preparation for the another vehicle. A fully-charged battery is then lifted into the waiting car. The switch process takes less time than a stop at the gas station and the driver and passengers may remain in the car throughout.
The Better Place infrastructure will be making its way into Jerusalem and the rest of Israel, as the country makes a major shift to an entirely electric transportation system. Meanwhile, cities the world over can look on in envy while they make plans to minimize their own carbon footprints. We hope.
Watch the process in action in the video below.
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