We’ve written about Better Place, the company that swaps out depleted batteries from electric vehicles, before, but it’s been a while. This week’s Five Friday Facts come via an NPR story about the company’s gas station like “refueling” stations in Israel, one of the pilot sites for Better Place.
- A gallon of premium gas currently runs more than $9 in Israel, which has some of the most expensive gasoline in the world, according to a report published by Bloomberg.
- So far, 17 battery-swapping stations are set up around Israel. The plan is to have up to 40.
- According to Israel Corp., a stakeholder in Better Place, the company lost more than $200 million last year alone.
- Since its launch in July, Better Place has sold 300 cars in Israel.
- When the company first announced its plans, it cited a price (for the cars) that was extremely low by Israeli standards, where taxes on cars are upward of 50 percent. Now, five years later, the car is rolling off at triple that price.
Image source: Metropolitan Museum of Art
