Better Place Names First Vision Partners in Israel
19 Leading Israeli Firms At Top of Queue for Fleet Conversions and Network Installation
About Better Place:
Media Contact(s):
-- Better Place announced today that it has signed 19 leading Israeli companies to be the company’s first corporate fleet customers for its Israel operation. The companies including TEVA, Israel Corp., Pelephone Communications Ltd., Orange Israel, Rafael, Matrix IT Ltd., have agreed to partner with Better Place as it designs, installs and tests its electric car charging network in Israel. Under the agreement, Better Place will give these fleet customers priority in purchasing Better Place electric cars when they are commercially available in 2011.“Today marks an important signal to the market that there is a real demand for electric cars powered by the Better Place network,” said Shai Agassi, Founder and CEO. “We expect to demonstrate increasing demand as we begin to name additional vision partners in Israel and in our other markets, which together represent a 50 million total addressable car market. We’re seeing the tip of the iceberg for the demand that lies beneath the surface.”"These leaders of the Israeli economy understand the strategic importance of one of the greatest challenges facing our world today – our dependence on oil and the impact it has on our economy, our environment and our security,” said Moshe Kaplinsky, CEO, Better Place Israel. “The Better Place Israel team will work closely with our vision partners as they review the roadmap that will enable them to switch to electric transportation, while providing them with significant environmental and economic advantages.”As part of the agreement, Better Place will partner closely with these fleet customers to design, plan and install an electric car charging network at corporate campuses and employee homes to create the most convenient and suitable deployment for drivers to use. Better Place will invite the companies’ employees to participate in driver workshops and other seminars, which will inform them on the convenience, safety and experience of driving an electric car. As early adopters, Better Place will grant these vision partners first priority in test drives, use of demonstration vehicles and initial supply of commercially-ready vehicles.Moshe Kaplinsky, CEO of Better Place Israel, concluded: “These companies are all recognized leaders in their own fields, and by taking part in the most significant change in the transportation arena in this century, they will take a huge step forward in our global march to reduce our dependence on oil. They will lend their voice by helping us to plan and develop the right solution to meet the needs of our society.”Better Place and The Renault-Nissan Alliance are working together to make electric cars widely available in markets including Israel, beginning in 2011. Better Place, the world’s leading mobility operator, aims to end the world’s dependence on oil for personal transportation by building a network for charging electric cars powered by renewable energy. Better Place enables markets to switch to a sustainable transportation model, reducing oil dependency and greenhouse gas emissions while fueling the “green” economy. With initial venture funding of $200 million, Better Place began deployment in Israel in 2008 and will begin operating the network of charge spots and battery switch stations in 2010. The company plans similar network deployments in Denmark, Australia, California, Hawaii and Ontario, Canada. With the network in place, Better Place buys batteries and clean electricity and sells miles/kilometers to provide drivers a convenient, affordable and sustainable alternative for mobility. More information is available at http://www.betterplace.com Julie MullinsBetter PlacePhone: 650-387-0486Email:
Im Rahmen eines Projektes des kalifornischen Unternehmens „Better Place“ haben sich 19 israelische Unternehmen vertraglich verpflichtet, ihre Firmenfahrzeugflotte auf Elektroautos umzustellen. Der Vorteil für die Firmen, zu denen unter anderem Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Israel Corporation, Pelephone Communications Ltd., Orange Israel, Rafael und Matrix IT Ltd. gehören: Sie erhalten mit ihren Fahrzeugen bevorzugt einen Zugriff auf die noch zu produzierenden Elektroautos. Aus einer Äußerung des Firmenchefs Shai Agassi geht hervor, dass dieser Vertragsabschluss auch eine Initialzündung für die Autoindustrie sein soll. „Mit der heutigen Vereinbarung senden wir ein klares Signal an den Markt und zeigen, dass ein hoher Bedarf an Elektroautos besteht, die durch das Better Place Netzwerk betrieben werden“, so wird er in einer Pressemeldung auf „firmenpresse.de“ zitiert. Die Autos sollen – auch das ist Bestandteil des Vertrages – die Ladestationen von Better Place benutzen, die zurzeit flächendeckend in Israel entstehen. Die ersten Autos sollen im Jahr 2011 fahren, Kooperationspartner ist auch eine Allianz von Renault und Nissan.