According to EETimes, Project Better Place (PBP) has just picked three more partners in its efforts to create an electric car-friendly Israel. San Francisco strategic design firm NewDealDesign will develop the industrial designs for the charging stations and other touch points on the grid, Israel’s Aran Research and Development Ltd. and Nekuda DM Ltd. will develop and install the electric vehicle recharging stations, and Moshe Kaplinsky will head the operation.
Most recently, Kaplinsky served as deputy chief of staff of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), an experience which should give him not only the ability to mobilize forces needed to turn Israel into an electric car haven and R&D center, but also the personal business connections necessary to build the large-scale infrastructure required for such a massive operation.
Earlier in the week, Globes reported that PBP rented a large office in Tel Aviv which will serve as the project’s temporary headquarters. The short lease is apparently due to the possibility that a larger office may be needed in the near future, especially if everything goes according to Shai Agassi’s fast-growth plan.
PBP will build the electric recharge grid based on the ERGO model for clean transportation designed by Renault-Nissan. The electric cars will be manufactured by Renault-Nissan and will be available at a discounted tax rate according to a program setup by the government to encourage participation.
For more on Project Better Place see the website. Also check out this video of Shai Agassi explaining his plan to take the battery-powered car to the next level.
Filed under: Alternative Energy, Cleantech | Tagged: aran research, electric car, idf, moshe kaplinsky, nekuda, newdealdesign, project better place, renault-nissan, shai agassi |
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