Better Place offers the public a close-up view of the electric Renault Fluence Z.E. and the sporty Tesla Roadster at the Automotor Exhibit in Tel Aviv, April 8-11 .
Rising fuel prices and a growing commitment to reducing air pollution are causing more Israelis to turn towards alternative cars. Maurice’s post from January tells of 100 electric cars on the road. Since then private customers and 60 companies inclding Cellcom, Nike, HOT and G4S have signed leases for hundreds more.
To educate the Israeli public, Better Place built a special auditorium at the Automotor Exhibit showing the Fluence Z.E. family sedan and the Tesla Roadster. There will be room for visitors to get a feel for driving the electric cars, as Maurice did. Visitors may view the simple process of battery recharging and become familiar with the battery recharging pole. A battery-switch station will be shown, where a driver can exchange an empty battery for a freshly-charged one in less than 5 minutes. Customer service personnel will be available to explain the financial and ecological advantages of electric cars over conventional cars and how the monthly lease of the battery works.
The current price of an electric family sedan compares easily to that of a conventional car. However, savings in fuel and maintenance will be significant, as electric cars require very little maintenance and the main running cost of recharging or replacing the lithium battery continues to decrease with advanced technology.
Moshe Kaplinsky, CEO of Better Place, says,
“High gas prices are creating a demand for alternatives. Better Place’s electric solution offers the Israeli citizen a change to make a financial and environmental change. This is a great step in Israel’s becoming independent of gas.”
And that, we agree, would be a good thing.
The Better Place electric car exhibit:
Hall 12 at the Automotor Exhibit, Rokach Blvd., Tel Aviv.
Passover week April 8-11.
To buy tickets in advance: Tel. 03-521-5200.
Past posts on Israel’s growing market for electric cars:
Image of Renault Fluence Z.E. via lincah.com
Author: Miriam Kresh
Miriam Kresh is an American ex-pat living in Israel. Her love of Middle Eastern food evolved from close friendships with enthusiastic Moroccan, Tunisian and Turkish home cooks. She owns too many cookbooks and is always planning the next meal. Miriam can be reached at miriam (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
yes it’s a first step but that is not the only way to resolve this isreali gas problem
we must try to limit consequences thay may give once in israel everybody got an electric car