Shai Agassi on Green Transport in the 21st Century | 09.02.2011

Time magazine and Foreign Policy magazine recently named Shai Agassi one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Wired called him a "revolutionary". His company, Better Place, is rolling out a new model of all-electric cars predicated on providing consumers with a more affordable, more convenient personal transport alternative to petrol cars. The company will launch its service in Israel and Denmark in late 2011, and begin network deployment in Australia at the same time.

Deutsche Bank analysts reportedly concluded that the company's approach could be a "paradigm shift" that causes "massive disruption" to the auto industry, and has "the potential to eliminate the gasoline engine altogether." It's the global economic opportunity of displacing the $3 trillion oil market that's enabled Better Place to raise $700 million to date including a $350 million Series B round led by HSBC in the largest round of financing yet for a "clean-tech" company.

Better Place has partnered with Renault to produce electric vehicles with switchable batteries for consumers in Europe, beginning in late 2011. The company also has an agreement with China's leading independent car manufacturer, Chery Auto Ltd., to produce switchable battery electric vehicles in China, beginning in 2012.

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News & Politics

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• policy exchange
• shai agassi
• green transport
• eletric car
• electric vehicle
• better place