by TARA TODRAS-WHITEHILL
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Battery switch stations
In order for EVs to provide a "no compromise" solution, they need to deliver the same freedom to go anywhere that drivers of combustion engine cars enjoy today.
Long battery recharge times are a matter of physics. Even as batteries and charging infrastructure improve, using EVs for long journeys will require a way to quickly and reliably extend the range provided by a battery. Better Place provides this solution via a network of battery switch stations that use an ingenious robotic system to switch new batteries for depleted ones, cool and charge the batteries in inventory, and manage the complex logistics to ensure that each EV gets a fully-charged battery each time the vehicle arrives at a station.