The Battery Vehicle Society

Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn has announced plans to build Renault-branded electric cars in Israel by 2012.

The Israeli government recently said that it was considering making electric cars tax-free in the country and giving tax breaks to companies manufacturing such vehicles.

Renault is in discussions with tech entrepreneur Shai Agassi, head of a venture called Project Better Place, which aims to establish a nationwide infrastructure for supplying, recharging, maintaining and supporting electric vehicle use. Project Better Place is said to have received $200m in funding and Agassi says that he believes that all of Israel’s cars could be feasibly replaced by electric vehicles.

While the vehicle Renault is considering producing in Israel is thought to be a version of the Megane, it will take a few years to get an all-new manufacturing plant up and running. In the meantime, Agassi is said to be planning to import the electric versions of the Kangoo which are already in production.

Agassi’s vision involves the sale and leasing of EVs to a model established by the mobile phone industry, with customers signing contracts to cover the cost of recharging over set periods and the car itself discounted or even free. The process of recharging could be made virtually instantaneous, with ‘battery swaps’ available for an instant full charge at dedicated swap stations, plus the widespread availability of conventional plug-in recharges while cars are parked for longer periods. The user’s contract is based around the recharges (a reflection of usage of the car) and would be an all-in subscription to all the support services.

Project Better Place is to start trials next year and ultimately intends to bring its services to the US and Europe.