Comments on: If SAP Built an Electric Car http://siliconangle.com/blog/2009/10/19/if-sap-built-an-electric-car/ Computer Science meets Social Science Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:10:56 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: jeff nolan http://siliconangle.com/blog/2009/10/19/if-sap-built-an-electric-car/comment-page-1/#comment-2183 jeff nolan Mon, 19 Oct 2009 22:16:45 +0000 http://siliconangle.net/ver2/?p=8778#comment-2183 Actually what Shai's company, Better Place, isn't building vehicles, they are trying to establish a standard for automated battery replacement in a service station model. You pull in your EV and a robotic changing station swaps out your drained battery with a fresh pack in about the time it would take to fill up a tank of gas. I think it's a great idea but I don't see many car manufacturers committing to a proprietary battery pack design when the service station infrastructure has not been built out in key countries and it's controlled by a private company... the risks are significant. The Nissan Leaf was one of the first publicly talked about car models but when it was formally announced this year it was absent the Better Place technology. Best of luck to Shai, I do think he's swimming upstream on this one... but the fact that it's hard is what makes it worth doing. Actually what Shai’s company, Better Place, isn’t building vehicles, they are trying to establish a standard for automated battery replacement in a service station model. You pull in your EV and a robotic changing station swaps out your drained battery with a fresh pack in about the time it would take to fill up a tank of gas. I think it’s a great idea but I don’t see many car manufacturers committing to a proprietary battery pack design when the service station infrastructure has not been built out in key countries and it’s controlled by a private company… the risks are significant. The Nissan Leaf was one of the first publicly talked about car models but when it was formally announced this year it was absent the Better Place technology.

Best of luck to Shai, I do think he’s swimming upstream on this one… but the fact that it’s hard is what makes it worth doing.

]]> By: Mark 'Rizzn' Hopkins http://siliconangle.com/blog/2009/10/19/if-sap-built-an-electric-car/comment-page-1/#comment-2179 Mark 'Rizzn' Hopkins Mon, 19 Oct 2009 21:32:02 +0000 http://siliconangle.net/ver2/?p=8778#comment-2179 The irony continues! :-) The irony continues! :-)

]]> By: Almog http://siliconangle.com/blog/2009/10/19/if-sap-built-an-electric-car/comment-page-1/#comment-2176 Almog Mon, 19 Oct 2009 21:27:40 +0000 http://siliconangle.net/ver2/?p=8778#comment-2176 Actually, Shay Agassi, a former president of the products and technology group at SAP, is now the founder and CEO of the first company to offer an electric car in Israel. Actually, Shay Agassi, a former president of the products and technology group at SAP, is now the founder and CEO of the first company to offer an electric car in Israel.

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