A Better Place for the Electric Car

Jan. 1, 2009— -- My guess is that most readers of this column would prefer to be in a better place.

It's been a tough year in so many ways that one can't help but hope for some small improvements in something, presumably economic, in the new year ahead.

And in the spirit of finishing one year and starting another, regardless of the challenges we face, it seems appropriate to write about an audacious Silicon Valley start-up with some very big, very hopeful plans.

Odds are not in their favor -- actually, odds aren't really ever in any start-up's favor -- but if it works, and clearly some do, the rewards could be tremendous.

The company is called Better Place.

Better Place has a couple of notable long-term goals: an oil-free world, a healthy planet and an environment and economy that work in balance to boost, rather than conflict with, each other.

Well, why not dream big? Admittedly, reading the plan at first made me wonder why they left curing the common cold and ending bad hair days off the list of projects.

However, on further examination, Better Place is a lot less crazy than it sounds.

The core of the business -- the design and production of highly energy-efficient cars -- has already been proven viable by competitors like Tesla. The alternative auto manufacturer already has cars in the showroom and on the road.

The debate about the best approach -- hybrids, hydrogen or lithium ion batteries (the choice of both Better Place and Tesla) -- will likely rage on for some time.

But as in all things, competition will likely serve to make all of the options better, cheaper and faster.

Better Place's plan goes way beyond building an electric car to address the obvious concerns associated with them: How far does it go on a charge? And what happens when the batteries run low?

The business plan calls for the development of an infrastructure of charging spots and battery switching stations.