France pledges 400billion Euro investment in electric car infrastructure
By Susan Wilson
In these tough economic times, it is interesting to see where governments have chosen to invest money to help the economy. The United States has committed $700 billion to bailing out Wall Street financial services and banks. Meanwhile, France is investing 400 million Euros in green technology and greener transportation.
According to businessGreen.com, the French government has “guaranteed” a 400 million euro investment in a joint project that car maker Renault and French utility EDF have planned. The joint project would build an “electric car infrastructure” by 2011.
Ironically, it is a California company, Better Place, that may be building and operating the new recharging stations. Better Place is currently building similar installations in Denmark and Israel.
Better Place’s plan involves two different types of infrastructure – “charging spots” and “battery switching stations”. The charging spots will be located in parking lots, easily accessible to where people eat, work, and live. The main purpose of these charging spots is not to completely recharge your battery while you are engaged in your out-of-car activity, but to top off the battery so that your car always has 100 miles worth of juice.
The battery switching stations would be located throughout the country like a regular gas filling station. When a service subscriber pulls in, the depleted car battery would be replaced with a fully charged car battery. All of this would occur without anyone having to leave the car. It would take the same amount of time as filling a car fuel tank.
Unlike the U.S., other countries have been investing in green technology vehicles for years in order to reach their environmental goals under the Kyoto Treaty or new initiatives that have been passed within the European Union.
The creation of an electric car infrastructure throughout France and Denmark will not only aid electric car manufacturers within those countries, but also electric car imports.
Related:
Entry was posted
on Monday, October 20th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
under
Read more entries by Susan Wilson.
Stumble It!
