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Israeli electric car pioneer Better Place shuts

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Israeli electric car pioneer Better Place shuts down


Business | 207977 hits | May 31 4:22 am | Posted by: stemmer
52 Comment

Better Place, the pioneering Israeli maker of electric cars headed by former software whiz kid Shai Agassi, announced plans to liquidate Sunday after burning through almost a billion dollars and putting only 1,000 cars on the road.

Comments

  1. by avatar stemmer
    Fri May 31, 2013 11:31 am
    As long as electric cars have batteries with a limited range, they will continue to fail...

  2. by avatar DrCaleb
    Fri May 31, 2013 2:36 pm
    "stemmer" said
    As long as electric cars have batteries with a limited range, they will continue to fail...


    I recall a story about Henry Ford's wife (?) who went on a long car trip and had to have the kids walking behind the car carrying extra fuel because the range was only a few miles.

    Every technology has it's infancy.

  3. by avatar raydan
    Fri May 31, 2013 2:39 pm
    A gas car has a limited range too, that's why we have gas stations.

  4. by avatar BartSimpson  Gold Member
    Fri May 31, 2013 2:56 pm
    Electric cars fail in a free market because you can't force people to buy them. Period.

  5. by avatar raydan
    Fri May 31, 2013 3:01 pm
    As gas prices go up and electric car prices go down, you won't need to force people to buy.

    My only concern about electric cars is how we'll manage to produce enough electricity to feed them.

  6. by avatar BartSimpson  Gold Member
    Fri May 31, 2013 3:03 pm
    "raydan" said
    As gas prices go up and electric car prices go down, you won't need to force people to buy.


    Given that the USA and Canada are sitting on enough petroleum for at least the next half-millenium I'm not really worried about that happening in my lifetime.

  7. by avatar DrCaleb
    Fri May 31, 2013 3:03 pm
    "BartSimpson" said
    Electric cars fail in a free market because you can't force people to buy them. Period.


    Then how did Tesla Motors repay their $465M Government loan 9 years early?

    http://www.teslamotors.com/about/press/ ... ears-early

    Why are they creating a network of fast charging stations anyone can use, free of charge? (pun intended)

    http://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-an ... ion-2013-5

  8. by avatar raydan
    Fri May 31, 2013 3:06 pm
    I was so surprised when I went to my grocery store and saw 2 electric car chargers in the parking lot.

  9. by avatar raydan
    Fri May 31, 2013 3:08 pm
    "BartSimpson" said
    As gas prices go up and electric car prices go down, you won't need to force people to buy.


    Given that the USA and Canada are sitting on enough petroleum for at least the next half-millenium I'm not really worried about that happening in my lifetime.
    Don't worry Bart... your guns will still fit in an electric car. :lol:


    I'm just messing with you. :wink:

  10. by avatar stratos
    Fri May 31, 2013 3:11 pm
    When and IF the electric car becomes compareable to current gas mileage cars, relitively cheap replacement parts ( a couple years ago to get new batteries was almost as much as a new cheap car) then you may see them being a viable product.

  11. by avatar BartSimpson  Gold Member
    Fri May 31, 2013 3:11 pm
    "DrCaleb" said
    Electric cars fail in a free market because you can't force people to buy them. Period.


    Then how did Tesla Motors repay their $465M Government loan 9 years early?

    http://www.teslamotors.com/about/press/ ... ears-early

    Why are they creating a network of fast charging stations anyone can use, free of charge? (pun intended)

    http://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-an ... ion-2013-5

    For the time being their cars are . Just like the Prius used to be.

    http://green.autoblog.com/2013/03/03/fe ... u-prius-l/

    But at a base price of US$62,500 for a car that's easily matched in luxury and performance by cars that cost $20,000 less it's a novelty.

    Where Tesla is going to be proven is when first-time buyers replace their vehicles.

    The Prius only had about a 35% loyalty rate at best. So we'll see what happens with Tesla.

    Myself, I won't be surprised at all if/when Tesla starts producing their vehicles with a V-8 or V-10 option.

  12. by avatar DrCaleb
    Fri May 31, 2013 3:23 pm
    "BartSimpson" said
    Electric cars fail in a free market because you can't force people to buy them. Period.


    Then how did Tesla Motors repay their $465M Government loan 9 years early?

    http://www.teslamotors.com/about/press/ ... ears-early

    Why are they creating a network of fast charging stations anyone can use, free of charge? (pun intended)

    http://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-an ... ion-2013-5

    For the time being their cars are . Just like the Prius used to be.

    http://green.autoblog.com/2013/03/03/fe ... u-prius-l/

    'Fashionable' however doesn't mean 'good'. IMHO, the Honda Insight was a much better car, but for some inexplicable reason Honda just stopped making them.

    "BartSimpson" said

    But at a base price of US$62,500 for a car that's easily matched in luxury and performance by cars that cost $20,000 less it's a novelty.

    Where Tesla is going to be proven is when first-time buyers replace their vehicles.

    The Prius only had about a 35% loyalty rate at best. So we'll see what happens with Tesla.


    There are cheaper hybrids, and they do garner repeat buyers. ;)

    The {Ford} Fusion Hybrid is in such hot demand that dealers only have an average of 14 days of them, far less than the typical "turn rate" for a car. The hybrid version makes up 15% of Fusion sales.


    http://www.usatoday.com/story/driveon/2 ... s/2374921/

    "BartSimpson" said

    Myself, I won't be surprised at all if/when Tesla starts producing their vehicles with a V-8 or V-10 option.


    I'd be shocked. The Tesla chassis are designed for electrics vehicles, not dino fuel. I doubt they'd fit an IC engine.

  13. by avatar ShepherdsDog
    Fri May 31, 2013 3:36 pm

  14. by avatar stratos
    Fri May 31, 2013 3:39 pm
    "ShepherdsDog" said


    Looks good but does it go veerrrrooooommmmm or squeak squeak



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