Companies planning massive electric vehicle charging network for Australia

There may still be a dearth of electric vehicle charging stations in the US, but it looks like some cities in Australia could soon be overflowing with 'em, at least if a group of companies' rather ambitious plans actually pan out. That group is led by US-based Better Place, which has previously helped bring charging stations to Denmark and Israel, and now hopes to out-do those previous efforts in a big way by outfitting Australia's three largest cities with 200,000 and 250,000 charging stations apiece. That, the company says, would cost $1 billion Australian dollars (or roughly $667 million US), which is where Australian power company AGL and finance group Macquarie Capital come in. The company's would also apparently scatter about 150 battery switch stations throughout each city, and drivers would have to sign up for cellphone-like contracts to make use of the network. As lofty a goal as that may seem, the companies seem fairly confident that they'll be able to pull it off, and that the charging stations could be in place as soon as 2012 -- after which, they hope, folks will finally start buying electric vehicles en masse.

Read - AFP, "Australia plans electric vehicle network"
Read - AP, "Sparse plug-ins for electric cars spark creativity"

[Via Daily Tech, image courtesy Better Place]

[Cole Mitguard @ Oct 24th 2008 2:35PM]

This is going to be an interesting experiment if it ever gets off the ground in a larger country like Australia. I wonder if they are going to try and use renewable energy type charging stations that are going to be off the grid, or its just going to be right off the city power service. Its also nice to see its an American company doing the work, we need all we can get at this point.

[Chuck @ Oct 24th 2008 4:20PM]

Oh you've got to be kidding me. You had me until the American job crack. Even in this "world-ending" economic crisis we still have an unemployment rate around 5% and one of the largest consumer electronic markets in the world. Until people stop buying millions smartphones, HDTVs, and billions of dollars in bottled water I won't believe a word about that.

Please feel free to low rank me for bringing economical opinions into a tech blog, again.

[jpeks @ Oct 24th 2008 5:27PM]

I think it is nice to see America doing it for a different reason. We need all the help and support in developing green technologies as we can. Using profits from this may help us create some kind of sustainable energy system back home. It is doubtful, but I'll try to be optimistic.

[DW1968 @ Oct 25th 2008 11:45AM]

@chuck:

Have you been watching the news?

Unemployment is expected to rise to between 7-9%. Just about every company in the CE industry (not to mention most other industries...retail, manufacturing, financial, transportation) is slashing their earnings projections for next year.

And the GDP of the US economy alone is measured in $T these days...so if smartphone and HDTV sales actually dropped below $M, and bottled water dropped below $B, the global economy would essentially stop.

Your theory is very "economical", indeed...it cost nothing, because its worth nothing.

[phanbouy @ Oct 24th 2008 2:46PM]

Phooey! Them elektrik cars are too librul for me.

[happy_penguin @ Oct 24th 2008 5:04PM]

"Them there elektrik cars is"

Get your bad grammar straight. Sheesh!

[BB @ Oct 24th 2008 2:52PM]

"Two days ago I saw a rig that can haul that tank'a.. you wanna get outta here.. you talk to me"

[Kevin Farley @ Oct 24th 2008 3:10PM]

My life fades. The vision dims. All that remains are memories. I remember a time of chaos. Ruined dreams. This wasted land. But most of all, I remember The Road Warrior. The man we called "Max". To understand who he was, you have to go back to another time...

[MCinNB @ Oct 24th 2008 2:53PM]

More information on the background and the concept http://www.wired.com/cars/futuretransport/magazine/16-09/ff_agassi?currentPage=0

[StalematE @ Oct 24th 2008 2:55PM]

so... you switch your dead battery with a charged one like you switch propane tanks at the depot? or do you wait for 2 hours for your car to charge? I don't quite get it.

[tom @ Oct 24th 2008 3:04PM]

Read carefully

"As lofty a goal as that may seem, the companies seem fairly confident that they'll be able to pull it off, and that the charging stations could be in place as soon as 2012 -- after which, they hope, folks will finally start buying electric vehicles en masse."

CHARGING STATIONS

[StalematE @ Oct 24th 2008 3:08PM]

uh... "The company's would also apparently scatter about 150 battery switch stations throughout each city, and drivers would have to sign up for cellphone-like contracts to make use of the network."

[mushu @ Oct 24th 2008 4:28PM]

It's both. They'll have charging stations sprinkled throughout the city, but for people who need a full charge very quickly they go to these battery swap stations and they get a fresh one swapped in. The cars are equipped with GPS systems that know your travel range and where the nearest stations are. There's a great article in Wired about this whole thing.

[edward @ Oct 24th 2008 5:30PM]

You charge your car when its parked, if you need to go now, but have no juice you go to the station and it will swap batteries.

[Jim Grover @ Oct 24th 2008 3:02PM]

For Aussies who are looking to lower the cost of having a car, a battery option would prove to be a good option. Gas is sooo... expensive over there. Geeze.

[bjorn989 @ Oct 25th 2008 9:20PM]

Gas is actually cheap in Australia. It is petrol that is more expensive.

[mpsmith @ Oct 24th 2008 3:04PM]

Is that a cardboard box engine?

[Lowest Ranked @ Oct 24th 2008 3:58PM]

Yes, just a typical Japanese ricer.

[KAIKAI @ Oct 24th 2008 4:08PM]

just wait for sum1 to scribble v-tec on that

[thiel @ Oct 24th 2008 7:33PM]

If you look at the pic in the link it looks like a shiny brass finish. It's just a funny angle.

[tanooki2003 @ Oct 24th 2008 3:09PM]

So when are we "the supposed leaders of innovation" going to get our infrastructure to some who are also desiring electric cars such as the Aptera, Telsa, future plug-in hybrids..etc?

Hmm let me guess. Quite possibly sometime in 2020 once when the rest of the world is far ahead of us, that's if they are still possibly maybe kind of "planning" this to happen.

Well i guess we still can hang onto NASA as our innovation leading field, although it may not last for very much longer at the rate the rest of the world, including developing countries, are catching up and going full steam ahead right past us.

[BigD145 @ Oct 24th 2008 3:13PM]

Costco tried it in California. Some of those charging stations are still operational.

[happy_penguin @ Oct 24th 2008 6:45PM]

We'll get it when the market indicates that it will support it. No sooner.

[Dan @ Oct 24th 2008 3:09PM]

CNG makes more sense in the US…

It’s the quickest and easiest way for use to lessen our dependency on foreign oil.

[BigD145 @ Oct 24th 2008 3:15PM]

No, this is the quickest way to lessen our dependence on ALL oil. The quickest way to lessen our dependence on foreign oil is to use what we pump. All that new drilling that the Bush admin pushed for off US shores? That's all slated for foreign sales. Alaska? Texas? Foreign sales. Why sell for $4 here when you can sell overseas for 2-3 times that.

[Dan @ Oct 24th 2008 3:34PM]

So you are saying that the quickest way is to use an infrastructure that does not exist with very limited platforms?

We have a lot of Natural Gas and it is very easy to convert a standard car to CNG…

[MCinNB @ Oct 24th 2008 3:14PM]

If you read the post I put above you'll see the charging stations aren't like a gas station, but the battery change stations are. The charging stations would be in parking lots and in your driveway.

[little turtle @ Oct 24th 2008 3:21PM]

another option for Aussies,battery is battery. just read carefully
http://cooltechgadget.com/

[Magallanes @ Oct 24th 2008 3:58PM]

Oh sigh, i was waiting for a Mad Max future.

[nxp3 @ Oct 24th 2008 4:02PM]

But how long do you have to stand there waiting for your car to get charged. If it's like my cell phone I may never get out of the house.

[Edward @ Oct 24th 2008 7:50PM]

The batteries actually get swapped, so no real wait, this is only if you are on a road trip or are in a hurry and out of juice.
The car does charge while parked at home or wherever there are charge points.

[Bill @ Oct 24th 2008 4:21PM]

This should work good for people who spend most of their driving time in town. But Aussies who do any traveling out of down better have a gasoline vehicle available as well, because Aussie towns often have HUGE distances separating them, and no battery operated vehicle is going to last long enough for that.

[alex @ Oct 24th 2008 7:48PM]

i dont think it is designed for that... they are only putting them in capital cities... bris to sydney is like 10 hrs and sydney to melb 8 hrs... not really designed for that.... btw australia never gets anything cool :( (we only just got tivo this yr!!!)

[Chris @ Oct 24th 2008 4:25PM]

LOL
It looks like there is a card board box in the hood.

[BT1113 @ Oct 24th 2008 4:54PM]

Let's increase our dependence on domestic Coal!

[phanbouy @ Oct 24th 2008 7:27PM]

i see what you did There!

[Wonderkid @ Oct 24th 2008 4:57PM]

Been following these guys for a while - and they are connected to Tesla Motors too. It is one of the most pragmatic and viable ventures associated with the sustainable economy in existence today. Keep an eye on LIFEMACHINE.COM for details - the site will become a full 'portal' in due course and we'll be tracking Better Place with relish - for they are from a town called Hope. And we all need that right now. It is time for change, big change...

[rita hainsworth @ Oct 24th 2008 8:10PM]

In case anyone is interested I am selling extension cords in three sizes...1mile, 5mile, and 10mile...all come with tie offs.

[BobTurbo @ Oct 24th 2008 8:18PM]

Ripper mate, I wonda if this station will let me hook up ma barbie to fry some shrimps?

[grillface @ Oct 24th 2008 9:32PM]

"Under the agreement, Macquarie will raise one billion dollars to build electric-vehicle networks in the country's largest cities -- Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane -- while AGL will power the system with renewable energy."

^^ If any of you bothered to read the read links.

I think this is a great idea! I really hope it will work -- and that there will be electric cars available by then. Sure, if you need to travel long distances, an electric car *currently* is not a good option, but honestly, most people live in the city and would not commute more than 150km in a day... so bring it on!

[Dave Chappelle @ Oct 24th 2008 10:40PM]

ye well this is unlikely. and despite my low ranking. OPEC will crush them and 2012 is a fkn long way away, even so it will more likely be 2020 (thats if it even happens)

[Paul @ Oct 25th 2008 5:13AM]

I'll LOW GRADE Chuck not for bringing economics to the conversation but for bringing dumb economics to the conversation: '(we have) one of the largest consumer electronic markets in the world.'

Chuck has obviously never been to the States or to most of Asia or Europe - nor read any newspapers lately.

[Wwhat @ Oct 25th 2008 11:16AM]

Huh, 250000 charging stations in one city? That's more stations than there are homes, more than there were starbucks in the US at its peak even, in short: What??!!

[Vikz @ Oct 26th 2008 3:58AM]

I am pleased to see so many people actually caring to read through the article and then read more about the concept before they comment.
For all those other dumb heads who just form opinions without doing further research , just read the details on this project and correct urselves. I think its a great idea and a very good an bold step, i have been following this for quite sometime and the way shai agassi is pulling things up , it does seem that finally it may work, we are not talking about a city or a locatilty now, its nations who are migrating so if dumb people in US still wanna suck, so be it. If you arent a part of the solution then you are a part of the problem, as an american its a duty of every citizen to be a part of the solution now because we contribute the highest to GLOBAL WARMING and ecological mayhems. Time to pay the price for our sins.
Amen

[ED @ Oct 26th 2008 6:39PM]

Well you managed to get companies' right the first time, but then switched to company's later when it still should have been plural.
I wonder how long it will be before this reaches my not-so-large-but-capital city.