Earth Equity News

Mapping a Global Plan for Car Charging Stations. By Bill Vlasic, NYTimes, February 9, 2009. "Now [that] nearly every major auto company in the world has committed to building electric cars, and President Obama has made reducing oil consumption a centerpiece of his energy policy, the timing could not be better for Shai Agassi, a former software executive who is drawing upon his Silicon Valley experience as he pursues his vision of building networks of battery-exchange stations in North America, Europe, Japan and Australia to increase the driving range of electric cars... He founded Better Place in Palo Alto, Calif., with $200 million from venture capitalists in Israel and the United States... In the last few months, Mr. Agassi, who is 40 and was born in Israel, has become an influential player in the global push toward electric cars. In one recent 10-day stretch, he announced a deal for new switching stations in Canada, closed on a financing agreement in Denmark, then attended the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where he was booked solid with interviews for cable news shows."