GORDON HENDERSON MP

Last week I am convinced that I peeked into the future....

During my stay in Israel I visited a company called Better Place. Remember the name, because I am certain you will hear much more about it. Note also the initials of the company’s name; they are significant!

Better Place have hit on a winnable concept that will revolutionise motoring; not in 50, or 30, or even ten years time. The revolution has started and we will see the green results within a couple of years.

This Israeli company has worked out that most car buyers are attracted first and foremost by price. Yes, motorists want to buy a good looking car and they want a reliable car, but above all they want a good value car.

Supposing motorists were offered a brand new Renault saloon car for £5,000, how many would turn it down? Very few I wager.

Now what if that Renault saloon was also an environmentally friendly electric car, which cost less to run than a petrol or diesel car, but which had the same performance as a carbon fuelled car? A very attractive offer and it is one that Better Place is making.

Renault have developed the car, and Better Place have developed a system that will ensure that electric car users can drive wherever and whenever they want.

The basic principle is that Better Place subsidise the cost of purchasing a new car and recover their outlay by supplying the energy needed to power the car. They do this by entering an agreement with motorists that provides them with charging points at home, in the workplace and in public car parks.

Of course one of the problems of electric cars is that they can only drive 100 miles before they need charging, and that takes up to three hours. Very inconvenient. Better Place have solved that problem by installing “change stations” into regular garages to which motorists can drive and within a couple of minutes have their car battery changed. Just think of a BP garage providing such a service. That’s the concept of Better Place, hence their initials!

This is not science fiction. Within the next couple of years Israel, Norway and South West Australia will have electric networks up an running. Better Place wanted Britain to be in this first wave, but the Government gave it the cold shoulder. That is typically short sighted of our current masters.

We should be embracing this technology with open arms. We should be encouraging British car manufacturers such as Jaguar to start designing electric cars. They would be incredibly popular. Less expensive, less polluting and less noisy that petrol cars, and yet with a similar performance. What more could you want.

When I went into the Better Place briefing room I was very sceptical, but by the time I witnessed the actual performance of a prototype electric Renault I was won over.

To find out more about Better Place check out: http://ow.ly/pAEh