Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Renault, Middle East
Bad news for fans of the Better Place plan - maybe. According to a report on an Israeli business website, Renault executives at a conference in Geneva have said that the electric car bound for Israel, to be franchised by Shai Agassi’s Better Place, will be delayed by a year. However, the website also states 2011 as the new launch date which is basically when Renault has originally said it would happen. Perhaps it is just a matter of it happening at year’s end rather than the beginning. No reason for the delay was mentioned but, if real, it could have something to do with newly-announced cost-cutting measures that will see the departure of 6,000 Renault employees. Of course, it might just be that the company already has its hands full preparing the six different liquid-fueled Megane III models it says will be available. Based on a slightly lengthened 2010 Megane III (pictured above), the electric version of the car was to be sold in other countries as well. Hopefully the French automaker won’t wait too long to deliver on its earlier promise. Israel is a relatively small market and there are other electric car competitors getting ready to grab up precious market share.
[Source: Globes}
Entries (RSS)
September 13th, 2008 at 10:36 am
I’m amazed that any govt is stupid enough to buy into
Agassi’s preposterously expensive and brainless plan,
one that won’t improve in any significant way what could
be achieved wiht plug-ins hybrids at a cost that doesn’t include raping the consumer. I also note that Agassi’s
invalid arguments in favor of his monopolistic scheme,
(one in which the costs of batteries is maximized)
never seem to mention the fact that his scheme won’t come anywhere close to elioiminating crude oil demand, since a large part is for commercial trucking, etc. that his plan can’t do anything about. Agassi is a con man, pure and simple.
If BYD gets their sub $30,00, 60 mile electric driving radius plug-in on to the market before Renault, who in the world would sign their life away to an Agasi company store. Israel
is a postage stamp and no one can drive outside the country. They need an Agassi monopoly like they ned a hole in the head. The fact that so many environmentalists have swalooed this con tells me that they will shill and support ANY carbon-less scheme (like they do for totally crappy wind power). Environmentalists are those wonderful folks, by the way, who blocked nuclear power for 30 years and caused global warming. Why aren’t those f$%#&^&ckers admitting that?
September 13th, 2008 at 11:25 am
This reporter is an idiot! Renault repeated basically what Better Place said from the first second - First production in 2010 with mass production in 2011. He wanted to sensationalize the story, so the headline reads Renault delays by a year. And morons like Kerry Bradshaw comments above have a field day….Israel is not stupid, not a postage stamp country, and will be the first country to get off oil, while others complain about the price at the pump.
November 12th, 2008 at 10:41 pm
I cant wait until israel take this huge step in car technology..