A new company is bringing battery switch stations to the San Francisco-San Jose corridor, laying the groundwork for an electric vehicle taxi fleet.
Electric vehicles (EV's) usually don't make for practical taxis given the several hours it takes to recharge a car's batteries, writes Timon Singh. However, he says, a new model from a company called Better Place will make electric taxis feasible in the Bay Area. Four new switching stations will allow taxis to swap out weak batteries for fresh ones, giving a "near instant charge" in less than the time it takes to refuel at a gas station.
A similar program has already seen success in Tokyo, writes Singh:
"Better Place has already launched an EV taxi program in Tokyo, which is supported by the Japanese government If this system can be transferred to the US, then it could dramatically impact the US' emissions and oil consumption."
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This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
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