The partnership will include collaboration in four areas: standards-based technology development, battery financing, joint fleet electrification programs and consumer awareness through integration of GE’s technology portfolio and smart grid knowledge with Better Place’s EV services.
The partnership will attune GE’s WattStation to the Better Place service network, allowing consumers that manage charging costs under Better Place’s network to charge their vehicles using GE’s WattStation, thereby establishing charging uniformity for EV drivers.
GE and Better Place will jointly develop a battery financing program that will initially finance up to 10,000 batteries in Israel and Denmark, helping to bring the first 10,000 EVs to consumers there.
Additionally, the companies will conduct fleet electrification pilot projects at different cities in North America, including the San Francisco Bay Area, Honolulu, and Ontario and cities in Europe, Asia and Australia, beginning in 2011 to convert corporate fleet owners to electric fleets.
Further, as part of GE’s ecomagination initiative, the partnering companies will raise consumer awareness about the economic and environmental value of widespread adoption of EVs and establishment of the supporting infrastructure.
GE senior vice president and chief marketing officer Beth Comstock said that GE values the power of collaboration and this partnership with Better Place is about large and small companies aggregating their strengths to advance EV infrastructure deployment.
