Elbilar i trafik i Israel 2011

Israel är ett föregångsland när det gäller elbilar.

Läs mera och se en intevju: Better Place’s electric vehicles land in Israel

"Better Place, the company that proposes to revolutionize the global auto market with its electrically powered car and grid system, opened a state-of-the-art visitor center near Tel Aviv on Sunday.

The cars themselves are modified Renault Lagunas and they were brought in from France, together with the French technicians, in time for the launch of the center. In the future the center will feature Renault’s Fluence ZE models, the first mass-produced electric cars.The cars look like ordinary sedans and it is only when the visitor is asked to start the engine that the novelty becomes apparent. “Insert the key, press on the brake pedal and push the button to start the car,” said the instructor. “There, the car is running.”The only sound is that of the air conditioning unit switching on. Otherwise the car is silent. With electric cars, drivers will have to learn to rely on other senses to determine when the vehicle is operating.The acceleration feels just like a regular car’s. On the 1.5-kilometer track, drivers can only accelerate to 80-90 kph. You can’t get the impression of what it’s like to drive at high speeds, but it definitely allows you to test the acceleration and deceleration of the car, and both are comfortable and smooth. On turns it also functions like a regular car and drivers can only just detect the vehicle’s low center of gravity."