Reflections on Better Place, Cleantech’s Most Dramatic Business Failure

Photo Credit: News Oresund via Flickr

by Stephen Lacey
July 12, 2018

Dozens of companies across solar, batteries and biofuels have imploded over the years. But it's hard to match the spectacular implosion of Better Place five years ago.

Better Place rose to fame in 2007, pulling in nearly $1 billion of venture capital by promising to put millions of cheap electric cars and battery switching stations on roads around the world. It fell nearly as quickly into bankruptcy after a series of poor decisions, market twists and bitter internal disputes.

A new book on the company's history, Totaled: The Billion-Dollar Crash of the Startup That Took on Big Auto, Big Oil and the World, uncovers lots of engrossing details on Better Place's quixotic mission to revolutionize electric vehicles.

On this week's Energy Gang podcast, we're talking to author Brian Blum about the Israeli EV company's rise and demise. "When you're an entrepreneur of any size, being able to change and to iterate is going to make your company a success. And Better Place really didn't do that," said Blum.

Blum will also talk about his personal experience with Better Place's car made in collaboration with Renault.

Later in the show, what does Donald Trump’s Supreme Court pick mean for environmental and energy law? We’ll look at the record of Judge Brett Kavanaugh.

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