Just read a recent Wired article about Shai Agassi’s start-up devoted to eliminating oil consumption by automobiles across the world. It’s a bit long, but worth a read if you’re feeling as skeptical as I am about the baby-step attitude toward the future of efficient automobiles. Agassi’s new company, Better Place, is the result of thinking VERY big, having the charisma to sell his vision, and generating $200 million in start-up capital to get going, making it the fifth largest start-up ever.

The basic concept is to create an electric car recharging infrastructure that gets power from renewable sources. New electric cars will use special charging stations and battery exchange stations to make it convenient for consumers. Electricity will be priced more like cell phones, with options for unlimited miles, a maximum number of miles each month, or pay as you go. Better Place is making deals with governments and states (Israel, Denmark, and Australia for starters, Hawaii not far behind), automobile and battery manufacturers, dealers, venture capitalists — everyone needed to make this fundamental fueling shift possible.

Agassi’s goal is not to make a company, but rather end oil dependence globally. It’s a lofty goal, to be sure, but this is the most encouraging and empowering plan I’ve read about, and it seems so logical that it has everyone he talks to asking, “Why doesn’t this already exist?” Better Place is equated to being more like AT&T than Nokia, and they’ll make their profit on selling the power. All they need is the infrastructure, and I don’t think it will take the world long to grab hold of this. China is a possible early market, as is San Francisco. If all goes well, the company will change standards for car production and energy consumption worldwide.

His goals of changing the world in as few as 20 years are a bit far-flung, but why not shoot for the moon? In terms of lifestyle changes, I think people will wonder why they can’t just charge their cars in the garage overnight, and it’s a legitimate logistical question. I’m all for his network of green power, but having alternative sources for the energy would make it more acceptable in more places. All the world markets won’t be conquered with one solution, so I’m eager to see how his test runs go.

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Andy Swindler Categories: Entrepreneurship, Gadget, Green, Marketing, Social Media, Technology, Web