Project Better Place Announces Pricing Plans in Denmark: Not So Cheap

One advantage EV advocates push is that charging an electric vehicle is cheaper than filling it full of gas. Project Better Place just announced its pricing plan for the country of Denmark. How does almost $600 a month sound?

That’s for the top-tier pricing plan, which would give EV drivers about 40,000 kms of driving per-year as well as access to Better Place’s battery swapping stations. Better Place has partnered with Renault, whose vehicles will work with Better Place’s charging stations, which can deliver an 80% charge in under 30 minutes, or the swapping stations that give you a brand new battery in just “minutes.” That said, there are just a handful of these stations operational right now, and while I’m sure Better Place has huge plans, right now you’re talking about a very limited driving area.

And of course, none of this comes cheap, and on top of the $38,000 price tag for the Renault Fluence EV, pricing plans range from about $288 a month to nearly $600 a month, as well as a tone-time fee of around $1,800 for a home EV charging station. But wait…if you have a home station, why would you need a monthly subscription to Better Place?

Gas prices in Denmark are well over the $8 a gallon mark, making electric vehicles an attractive solution. So the $300 a month pricing plan might actually make sense for those who are using about 10 gallons of fuel a week. But with many European vehicles getting well over 50 mpg, filling up with petrol might still be the cheaper solution, especially when the Fluence EV itself is nearly $40,000.

I love electric vehicles, but if I was facing down those numbers, I think I’d rather suck it up and boy a scooter instead. How about you?

Source: Project Better Place

Chris DeMorro is a writer and gearhead who loves all things automotive, from hybrids to HEMIs. You can follow his slow descent into madness at Sublime Burnout.

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Tags: battery swapping station, Better Place, Denmark, ev charging, ev charging price, Project Better Place, Renault Fluence EV, solar powered battery swapping

About the Author

Christopher DeMorro A writer and gearhead who loves all things automotive, from hybrids to HEMIs, Chris can be found wrenching or writing- or esle, he's running, because he's one of those crazy people who gets enjoyment from running insane distances.

http://bosupdate.tumblr.com Bo Pedersen

I think there’s good reason to question better place’s business strategy (in short they are financing all the expensive and difficult elements around the electric car by selling you more expensive electricity – or miles)
But one main point that I think you missed is that better place supply the battery, which in other EV’s are a considerable part of the total price and general worry.
Emile

Actually the 26.000 euro price tag the Fluence has in Europe is a very reasonable price, the same as the gasoline version and about the same price as a Prius or gasoline equivalent cars the same size. No doubt that you’ll see another model for the US market. Since the Leaf has the same base as the Fluence it might be a Leaf with switchable battery in the future, but then around 10.000 dollar cheaper because you don’t buy the battery.

Battery lease in Holland is 80 euro (115 dollar) including 10.000 km of power (according to Renault). Converted to the current fuel cost, that’s about the same cost for a gas car using 45 mpg (US) / 19 km per liter with current fuel costs in Holland. With oil prices going up, that comparison will of course change.

So here’s a car with the same price as a gas car equivalent, with power costing the same as with an economic car, but of course saving on maintenance. And that’s without any government subsidies or carbon taxations for the gas cars.
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