Electric vehicle network operator Better Place has formally sealed a deal to bring the first switchable battery vehicle, the Renault Fluence ZE, to Australia next year, and to provide a new model for managing the costs of transportation. The deal between Better Place and Renault extends an arrangement in Israel and other countries, where the car manufacturer agrees to import the Fluence and use the Better Place infrastructure to charge the vehicle, as well as the battery swapping stations, which Better Place says will take as little time as it does to fill a car with petrol.

The first cars will be deployed when the Canberra network is launched in early 2012. The pricing arrangements for the five-seater Renault have not yet been announced, but it is expected to be around $30,000 for the car only, comparable with other medium-sized cars. Better Place will then offer a battery leasing arrangement that will include the cost of the battery, access to charging stations at home and in public areas, and the cost of the electricity, as well as navigation services, 24-hour customer service and support.

Better place argues that a “fixed price for mobility” will free car owners from the constant volatility of petrol prices, and the cost or repairs of a vehicle engine with hundreds of moving parts. “When you buy a petrol car you are effectively signing a contract to bring it back to the oil cartel once or twice a week and promise to buy petrol at whatever price they say,” Better Place Australia CEO Evan Thornley said. “Our subscription will cover everything and it will be competitive with petrol.”

It is expected that the Better Place arrangement will be attractive for consumers who currently spend $80 or more a week on petrol. In Israel, the Renault Fluence is being sold for $33,100, with monthly subscription priced at $350 for an annual 23,000km package, or up to $430 for a 30,000km package. The network will be open for other EVs to charge their cars, but Better Place is confident that other manufacturers will eventually produce EVs specially tailored to its network and its rechargeable battery model.

Wind wars

The cut-throat competition in the Australian wind turbine market has intensified, with industrial giant GE securing its first major Australian order, a contract to provide 22 of its 2.5MW turbines for a new 55MW wind farm in WA. The virtual suspension of the Australian wind development industry in recent months because of the slump in renewable certificate prices has caused intense competition between turbine markets, which include Vestas, Suzlon and REC. Chinese wind turbine manufacturers also plan to enter the market through a deal with CBD Energy.

GE’s contract was secured for the Mumbida wind farm to be built south east of Geraldton in WA by Verve Energy and Macquarie Vapital. Leigton Contractors won the contract to construct the wind farm, which will cost $130 million and be completed by November, 2012. Meanwhile, UBS international infrastructure fund, which bought a 60 per cent share in the $750 million, 206MW Collgar wind farm near Merredin last year, says it is interested in more wind farm investments, both in Australia and in the US. 

Taking the heat

Wasabi Energy says it has signed a global licensing agreement with Denmark's FLSmidth to provide its Kalina Cycle technology for cement and lime manufacturing. Wasabi says the Kalina Cycle technology, which takes waste heat and converts it into power, has the potential to reduce overall power consumption by between 10 and 20 per cent. FLSmidth, which is the largest EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) provider to the global cement industry, says it will be offering the technology as an add-on to both new and existing cement and lime plants.

From thin air

The world’s first entirely self-sustaining, mobile emergency water tanks are set to be built, the product of a joint venture between water tech outfit Island Sky Australia and Canadian manufacturer Featherlite Industries. Each Skywater ESU-20 will contain three of Island Sky’s patented atmospheric water generators – which produce fresh drinking water from water vapor in the air – a 1275 gallon water storage tank equipped with advanced secondary water filtration, and a 30kW electric diesel generator, all housed within a customised 20ft mobile container. With a focus on emergency response scenarios, the device will be capable of supplying over 900 gallons of drinking water daily. "You can literally roll this unit to any natural disaster site or remote location where water is needed and make safe drinking water," says Island Sky President & CEO Richard Groden.