Will Israeli military be a Better Place?
Better Place may be getting a helpful boost as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are considering installing the company's infrastructure to charge future electric jeeps and troop carriers, as well as civilian cars. Better Place has close ties with the Jewish state and the CEO of its Israeli chapter, Major General Moshe Kaplinsky, used to be the Deputy Chief of Staff of the IDF. The electric infrastructure company could certainly use the support of the country's military if it is to attain founder Shai Agassi's ambitious goal of 100,000 electric cars in
Although Better Place and its partner, Renault, do face possible competition from BYD, the entry of the Chinese carmaker may be delayed as a restraining order was being sought by Eastern Automobile Marketing Co (EAM) against Clal Industries of the IBD Group. They claim they had previously signed an agreement with BYD for distribution rights.
[Source: Solve Climate / Haaretz]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
mika 11:57PM (2/14/2009)
Poorly written with charged political jargon. Leave the BBC/alJazeera Jihadist jargon out.
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Matt 12:26AM (2/15/2009)
@ Matt
You Zionist, You!
Well, just fulfilling my role as the mandatory opponent.
Frankly I did not see any political jargon or jihadi stuff. I see a lot of that on the Net, but not in this post
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Matt 12:27AM (2/15/2009)
Oops. @ Mika, not @ Matt. --- *slaps myself*
mika 12:40AM (2/15/2009)
"Frankly I did not see any political jargon or jihadi stuff."
==
When was the last time you saw Italy being referred to as a Catholic state, or Turkey as a Muslim State, or a sovereign state being referred to as a territory? Right. Keep that Jihadist propaganda out, or this will be the last time this "Zionist" visits your pages.
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Chris M 8:28PM (2/15/2009)
Italy is not officially a "Catholic state", nor is Turkey officially a "Muslim state", but Israel is officially a Jewish state. That is quite clear in its name, its flag, and in its laws. Israel has a "Right of Return" law that grants anyone with Jewish ancestry free entry and instant citizenship, even if they or their parents or grandparents had never set foot in that country - and that right is NOT offered to any "goyim", not even to non-jews who had been born and lived there but had fled from the fighting. Moreover, Orthodox Jews are given favored status even over other Jews, for example, they are exempt from military service.
Still, there is a glimmer of hope. A recent attempt to write laws allowing only Orthodox Rabbis to perform marriages failed, and there are movements to make Israel more secular and remove laws biased against non-Jewish citizens.
The fighting there has continued over the generations because neither side is willing to be fair and reasonable. It does not help that some people put all the blame on one side and pretend that the other side has done nothing at all wrong.
If you should decide never to visit here again, I doubt anyone here would miss you.
gorr 5:15AM (2/15/2009)
I said to stop the war on water technology ( planet earth, human brain, human body, vegetation, civilisation, autonomous cars not related to goverment nor mondial conflict and powered by water on sale at home depot )
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nom de plume 8:06AM (2/15/2009)
Israel is increasingly seen as the new (apartheid era) South Africa. Increasingly European and American human rights activists are calling for divestment and sanctions. It is irresponsible for companies to do business with a country that systematically terrorizes innocent Palestinian civilians, has defied over 68 UN resolutions, and has an illegal nuclear weapons program. Better Place may find that doing business with Israel's army will result in a public relations nightmare.
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Tim 1:50PM (2/15/2009)
I think the big picture regarding Better Place is that their "Plan" is anti-empowerment. I'm for the Nissan EV, but NOT with a battery swapping scheme. What they are doing is acting exactly like an oil company. Control the power supply with a crafty plan of "swapping" batteries. This does not pass the smell test and stinks of power control over an industry that must have a battery pack that is managed openly not controlled by an infrastructure with service stations owned by one consortium. Just think of the logistical infrastructure problems, it will take years to iron out. C'mon do we really want this? I don't think so. What I don't like is the support of some US politicians that are suckered in by Agassi's Scam Plan. Batteries are available NOW with 8 year lifespans, with commercialization the cost will be low enough to replace in 8 years. Current hybrids don't even have close to an 8 year life and look at how many cars have been sold. Battery prices have come down since the first gen hybrids. Let's be smart about EV's and use our brain as we inquire about these plans.
Chris M 7:02PM (2/15/2009)
Tim, I don't see anything wrong with their plan to lease batteries and provide swapping facilities for those leased batteries. I also don't see anything wrong with providing public charging facilities.
What I have a problem with is that PBP apparently plans to make their charging system proprietary and closed, restricting their customers to use only their chargers and applying a charging fee even for at home charging! Sorry, PBP. but that scheme just won't fly, not when you've got serious competition that is not as restrictive.
mika 8:49AM (2/15/2009)
"Israel is increasingly seen as the new (apartheid era) South
Africa."
==
No, it is racist haters like yourself that are increasingly
emboldened in making such racist attacks. This kind of Orwellian
Jihadist/Nazi propaganda should not only solicit revulsion, but in
the real world persons like yourself should solicit extreme physical
violence. You are lucky Jews/Israelis are as passive as they are.
Obviously, I do not have such hang-ups in dealing with the likes of
you.
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Chris M 7:53PM (2/15/2009)
No, what is really Orwellian is the assumption that Israel is somehow above reproach and flawless, and the veiled threat of violence against anyone that disagrees with that party line.
mika 8:54PM (2/15/2009)
LOL. Right. Calling Israel an Apartheid state because it resists
genocidal Jihadi/Arab global imperialists isn't Orwellian propaganda. And
spiking/poisoning this blog with Jihadi/Nazi hate propaganda is perfectly
OK. Anything else, Christopher?
noz 11:56PM (2/15/2009)
Mika:
You're an idiot. Are you one of those morons hired by the Israel Propaganda teams to go around and spread more "victim" rants about Israel and how everyone should feel sorry for them all the time? What's the matter? Jewish blood redder than everyone else's? Are you more important than other human beings you fascist dolt?
People are sick and tired of idiots like you calling everyone anti-Semitic and racist when what Chris-M pointed out is FACT. People are sick and tired of their hard-earned money going to Israel and their lunatic-psycho fanatical rampages of killing people and then trying smell like roses...as if the people they kill...I should say children they massacre..had it coming to them.
You are the lowest of low forms of human being...completely and utterly morally bankrupt. Now go and pick up your check from the anti-defamation league, AIPAC, or a IDF's propaganda wing...or any other number of fascist, nutjob organizations.
Signed.
American Citizen SICK of having his tax dollars stolen to fund a rogue terrorist state.
mike baz 9:55AM (2/15/2009)
Can haters please refrain from blogging or commenting on Autoblog Green, there really is no shortage of sites out there that cater to your ilk, please enjoy your favorite pastime elsewhere.
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sam 12:08PM (2/15/2009)
any official statements made by Israel or/and Better place yet?
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mika 10:25PM (2/15/2009)
"Still, there is a glimmer of hope.."
==
Uh? What business it is of yours, how and what Israel decides to do as it regards the preservation of its Hebrew cultural national identity?
As to official state religions, most Muslim countries and territories are officially Muslim. This includes the territories administrated by Hamas and the PA. Furthermore, most European states have a long history of promoting Christian institutions, political parties, and holidays. And still do. To say that they are not "officially Christian" is playing at sophistry.
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Chris M 2:36AM (2/16/2009)
It's ironic that you got into such a tiff over the article mentioning "the Jewish state", then get so concerned about preserving its Hebrew cultural national identity. Is there some difference between "Jewish" and "Hebrew" that I wasn't aware of?
I have no control or influence over what Israel does, but I do welcome any move by Israel to be more inclusive, more heterogenous, and more respective of human rights. An "ethnically pure" society should never be the goal of any nation.
I'm well aware that there are theocracies and official state religions, both christian and muslim, it is just ironic that the two examples you tried to use, Italy and Turkey, are not theocracies and do not have an official state religion. I just wish there were more that followed the US example of striving to separate church and state.
mika 4:02AM (2/16/2009)
It's ironic that you got into such a tiff over the article mentioning "the Jewish state"..
==
That isn't the issue. The issue is that of a double standard, loaded jargon, all pervasive Jihadi/Nazi propaganda, and selective criticism. Whatever Israel's failings are, they pale in comparison to those of her Jihadist enemies. Yet, very little criticism is voiced against Israel's Jihadist enemies, or their aggressive expansionist genocidal Jihadi religion and culture. Instead, what I see is one-sided criticism and vilification of Israel that is often totally ridiculous and upside down. What I see is patently staged Paliwood theater productions and deliberately uncritical and complicit airing of this Jihadist theater by BBC propagandists and the like, with willing dopes swallowing the propaganda and hate fest by the bucketful. Now what do you suppose could be a rational explanation to this?
mika 12:23AM (2/16/2009)
"People are sick and tired of their hard-earned money going to Israel and their lunatic-psycho fanatical rampages of killing people and then trying smell like roses.."
==
Aside from the personal attacks, I guess the $1.4 trillion a year spent on a bloated US military to safeguard and subsidize Jihad oil, doesn't count as money. And the hundreds of billions given to Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Pakistan, Iraq, the Jihadists in Israel, again doesn't count as money. Save your Jihadists theater and "righteous indignation" for gullible and ignorant.
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mika 12:37AM (2/16/2009)
.."righteous indignation" for ^the gullible and ignorant..