Shai Agassi: Hope for the electric car rests on China's shoulders

Coda electric sedan - Click above for high-res image gallery

"Our goal is not to build a car company," says Better Place CEO Shai Agassi, "Our goal is to end oil." That would be quite an accomplishment, and it's going to take cooperation between the automakers themselves, companies like Better Place that are building and developing an electric vehicle infrastructure and the localities installing them. Oh, and people who drive the cars. According to Agassi, once China gets on the EV train, there's no stopping it.

"Once China does it, you don't have a choice," Agassi said, speaking at WIRED's recent Disruptive by Design Conference. There seem to be definite signs that China will soon become a major player in the electric car marketplace. Here in the U.S., California EV start-up Coda Automotive signed a deal with Chinese automaker Hafei to produce the bones of its electric sedan (pictured) and Volkswagen has teamed up with BYD to produce large-scale batteries for automotive use.

With all of this in mind, what role do you think China will play in the future of electric vehicles? Take part in our poll below.


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[Source: Wired]
Photos Copyright ©2009 Mike Levine

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