Electric Car Charging Stations Get Funded in Denmark

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Better Place, the alternative transportation startup run by entrepreneur Shai Agassi, has rounded up $135 million to build charging stations for electric cars in Denmark. The oddly-named Danish utilty company Dong Energy has partnered with Better Place to supply the power.Better Place has a sort of "cell phone model." The company plans to sell electric cars at a discount, and then charge people a subscription fee to use the network of stations, where they'll be able to recharge their electric cars, or simply exchange a depleted battery for a fully-charged one.The Wall Street Journal reports:"Better Place plans to start electrifying gas stations in Denmark in a few months, have pilot drivers using the system next year, and to do a full roll-out in 2011. Renault SA, the French car maker, is also working with Better Place by building the electric cars to be used in the Israeli and Danish tests."These days so many planet-saving initiatives and innovations are "in development," or in the "concept phase," that it's nice to see one with some cash and dates attached.Of course, one needs a "Better Place-compliant vehicle" to use these charging stations. And if "Better Place-compliant vehicles" lose the format wars for electric car technology, this initiative could face some roadblocks. That said, these sorts of experiments are critical and it'll be great if this works for Denmark.Thanks, Craig.