The first session was opened with greetings and announcements from President Michael Sanderson and LAC General Chair Mark Spencer.

The bulk of the session was the keynote address from Sven Thesen of Better Place. Sven discussed the efforts of Better Place to bring a simpler and more accessible Electric Vehicle (EV) system to California and around the world. The Better Place EV system involves the rental of car batteries, in a fashion similar to a cellular phone plan.

Better Place has been implemented in both Denmark and Israel, and is one of several companies to boast cars that are capable of switching batteries at stations and getting 100 miles per charge. In an effort to relieve the “range anxiety” associated with driving electric vehicles, Sven’s company sends information to cel phones to help drivers locate charging and battery replacement stations.  In Tokyo, Better Place has implemented electric taxis capable of swapping batteries in one minute.

Sven went on to describe how the electric grid would need to adapt to meet the demands of a higher amount of electric vehicles on the road. Green energy sources, such as wind, are not produced 24 hours a day. Sven noted that charging times would need to be orchestrated to reduce the amount of new power plants built. Thesen claims that if charging is timed properly, no new power plants would need to be built.

A key element of Sven’s presentation was the comparison of Electric Vehicles to the cellular phone, with respect to adoption rate and the rapid progression of the technology.

Sven’s credentials include a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from NCSU, the Schwarzenegger administration recognized him with the 2006 Environmental and Economic Leadership Award. Thesen’s work with PG&E’s sulfur hexaflouride emission team resulted in his team being awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. Sven currently works as the Head of California Business Development for Better Place.