The Billion-Dollar Crash of Better Place

<p>Dozens of companies across solar, batteries and biofuels have imploded over the years. But it's hard to match the spectacular implosion of Better Place five years ago.</p><p>Better Place rose to fame in 2007, pulling in nearly $1 billion of venture capital by promising to put millions of cheap electric cars and battery switching stations on roads around the world. It fell nearly as quickly into bankruptcy after a series of poor decisions, market twists and bitter internal disputes.</p><p>A new book on the company's history,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Totaled-Billion-Dollar-Crash-Startup-World/dp/0983042810" target="_blank"><em>Totaled:&nbsp;The Billion-Dollar Crash of the Startup that Took on Big Auto, Big Oil and the World</em></a>, uncovers lots of engrossing details on Better Place's quixotic mission to revolutionize electric vehicles.</p><p>On this week's Energy Gang podcast, we're talking to author Brian Blum about the Israeli&nbsp;EV&nbsp;company's rise and demise. "When you're an entrepreneur of any size, being able to change and to iterate is going to make your company a success. And Better Place really didn't do that," said Blum.</p><p>Blum will also talk about his personal experience with Better Place's car made in collaboration with Renault.</p><p>Later in the show, what does Donald Trump’s Supreme Court pick mean for environmental and energy law? We’ll look at the record of Judge Brett&nbsp;Kavanaugh.</p><p><em>The Energy Gang is brought to you by Mission Solar Energy, a solar module manufacturer based in San Antonio, Texas.&nbsp;Mission Solar's high-performance solar panels have the highest testing ratings than any North American manufacturer in the market.&nbsp;</em><a href="http://www.missionsolar.com/" target="_blank"><em>Learn more</em></a><em>&nbsp;about Mission's high-efficiency modules.</em></p><p>Recommended reading and listening:&nbsp;</p><ul><li><a href="https://israelstory.org/en/episode/29-better-place/" target="_blank">Israel Story podcast</a>:&nbsp;A Better Place?</