The car is free ... the batteries will cost ya

Of course they always would - pricey batteries are what make electric cars like the Tesla Roadster expensive.

Giving away the car in return for a battery service contract is like giving away the razor and selling blades at a profit, or giving away the printer and selling ink. Both are very profitable businesses, and the customer is better off because he doesn't have to come up with a lot of up-front money.

This venture is particularly interesting because it has wired up two entire countries - Israel and Denmark - with charging stations. So whereever you go in those countries, you can easily get a charge from where you park.

A really cool idea but it seems like something that might not scale well to larger countries and cities.

Filed under: electric car, free, and batteries