Free (from emissions) Car!

Last year I read part of a book called Free: The Future of A Radical Price by Chris Anderson (an abridged audiobook by the author is available for free online) and heard about Better Place free Electric Vehicles. At the time of the books publication Better Place had actually yet to offer an free cars, but now they have set up shop in Tel Aviv, Copenhagen and Ontario (you have to live in a city where their battery stations exist) and hope soon to open in California, Australia, China and elsewhere around the globe. The battery it uses is a newer safer, non-toxic lithium-ion battery that can drive a car for 100 miles. In the participating cities a driver can drive to a battery station to have it switched out or simply charge at home or at work. This is good for the environment because fossil fuels will not be burned from these drivers and helps utilize off-peak elctricity that might go to waste. I was generally excited to tell you about this car company because not only are the environmental benefits great, but as explained in the book the car and it's battery could actually be (or theoretically would be) free to the consumer. I can find nothing on their www.betterplace.com site that discusses price though Anderson's book claimed they were trying to make the price free (as loaner), only paying for the electricity rates for the battery - and at comprable prices to gasoline, though inflated perhaps 50 cents for what would equate to a miles worth of energy. The book, Free stated that a consumer could outright buy the car, while getting the battery for free, if one would so choose and then receive price deductions on the energy. Perhaps now the company sees it needs to show a healthier profit, or needs funding to establish itself in more markets, chosen somewhat for their higher prices of gasoline, or perhaps they really are offering this deal in their current markets. Currently Better Place is implementing their cars as taxis in San Francisco and San Jose, and this plan should be fully implemented in the next 2 1/2 years.