BATTERIES FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLES

In 2011, the Israeli Government adopted a national program for fuel substitutes formulated by the Prime Minister’s Office to develop technologies that reduce the use of petroleum in transportation and to strengthen knowledge-intensive industries in the field. The program involves ten government ministries, hundreds of companies and research groups. The plan aims to reduce the use of petroleum in transportation in Israel by 60% by 2025.

For the past five years, an international conference has been held in Israel on the subject of fuel substitutes and smart transportation organized by the Program for Fuel Substitutes and Smart Transportation, the Ministry of Science, Technology and Space and the United Israel Appeal (Keren Hayesod). In 2016, about 2,000 guests from more than thirty countries attended the conference. The conference covers various topics related to the creation of smart public transportation, autonomous vehicles, etc., as well as technologies related to alternative battery- powered propulsion.

Production, research and development in the field of batteries also rely on the defense industry in Israel. Some of these technologies developed and manufactured in Israel or used by the military requires the use of advanced and reliable rechargeable batteries. Rafael, for example, develops and manufactures thermal batteries for military purposes. Elbit Systems, which develops and manufactures a variety of technologies for the military market, recently established a subsidiary to develop energy solutions for the civilian transportation sector.

In 2013, an Israeli corporation named Transport Electric Power Solutions (TEPS) was established, comprised of business companies and academic members and operating under the auspices of the Israel Innovation Authority at the Ministry of the Economy and Industry and the National Program for Fuel Substitutes and Smart Transportation in the Prime Minister’s Office. Its goal is to create cooperation between industry and academia in the development of electric propulsion solutions for vehicles. The corporation has set itself the goal of developing advanced technology in the field of electric vehicles and to enable travel of about 500 kilometers without the need to recharge the battery.

Members in the corporation are researches from the University of Ariel, the Technion, Tel Aviv University, Bar Ilan University and Israeli companies.