Shai Agassi wants to put you behind the wheel of an electric car — but he doesn't want you to sacrifice convenience (or cash) to do it.

Why you should listen

When horrific climate-change scenarios elicit little but endless chatter from governments and entrenched special interests, the difference between talk and action represent an embarrassing gulf. Meet Shai Agassi, who has stepped fearlessly into that gap. His approach to solving the puzzle of electric automobiles could spark nothing short of an automotive revolution.

Agassi stunned the software industry in 2007 by resigning from SAP to focus on his vision for breaking the world's fossil-fuel habit, a cause he had championed since his fuse was lit at a Young Global Leaders conference in 2005. Through his enthusiastic persistence, Agassi's startup Better Place has signed up some impressive partners -- including Nissan-Renault and the countries of Israel and Denmark.

What others say

“Shai Agassi has only one car, no charging stations, and not a single customer—yet everyone who meets him already believes he can see the future.” — Wired

Shai Agassi’s TED talk

More news and ideas from Shai Agassi

The week in comments

April 19, 2009

We’re on to our second week of picking our favorite comments from the pile, and it already seems to be getting harder. Your voices are many, and your quips are witty. Here are the long deliberated choices: On Shai Agassi’s TEDTalk: A bold plan for mass adoption of electric cars: Brilliant. Persuasive. Visionary. I’m not […]

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A bold plan for mass adoption of electric cars: Shai Agassi on TED.com

April 13, 2009

Forget about the hybrid auto — Shai Agassi says it’s electric cars or bust if we want to impact emissions. His company, Better Place, has a radical plan to take entire countries oil-free by 2020. (Recorded at TED2009, February 2009, in Long Beach, California. Duration: 18:06.) Watch Shai Agassi’s talk from TED2009 on TED.com, where […]

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