Incremental and Transformational Change ( Innovations Case Discussion : Better Place)
2009; The MIT Press; Volume: 4; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1162/itgg.2009.4.4.141
ISSN1558-2485
Autores Tópico(s)Energy, Environment, and Transportation Policies
ResumoShai Agassi's story of his evolving personal interest in energy issues, and the evolving business plan of his electric vehicle company, Better Place, provides an important lens on the pace and drivers of innovation.First, as Shai describes, his interest in energy issues evolved from his great success in the software industry.As a successful entrepreneur, Shai became inspired by the imperative to change our energy economy, and he recognized that his background and drive might be a unique advantage in becoming an agent of innovation and change.The transportation sector critically needed, and still needs, this sort of fresh look and novel business model.For a period in the late 1970s and early 1980s, average vehicle economy in the United States rose steadily, due to the requirements for greater fuel efficiency through the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards and the lingering worries over oil prices from the two oil embargoes of the 1970s.After that, however, little changed in the transportation sector.In fact, looking at Figure 1, we can see a clear trade-off in the trends in vehicle efficiency and performance: gains in vehicle efficiency were sacrificed for performance.Perhaps improvements in both could have been achieved.Undeniable, however, is the decades of stagnation in improvements in energy efficiency, financial savings, or carbon savings.The petro-politics of the 1980-2005 period were tumultuous, including the Iran-Iraq war, the first and second gulf wars, and the ascension of Japanese car companies to a leading global position.Out of that period, different nations and
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