Battery leasing could help ease anxiety about hybrids

DETROIT


Two companies are working on battery lease plans. Think Car USA plans to lease the batteries for its City electric car to go on sale next year. Project Better Place, a start-up with $200 million in funding from partners, is trying to create a system for consumers to “subscribe” to a service that offers recharging stations and battery exchange. “You would own the car. We would own the battery,” says Joe Paluska, chief marketing officer for Better Place.

Such business models could be how plug-in and even standard hybrids are marketed in coming years.

USA Today