Israeli oil expert discusses electric cars

The constant controversy surrounding its political environment notwithstanding, Israel remains at the forefront of the movement to electrify the automobile industry.

Hillel’s Shotel Dubin Auditorium was filled to capacity with students, faculty and non-Penn affiliates on Wednesday. Mike Granoff, Head of Oil Dependence Policies at Better Place, spoke to the crowd about reducing global dependency on oil and promoting the mass production of electric vehicles.

Better Place, a company named for its mission to make the world just that, is based in Israel and has developed multiple international partnerships in order to switch the global mindset from the pump to the plug.

Granoff was direct in his approach to the issue. “We all know petroleum is not sustainable,” he said. “The question is, what succeeds it?” He explained that the mass use of the electric car is inevitable and that the transition should be expeditious and minimally disruptive.

Granoff also voiced uneasiness regarding the United States’ policy on the subject, which he views as less than aggressive. “The potential for [the transition to electric vehicles] to happen first outside of the U.S. is large, and it is something that we should view with great concern,” he said.

He listed high cost and inconvenience as some reservations people have when considering buying electric cars such as the Chevrolet Volt and the Nissan Leaf. However, Granoff said, with mass production, the price of the vehicles is likely to decrease. More advanced technologies have greatly increased the long-distance potential of electric automobiles, he added.

Wharton senior Elad Golan, who was in charge of organizing the event as part of Hillel’s Israel Week, expressed his wish for the public to see Israel as more than just a hot spot for political conflict. “I love Israel. I think it is an amazing place, but people always get caught up,” he said. “When they think of Israel, they think of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Here is a company that is Israeli, and it goes to show the contributions that Israel has made to the world.”

Other students at the event agreed with Golan. College freshman Aaron Wilson said, “it’s good to know that people have an opportunity to realize that Israel is not just a political entity but that it actually has economic things going on.”

Wilson also praised Granoff’s veracity during the event. “There were no questions that threw him off, and not because he answered like a politician, but because he seemed to have really genuine answers,” he said.

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