The big energy companies could transform their filling station forecourts to handle cars with exchangeable batteries.  The energy company would own the batteries and would be responsible for recycling batteries and they would handle the roll-out of improved batteries as the technology improves.  This would greatly decrease range anxiety in vehicle owners. Commenrcial vehicles would not need to be off the road for lengthy times while batteries are being recharged.  There would be an incentive for the energy companies to optimise battery recycling of exhausted batteries. This should also mean that the capital cost of a vehicle's battery could be met by the energy company, making electric vehicles much cheaper - cheaper than fossil fuel ones.

I feel the automotive industry (A) and the energy companies (E) already may already know this, and that presently electric vehicles are sold with batteries (making them more expensive) so that A and E have a few years time to transition their activities from supporting fossil fuel transportation to suporting electric power.  If what I propose had happend from the start, no-one would want a fossil fuel vehicle and their second hand prices would tumble.  The only drawback would be that there wouldn't be a refuelling network of the capacity needed to support electric vehicles using battery exchange.

My idea does give the energy companies a valuable role, and it would mean that the incentive to "go electric" would be even stronger.  It would also diminish the need for every home to have at least one electric vehicle charger, and also, filling stations (much fewer in number than households) would be the places where improved elctric power would be needed.

 Energy Efficiency

 Intelligent Energy

 Clean Transport