Michael J. Granoff, president of Maniv Energy Capital, delivered a speech on the future of electrically powered cars in Israel and the Israeli government's promotion of environmentally friendly cars in the Heller School for Social Policy as part of Earthfest 2008's Green Job Forum.Granott's company explores the "opportunities in the rapidly growing sectors of clean technology and alternative energy," according to its Web site. In 1997, Granoff founded Maniv Investments, LLC, parent of Maniv Bioventures and Maniv Energy Capital.

While Earthfest centers mostly on the American environment, the Brandeis community is also looking at how other countries can be more environmentally friendly. Countries that were discussed included Denmark and China. Denmark is known for its self-sufficient energy resources, and China is considered as the next big energy consumer.

Both undergraduate and graduate students attended the event in the Israeli government's promotion of environmentally friendly cars.

Granoff presented a brief history of energy consumption. He compared the size of an oil molecule to an electron and said that an electron is more efficient. "The normal car is using about 1 percent of the energy drawn up from oil reserves. The biggest problem with oil is that it's not replaceable," said Granoff.

The Israeli government announced a joint venture with Renault and Nissan Motor Company in late January. Both companies will introduce efficient electrical cars in the market hopefully as early as 2010. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said the state will offer tax incentives to purchasers in order to offset the expenses of owning electric cars.

Granoff said that Israel is an ideal test-drive for the electric car because the commuting distance between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem is about 75 miles, the ideal distance for electric cars to travel without needing to be recharged.

Granoff, who said he drives a Toyota Prius, said the "anti-Catch-22" is to create a car that is "cheaper, cleaner, totally silent and creates a fully sustainable ecosystem." He said he hopes Israelis will be interested in buying electric cars if it takes less time to replace a battery than to fill a gas tank.

"We want to buy energy even at a premium . We need to penetrate [the market] pretty deeply," Granoff said. He believes electric cars can be successfully integrated into the Israeli market as soon as 2015.

In 2007, Maniv worked with Project Better Place of Palo Alto, Calif., which provides lithium-ion batteries, as well as the infrastructure to power cars in Israel.

Project Better Place plans to rent out electric cars for a monthly subscription fee covering battery costs, exchange stations and complimentary maintenance service. Like a cell phone subscription, the cars are free when one signs up for a plan. The cost of running an electric car will be cheaper than using gasoline, which can be as much as six or seven dollars per gallon in Israel.

After the presentation, students discussed the benefits of environmentally friendly cars. Granoff admitted that one possible problem with the introduction of electric cars in Israel is increased congestion. However, he spoke optimistically about bringing electric cars to the United States in the future.