French carmaker Renault SA is holding field tests in Israel for Shai Agassi’s Better Place LLC electric car prototypes. The cars are due to be marketed starting next year.

Two prototypes of the Renault Fluence ZE, tailored for Israel, arrived last month, together with a technical team from the company.

The cars’ rapid battery replacement system is located in the rear. Previously, only prototypes with the Better Place fixed battery or replaceable battery were sent to Israel.

The test was timed to evaluate the cars’ handling in Israel’s extreme summer heat. The cars are also due to participate in a system-wide test to be conducted by Better Place.

This test will cover the cars’ ignition and battery replacement systems, the remote management network, and other elements of Better Place’s service model.