SKU: 49988678644

Totaled: The Billion-Dollar Crash of the Startup That Took on Big Auto, Big Oil and the World

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Totaled: The Billion-Dollar Crash of the Startup That Took on Big Auto, Big Oil and the WorldWhen a billion dollar electric car startup crashed and burned, global investors and average car buyers alike asked: What happened? Business and technology journalist Brian Blum reveals the answer in his new book TOTALED: The Billion Dollar Crash of the Startup that Took on Big Auto, Big Oil, and the World. The Tesla 3 has grabbed the spotlight as the first "affordable" all electric vehicle, but Israel's Better Place came first. The plan was to use

When a billion-dollar electric car startup crashed and burned, global investors and average car buyers alike asked: What happened? Business and technology journalist Brian Blum reveals the answer in his new book TOTALED: The Billion-Dollar Crash of the Startup that Took on Big Auto, Big Oil, and the World.

The Tesla 3 has grabbed the spotlight as the first "affordable" all-electric vehicle, but Israel's Better Place came first. The plan was to use Israel --- a country the size of New Jersey and dubbed "the Startup Nation" --- to prove electric cars could work everywhere. Instead of fast charge, Better Place addressed range anxiety by building a network of battery-swap stations --- operated by robots.

Better Place's charismatic CEO Shai Agassi believed his company's innovative technology could help stop climate change and free nations from the yoke of oil dependence. His magnetic television appearances, viral TED Talk and compelling boardroom presence had investors and business leaders worldwide jumping in to ride shotgun. Countries from Japan to Denmark to Australia signed on and the privately-held Better Place raised nearly a billion dollars.

Yet in a few years, it was all over --- the company, buffeted by internal strife, an international corporate spy scandal, the Great Recession and technology disruptions, went bankrupt.

The story of the "electric car unicorn that collapsed" is a cautionary tale; a timely case study filled with valuable lessons for entrepreneurs, investors and executives in businesses of all sizes --- as well as everyone chasing the electric car Holy Grail.

TOTALED lays out the story of what happens when change hits a company on multiple fronts, sometimes all at once. Do you double down and stay the course or pivot like your company's life depends on it?

TOTALED plunges deep into the riveting rise and fall of a company that sincerely wanted to change the world but couldn't quite get to the finish line. TOTALED will captivate you, whether you're interested in electric cars and mobility, green energy and the environment; or you simply enjoy reading business biographies.

TOTALED has received rave advance reviews from people like David Pogue, the former New York Times tech writer, who says that "Brian Blum's deeply researched account is like playing a car-wreck video in slow motion: You can watch every stroke of bad luck, bad timing, and bad blood reduce a once-thrilling idea to dust."

Gina Smith, author of iWoz, the New York Times best-selling biography of Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, writes that TOTALED grants access to "a side of the startup world that few ever get to see --- much less survive."

Ron Adner, author of The Wide Lens: What Successful Innovators See that Others Miss, describes TOTALED as "required reading for ambitious innovators."

And Foreword Reviews writes that Better Place CEO Shai Agassi is "as compelling an antihero as found in any technology thriller. The book's as-it-happens narrative makes for riveting reading."

More information at www.brianblum.com



Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Blue Pepper Press
Published: 08/22/2017
ISBN: 9780983042815
Pages: 358
Weight: 1.16lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.80d

Review Citations: Foreword 08/26/2017
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SKU: 49988678644

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Judith A. Rockwell
Waukegan, US
★★★★★ 5
My bag for all seasons!
Color: Gold and Black Flower With Matching Wallet
Love it! Stylish. Well made.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2026
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Laurie Wojcik
Fort Morgan, US
★★★★★ 5
Your endless search for a stylish and functional bag ends here
Color: A5 Black and White
About three years ago, I bought this really cute navy blue and white striped handbag at Target and after about a year and a half of faithful service, the cloth lining started to fall apart. Every fiber of my being wanted to buy a new handbag and replace it but since I couldn't find anything I liked, I painstakingly sewed the lining back into place and carried on using the purse until its state of disrepair was beyond anything my novice sewing skills were capable of fixing. This should indicate that I'm not the kind of person who just buys any handbag. I need it to have compartments. I need it to have a zipper that shields the purse's precious contents from the elements. I need it to be able to fit my Chromebook in the event that I'm traveling somewhere and need to bring it along. I need it to have functionality for both the typical workday and for weekend adventures. Lastly, I don't necessarily "need" it to match with most of my work clothes, but it's an added bonus when I can carry a handbag that makes me look effortlessly put together. And here it is. I can tell that this is a handbag that will last me a long time, and I won't need to get out the needle and thread to maintain it. It looks sharp, it's sturdy, it fits everything, and the color I purchased even included a matching wallet. It was a big leap for me to buy a handbag without being able to have that tactile in-store "yes this will work for me" experience so if you're the kind of person who waffles back and forth about buying a handbag sight unseen via an online retailer, worry no more. This is the one. However, a word of caution: If you're looking for something relatively small, this isn't it. This is a carry-everything-get-the-job-done-and-be-practical-and-cute-at-the-same-time type of handbag so if you're looking for something a little more portable, like for a night out, I'd recommend picking a style that includes the matching wallet so you can use it as a wristlet.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2018
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Inquiring Mind
Draper, US
★★★★★ 4
Beautiful But Heavy
Color: A3 Purple and Black
I bought this bag in black and purple and it's roomy and beautiful. I love how it looks and it's a good-quality, sturdy bag. That said, it's really stiff and heavy. Its weight and rigidity remind me of a briefcase that I carried in the '80s. Also, since it doesn't have any dividers in the middle, it's easy for things to fall to the bottom and get buried. This, however, was easily remedied by buying an insert purse organizer. If you can live with all of that (I can see how some could) it's a great buy. As I mentioned before, it's a very nice, high-quality bag.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2025
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Johanna
Whiting, US
★★★★★ 5
Good brand and great price
Color: Beige and Black With Matching Wallet
This brand always has great bags and purses I have a few more by this brand. Very spacious and good price!
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Michelle Lopez
Battle Creek, US
★★★★★ 5
Beautiful
Color: A3 Purple and Black
This was a gift for my mom and the picture does not give this justice. Beautiful purse.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2026

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