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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beachx
Massapequa, US
★★★★★ 3
Too small
Material Type: Gray - 3 Pairs, Size: X-Large
Too tight! Even size large used for a man with smaller feet is too tight. Also, no instructions for use or care.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2026
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Jo-Ann Epstein
Houston, US
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Good fit
Material Type: Black - 3 Pairs, Size: X-Large
My husband just started using these and they feel comfortable. Hasn't used them long enough to see if his heels are better. He has a high arch so I bought him the XL and they fit perfectly.
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M.R.
Boise, US
★★★★★ 5
No more painful cracked heels! These really do work!
Material Type: Black - 3 Pairs, Size: X-Large
These really do work well. This is one of the first winters that I have not experienced painful, cracked heels. They are long lasting, and definitely make my heels smoother and softer after wearing them. For the first few times wearing them I simply went with the moisturizer embedded in them. After a few uses I then covered my heels with Aquaphor Advanced Therapy Healing Ointment. This worked even better, and I would recommend it. I am very glad I bought these. Of note, I have really big feet that are quite wide and the XL are a little snug but not uncomfortably so. I use them overnight, but also have worn them under socks and they work fine.
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K. Davis
Bozeman, US
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Works for foot psoraisis
Size: 2 pairs black L
Got these for work (service industry) to reduce issues with psoriasis and blisters while putting on 20k+ steps a day. Over time the wounds healed and I could work without so much pain. I now don't use them all the time like I used to, only when a new lesion or blister appears, too prevent a breakout. Tip: if you're not in full breakout, wear thick socks under these as a barrier to friction.
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Kim C
Lexington, US
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Work well but run small
Size: 1 pair black L
They do seem to run a bit small. I bought them for my bf but snagged them from him because I couldn’t resist! I’m about a W8/12 and they were just a little big but unlike others, I just put them on while sleeping and didn’t walk around with them. If you’re just planning on that, they did a great job at sloughing and moisturizing 😎
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Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2026

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