Shai Agassi: CEO of Better Place

Why We Picked Him: He was building a system of charging stations that would make electric vehicles more practical.

Report Card: Today, his company has three test vehicles on the road as part of Tokyo's taxi system, and expects to launch electric vehicles commercially in Israel and Denmark next year. It also recently inked a partnership with GE enabling the two companies to harmonize their work on electric vehicle infrastructure. But, as Agassi admitted to The Wall Street Journal in July, he's had trouble getting support for his charging stations in the U.S.--investors don't want to put money into electric vehicle-charging stations in a country where gas is still a comparatively cheaper fuel.