Molycorp, a company that controls one of the largest deposits outside China of a group of metals used in many green technologies, is off to a rocky start on the public markets after raising $393.8 million in its IPO today. Read More »
Cleantech
Hybrid technology is really getting its day in court. A former General Motors worker and her husband have been accused of stealing (and trying to sell to a Chinese competitor) $40 million in trade secrets related to hybrid vehicles. Read More »
Cranking out electric buses, developing new transit tech and swaying policies in favor of “clean commuting.” Those are the main initiatives that startup Proterra says it plans to undertake with $20 million in new funding. Read More »
The Obama administration has just finalized the country’s first ever national regulation to curb greenhouse gas emissions and raise the bar on efficiency for new cars and trucks. The move could pushes automakers to incorporate more green technology into their lineups. Read More »
Hybrid and electric vehicles can only ride so far on the appeal of their fuel economy gains and environmental credentials. For a majority of car buyers, factors such as style, performance and services for information, entertainment and safety will hold more weight in the decision to … Read More »
Word out of Japan this morning of a possible defect in Toyota’s 2010 Prius — the third generation model of the popular hybrid — adds another scuff to the reputation of an automaker already grappling with its largest ever vehicle recall. As the New York … Read More »
UPDATED Automakers got their green on today at Day 1 of the North American International Auto Show at Detroit’s Cobo Center, unveiling new hybrid concepts and announcing manufacturing plans for electric vehicles. Government officials and citizen protesters showed up too, respectively issuing praise for the industry’s … Read More »
When Toyota detailed plans this summer to lease hundreds of plug-in hybrids based on its popular Prius model by year’s end, the automaker called the program “a key first step in confirming how and when we might bring large numbers of plug-in hybrids to global markets.” Today … Read More »
One thing is sure: The hybrid, tandem-seat 3-wheeler in the works at Oregon-based startup Green Lite Motors is no Prius. Less certain is whether there’s a market for the 4-feet-by-8-feet vehicle, which features “smart standup” technology that Green Lite President and CEO Tim Miller says will … Read More »
A123Systems, the Watertown, Mass.-based battery maker that marked a break in the cleantech IPO drought last month with its initial public offering, shortly after raking in $249 million in federal grants, is now heading to Japan. The company announced a deal this … Read More »
Want to hit it big in cleantech? Sign your Chief Financial Officer up for Mandarin lessons. “The hottest commodity today is a Chinese-speaking CFO with an MBA from an American school –- that person is worth a mint,” venture capitalist Steve Westly said this week … Read More »
For an international auto show organized around the theme “Fun Driving for Us, Eco Driving for Earth,” it’s only fitting for some cool green designs to be in the works. But while most automakers will have some kind of lower-emission offering on display when the Read More »