With eVgo rolling out subscription model pricing plans for its EV charging network in Houston and Dallas, it’s time to take stock and consider the ramifications for customers of making charging networks more difficult to access. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Solar startup GreenVolts has found a friend in power giant ABB, in a very difficult solar market this year. Read more »
Is the greentech industry headed for a breakout year or is it retrenching for hard times to come? The first three months of 2011 provided evidence that could support both assertions, with a big rise in venture capital investment and a big drop-off in global energy financing. Solar power remained the largest green technology sector in terms of venture capital investment, while in the world of electric vehicles, GM’s Chevy Volt hybrid and Nissan’s all-electric Leaf — the first two mainstream plug-in vehicles — hit the showroom floors in significant numbers. Meanwhile the smart grid sector’s relative dearth of VC investment was more than made up for by the massive round of acquisitions. Companies mentioned in this report include NRG Energy, Microsoft, Silver Spring Networks, Tesla and BrightSource Energy. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Cutting the battery cost out of owning an electric vehicle could be a key way to push electric vehicles into the mass market, according to a report from consulting giant Accenture. Read more »
ECOtality and Cisco are joining forces to manage home energy and car charging in a way that consumers and utilities can use. The first systems could be deployed by year’s end via the DOE-funded EV Project. Read more »
The new wave of electric cars will be connected cars, both via a power cord, but also through the increased use of communication networks. The latest example of this comes from Sprint, which is providing the connection for Ecotality’s Blink electric car charging stations. Read more »
Swiss grid giant ABB has put $10 million into car charging company ECOtality and linked a North American manufacturing agreement. Looks like ABB is picking its preferred winner for the U.S. car charging network to come. Read more »
Cutting electric vehicle charging time from hours to minutes is a holy grail of the car charging industry. But plenty of bumps lie ahead for the dream of a gas station equivalent for the EV market. Read more »
NRG Energy has taken big stakes in solar and wind power generation, has a lot of green power retailing clout and is planning the first-ever for profit car charging network in the United States. What are the strengths and drawbacks of this end-to-end green power moneymaking ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
NRG looks to be trying out a vertical green energy play from generation to consumer, combining its fossil-fuel-based electricity, its wind and solar power, and it’s green consumer strategy. Will it work? Read more »
Want to know how the Nissan LEAF will look and feel on the road when it launches later this year? The first shots of a pre-production LEAF have been snapped in Arizona, and Nissan is kicking off a week of test drives. Read more »
Coulomb Technologies, a startup working on charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, has garnered a $15 million federa; grant to support deployment of 4,600 networked charging stations in nine regions around the country — a $37 million endeavor in all. Read more »
Once again it is time to look back on the week in Mobile Tech Manor and share with you the things I learned. This week was a lot of fun, it almost makes me feel guilty that I can have so much fun doing my work. Read more »
Spring Design is now shipping the Alex reader, an e-book reader with both a six inch e-Ink screen and a 3.5 inch color touchscreen. The Alex runs Android, and it shows to be a solid reader after initial testing. Here’s the first look at the Alex. Read more »
ECOtality’s latest report to shareholders shows a net loss of more than $29.5 million for 2009, up from $8.1 million in 2008 (a change attributed largely to the expense of pursuing stimulus funds), and reveals a company backing away from hydrogen ambitions. Read more »
We’ve been tracking plenty of stories that underscore China’s growing might in cleantech, and here’s another one. Prudent Energy, the subsidiary of China’s JD Holdings, said Tuesday that it has raised a $22 million Series C round to build out its Beijing manufacturing capacity for vanadium […] Read more »
ECOtality’s executives better start practicing their Mandarin — China is fast becoming a major focus for the company. The Scottsdale, Ariz.-based charging infrastructure company, which says it was mentioned in Obama’s State of the Union address, announced Monday that its Chinese partner, Shenzhen Goch Investment, has […] Read more »
Yesterday, the New York Times published an article examining what it refers to as the upcoming “war” between computer chip manufacturers. It’s an interesting read if you’re desperately into that sort of thing, but what’s most compelling is the assertion that Apple probably invested at least a […] Read more »
Jump out of the little pond and take its chances with the big fish — that’s what ECOtality aims to do by listing its common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market (previously called the SmallCap Market). ECOtality, which is the parent company of electric vehicle infrastructure […] Read more »
Verizon yesterday announced a new software tool that moves media from computers to handsets over USB. V CAST Media Manager, powered by Smith Micro Software, transfers photos, videos and music from a Windows PC to a number of supported phones and can keep both devices in […] Read more »
