Report: Better Place to file for bankruptcy
If Better Place files for bankruptcy in a few days, as reported by Fortune, it would represent a sober end to a high-flying dream that raised hundreds of millions of dollars. Read more »
Adding an electric car cut the payback point of our solar panel investment in half
When planning our solar panel home project in 2011, we figured on paper that it would take nearly a dozen years to break even on the investment. Turns out that adding an electric vehicle has cut that figure roughly in half. Read more »
How Fisker’s struggles will affect electric cars, investing and government support
We’ve got the results of our survey on how Fisker’s struggles could affect the electric car market, government incentives and cleantech investing. Check out my 21-page report I wrote for GigaOM Pro, and some of the teasers in this post. Read more »
Another WARN class action suit for cleantech, this time for Coda Automotive
Here’s the details of the class action lawsuit filed against Coda Automotive that I referenced yesterday: it’s a complaint that Coda Automotive allegedly violated the WARN Act, that requires large employers to give employees 60 days written notice of mass layoffs. Read more »
Electric car maker Coda files for bankruptcy
Electric car company Coda Automotive has filed for bankruptcy, following slow sales and lawsuits. It’s the latest electric car startup to struggle and falter. Read more »
A look under the hood: why electric car startup Fisker crashed and burned
We bring you the behind the scenes story of how electric car startup Fisker Automotive spent over a billion dollars, took down a government loan and ultimately delivered about 2,000 cars, a small fraction of what it originally promised. Read more »
How China’s city-focused electric car programs fell short
China’s cities are macro-laboratories that the government has been using to test out various roll-out strategies from industrial partnerships, to fast charging stations to rental systems. So why have the early numbers fallen short? Read more »
Tesla messes with Texas, over how to sell its electric cars
Tesla is battling Texas over selling its electric cars directly to customers. CEO Elon Musk spoke at the Texas Capital Wednesday morning calling for support of a new bill. Read more »
Fisker sues insurance company over 338 cars, $33M, lost in Sandy
On the tail end of a very difficult year for electric car company Fisker, the company reveals that its insurance claim for 338 Karmas, worth $33 million, was denied by the insurance company, and Fisker is now suing XL Insurance America in court. Read more »
Report: Better Place laying off hundreds
After slow sales in Israeli — the first test bed and flagship market — Better Place is laying off hundreds of employees. The company is struggling with losses as it figures out how to make Israelis want to sign up for electric car charging like a cell phone service. Read more »
Latest in cleantech, via GigaOM Pro
The latest in cleantech from GigaOM Pro this week: advanced battery technologies, the fate of clean energy post election, and should the U.S. aggressively export natural gas? Read more »
Today in cleantech: Apple’s sustainability
Apple seems to be increasingly willing to respond to negative publicity surrounding its sustainability practices, points out GigaOM Pro cleantech analyst Adam Lesser. Why? Read more »
Paraffin mix paves way for cooler electric car batteries
A new coolant called CryoSolplus, being developed at one of Germany’s Fraunhofer institutes, aims to make electric car batteries last longer by using paraffin droplets that are three times better at absorbing heat than water. Read more »
Come learn about electric cars and be on the radio & TV
Come check out our Common Wealth Club segment on electric cars at noon today in downtown San Francisco. Read more »
Electric car charging gets a $120M push in California
A decade-old claim with a predecessor to NRG Energy, Dynegy, over power contracts during the state’s energy crisis, will turn into a $120 million settlement fund to invest in building out an electric car charging network in California. Read more »
Subscriber Content
After Solyndra: analyzing the solar industry
The solar industry has begun 2012 with some trepidation, with many on the warpath to cut costs and reduce output. These moves give the market a chance to reduce inventories and get production more in sync with demand. But recovery will likely come slowly. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Fisker says its problem Karmas are almost all fixed
Fisker has been rushing to fix the problem with the hose clamp for the batteries on its Karma electric car. It says that the “majority” of its customers’ and dealers’ cars with problem batteries have either gotten new batteries or have been repaired. Read more »
Today in Green IT: Waiting for the electric car market
Despite the exuberant expectations for the adoption of electric cars, forecasts have been conservative, with global annual sales expected to be around a million in 2015, compared to the global auto market of around 70 million vehicles today, writes Adam Lesser, GigaOM Pro’s Green IT analyst. Read more »
The MPG of a human
How efficient is personal-powered transport — namely, walking and biking? After stuffing myself over Thanksgiving, I am curious to know how potent human fuel can be. How many miles per gallon do we get as our own engines of transportation? Read more »
Cleantech, meet connectivity: a new era of energy efficiency
When people think about cleantech, they typically think about solar panels or converting biomass into fuel. But the momentum right now in cleantech is as much about connectivity and how it can drive energy efficiency as it is about advancing sources of renewable energy. Read more »
25 battery breakthroughs for gadgets, electric cars & the grid
A lack of progress for battery technology is (arguably) the single biggest barrier for gadgets, electric vehicles, and the power grid. But there’s hundreds of researchers, entrepreneurs, universities and large companies working on battery breakthroughs. Here’s 25 you should know about: Read more »
6 fears about electric cars that turn out to be false
Electric vehicles are a big worry for many utilities. After several interesting conversations with Europeans responsible for electric vehicle pilots in places like Denmark, Germany and Portugal, here are six frequent fears that I learned about that turn out to be false. Read more »
Groupon’s $12.6B valuation compared to greentech (it’s sad)
Looks like Groupon will go public on Friday morning at $20 per share, giving it a valuation of $12.6 billion for its online coupon business. Let’s compare it to some of the greentech startups and big energy firms and try not to get disturbed. Read more »
Tesla planning super charging station between SF and LA
Tesla is planning a “super charger” station somewhere between LA and San Francisco that can add 150 miles of charge to Tesla cars in 30 minutes and will use fast 90 kW chargers. Read more »
5 bets the DOE made that are better than Solyndra
It’s been over a month since the Solyndra news came out, but it’s still dominating. Because it just won’t go away, here’s my top five list of projects that the DOE also backed with loan guarantees and that are showing some early signs of success. Read more »
The Surge accelerator: an incubator for energy and IT
A new Y Combinator–style incubator that will focus solely on the intersection of energy and information technology is launching in Houston, the founder of the group, Kirk Brand Coburn, told me in an exclusive interview. Read more »
Research: Using smartphones for frugal driving
Smartphones are increasingly becoming the remote controls of our lives. Car owners can use theirs to check on the battery level and driving range and adjust the climate control system. An MIT project explores new ways to use smartphones to help drivers cut fuel costs. Read more »
The importance of social for greentech
The summer of 2011 has (arguably) produced a bubble around social media, with valuations for social media companies soaring. Will any of that social magic rub off on consumer-facing clean-power and energy-efficiency technologies, like electric cars, solar panels or home energy management systems? Read more »
Electric car company Think rises from bankruptcy, again
Just how many times can a company emerge from the ashes of bankruptcy? For Norwegian electric car maker Think Automotive, it plans to rise from at least its third bankruptcy after announcing that Russian investor Boris Zingarevich has bought the assets of the company. Read more »
Tesla scores $100M supply deal with Toyota for RAV4 EV
Electric car company Tesla Motors has scored a coveted $100 million supply deal with Toyota to produce an electric version of Toyota’s RAV-4, according to a filing. While Tesla already had the R&D for the RAV4 EV with Toyota, the supply deal is a major win. Read more »
Aptera raises $2.25M in debt, restructuring
Three-wheeled electric-car startup Aptera has already delayed the launch of its car and has discussed restructuring and moving its manufacturing out of California. But it looks like the company is not completely down for the count: According to a filing, Aptera has raised $2.5 million in debt. Read more »
Why the days of the internal combustion engine are NOT over
Here’s some sobering news out of the raucous fourth of July weekend: considering battery prices and $4.50 per gallon gasoline, it’ll take a little under 6 years for a hybrid car to pay off in fuel savings, and 8 years for an electric car. Read more »
Electric vehicle racing delivers innovation
Electric car and motorcycle racing can deliver important breakthroughs and innovations for the future of electric vehicles. While it might seem like some of these racing events are frivolous and niche, they’re the ultimate testing ground for cutting edge and high performance electric vehicle technology. Read more »
Why lithium-ion batteries die so young
The death of a battery: We’ve all seen it happen. In phones, laptops, cameras and now electric cars, the process is painful and — if you’re lucky — slow. But why does this happen? Read more »
VIDEO: Big Data Meets Connected Cars
On the sidelines of our Green:Net event last week, I did a series of video interviews with our 10 Big Ideas companies. First up is a startup marrying big data and connected cars: Virtual Vehicle Company. Read more »
Got EV Range Anxiety? There’s an App for That
The electric car has encountered a number of hurdles in its ongoing path to the mainstream, and they haven’t all been technical. More human challenges, like range anxiety, have served as hindrances in the wide-scale consumer adoption of electric vehicles (EVs.) As big carmakers move more […] Read more »
Subscriber Content
Green IT Q1: Cleantech Breaking Out — and Bracing for Hard Times
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 »
Molycorp Buys Up Another Rare Earth Firm
Rare earth mining company Molycorp has made another acquisition, and yes, its shares are even higher than when we last covered the company earlier this month. Molycorp has acquired Santoku America, based in Tolleson, Ariz., from Japanese firm Santoku Corporation, for $17.5 million. Read more »
The Year of the Car as a Service Has Arrived
With Zipcar’s expected public market debut today, the year of the car as a service (in contrast to personal ownership) has arrived. Internet and mobile technology is the platform for cars as a service in a world with increasingly constrained resources. Read more »
Ford’s Top 25 Cities Paving the Way for Electric Cars
One of the most basic requirements for adoption of electric vehicles is having a place to plug in. According to Ford, which released its list of top 25 cities for EVs, paving the way for an influx of EVs means going far beyond charge point installations. Read more »
