Updated: Electric car startup Fisker Automotive pushed its long-delayed inaugural electric car to market before it was market-ready in order to try to meet government milestones, according to a former Fisker employee that left the company. Read more »
Electric car startup Fisker Automotive has named Fisker vice chairman, and former Chrysler Chief Executive, Tom Lasorda as its CEO. Read more »
Despite that electric car startup Fisker Automotive has had its fair share of struggles in recent months, we were really excited to head down to Beverly Hills this week to check out the Fisker Karma. We bring you the Karma test drive! Read more »
Last week an investor, Daniel Wray, who put a couple hundred thousand dollars into electric car company Fisker Automotive, filed a lawsuit against Fisker and Fisker’s fund raiser Advanced Equities. Check out the lawsuit itself: Read more »
How likely is it that electric car company Fisker Automotive will be able to draw down on the remaining $339 million of its Department of Energy loan? According to one analyst, not likely. Read more »
Tesla has decked out its Model X, an SUV-minivan hybrid, with innovative design features that, along with a relatively affordable price tag, could attract a mainstream audience. This research note examines why Tesla will be the brand to watch in the electric vehicle market. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Electric vehicle maker Fisker Automotive announced on Monday that it has halted work on its second electric car called Project Nina at its factory in Delaware, has laid off 26 workers, and is attempting to renegotiate the terms of its loan with the U.S. government. Read more »
Updated. Electric car maker Fisker Automotive issued its second recall of its inaugural car the Karma, this time due to a software malfunction that affected its entertainment and navigation systems, reports Hybridcars. Fisker will also temporarily halt sales of the Karma until the problem is fixed. Read more »
Electric car maker Fisker Automotive ended 2011 with a couple hiccups: including a recall and a slower ramp up in production of its Karma. Now kicking off 2012, Fisker has decided to quietly double its current fund raising round from $150 million to $300 million. Read more »
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 »
As we look toward the next year, the cleantech sector faces many challenges, which we examine in detail in this 2012 outlook. Renewable energy generators encounter an increasingly difficult subsidy environment, and key cleantech innovations like electric vehicles face an uphill climb in terms of connecting ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Global investments in clean energy and energy efficiency have officially passed the trillion-dollar mark, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. It’s like the recent 7-billion-person mark, but for energy geeks! Read more »
Electric vehicle startup Fisker Automotive has dramatically scaled back production plans of its first car, the Karma, in the fourth quarter of 2011, and it won’t ramp up to full production until the second quarter of 2012. Read more »
Lithium battery company A123 Systems has lowered its yearly revenue guidance significantly and says it is because of an unexpected reduction in orders for batteries to its customer VC-backed electric car startup Fisker Automotive. Read more »
Electric car maker startup Fisker Automotive has suddenly been thrust into the spot light being compared to Solyndra. I have mixed feelings on this sudden attack, but here’s 10 things I do know about Fisker, which will hopefully will help give some perspective. Read more »
Electric car startup Fisker Automotive is raising another $150 million in equity, and has closed on $25 million of that round. Before this round, Fisker had already raised $1.1 billion in equity, loans and grants. Read more »
Silicon Valley electric car startup Fisker Automotive has unveiled its second extended-range electric car, a crossover sports car and station wagon called the Surf, based on its first car, the Karma, at the Frankfurt Show on Tuesday. Here are some photos! Read more »
Are there other Solyndras waiting in the wings that could one day lose over a billion in funds to failed green technologies? Well, there are a couple of other green startups that have raised similarly massive private funds and DOE support. Read more »
Is Oregon the next promised land for clean technology? The Beaver State has, in recent years, has been trying to position itself as a major player with regards to support for green energy, electric vehicle development and more. Read more »
And now for the clear dip that we’ve all been waiting for. According to a report out on Wednesday morning from Dow Jones VentureSource, with analysis by Ernst & Young, cleantech venture capital investing dropped 44 percent to $1.1 billion. Read more »
The future of clean power and greener transportation is being carried by FarmVille and online coupons — at least in terms of venture capital portfolios. Read more »
While electric car maker Fisker Automotive is in the process of launching its first electric car, the Karma, to dealerships and customers this summer, the auto startup says it is also starting to hire workers for its next-generation electric car, dubbed code name Project Nina. Read more »
Will huge returns on social media investments — like Groupon, LinkedIn or Pandora — help make up for underperforming greentech investments in a venture firm’s portfolio? If so, perhaps this gives firms time — and wiggle room — to keep up their cleantech investing. Read more »
Electric car maker Fisker Automotive has already raised over $1 billion in equity, loans and grants. And yet, the company, which will be launching its first inaugural electric car this summer, has raised another $100 million. That’s on top of the $190 million which recently closed. Read more »
Greentech investment trends in the first quarter of 2011 either signal a record-setting expansion for the industry in 2011, or retrenchment in the face of economic and political headwinds — depending on how you look at the numbers. 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 »
In a combination of loans, grants and equity, Fisker has raised over $1 billion, and plans to launch its first electric car the Karma to dealerships for demonstrations in May or June and then to customers in June or July. Read more »
Greentech marked its best year ever in 2010, and part of that is thanks to the wealth of activity across sectors during the fourth quarter. Global investment in clean energy surged, and while wind power remained the biggest greentech area, solar power saw the fastest growth. The energy efficiency sector appears to have more room for smaller players to make their mark amidst a rapidly maturing market. Meanwhile, China’s stance as a growing greentech giant continued to complicate its relationship with the United States. Companies mentioned in this report include General Electric, Intel, ZigBee, iControl, People Power and EnerNOC. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
The “other” electric sports car company, Fisker Automotive, has bumped up the price of its inaugural vehicle the Fisker Karma — yet again. According to Green Car Reports, the Fisker Karma will now cost $95,900 for the baseline price. Read more »
Nissan formally began production of its electric LEAF in Japan, a milestone in the trek to see a global automaker cranking out tens of thousands of electric vehicles. Now a long list of companies are racing to get their own EV factories up and running. Read more »
Today, Motorola filed suit regarding three complaints against Apple over patent infringements. The complaints deal with antenna design and other associated smartphone technologies covered in 18 patents held by Motorola. But that’s only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Apple’s legal problems. Read more »
The UFC is looking to crack down on illegal live streams of its pay-per-view events, subpoenaing live streaming sites Justin.tv and Ustream to get the IP addresses needed to identify and shut down users that have made videos of those events available for free online. Read more »
In the second quarter of 2010, greentech startups scored record venture capital and increased spending despite a weak economy. Solar power retained its lead in greentech venture financing, while global investment for clean energy asset financing fell. China, meanwhile, underscored its rising might in the greentech industry, raising billions of dollars in green energy financing. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
DRM has a new name, and that name is “UltraViolet.” The Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem today announced the name for its “Buy Once, Play Anywhere” digital content framework, along with a consumer website in which consumers will be able to manage all their content and devices. Read more »
The electric RAV4 — a model that Toyota Motor discontinued in 2003 after selling only about 300 units — could get a new lease on life, courtesy of the automaker’s alliance with electric car maker Tesla Motors. Read more »
Tesla Motors, the electric car startup scheduled to debut in public trading on Tuesday, could deliver the biggest IPO for a U.S. car company since Ford Motor. It will also reveal the degree of public confidence in electric vehicles at this early stage of the market. Read more »
Plug-in hybrid vehicle startup Fisker Automotive has closed its latest equity financing round at $189 million — a major step toward meeting the venture’s cost sharing requirements for green car projects backed by Uncle Sam. Read more »
Expect this summer to be a busy one for Jonathan Silver, the former venture capitalist whom the Obama administration tapped to head up the Department of Energy’s highly competitive loan guarantee and green car loan program. Here’s our interview with Silver: Read more »
According to a filing today, Fisker has boosted its latest equity funding round to $175 million, and has already raised $100 million of that. The company is backed by Kleiner Perkins, A123Systems, and Ace Investments. Read more »
It’s no secret that Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide is betting big on plug-in hybrid vehicle startup Fisker Automotive — the green car startup’s genesis was built on a vision of having the well-known luxury car designer Henrik Fisker design a vehicle around a Quantum drivetrain. […] Read more »
