Tesla to offer loaner cars to customers with cars in the shop
Tesla plans to offer loaner cars to its customers when the customer’s car is in the shop and needs to be serviced. Read more »
The Fisker hearing kicks off today, meanwhile unhappy customers emerge
Fisker’s founders will testify before a House Committee in Washington D.C. this afternoon, while Fisker Karma customers come out of the wood work about how the cars aren’t working properly. Read more »
Sources: Fisker to lay off many of its employees today
According to sources electric car startup Fisker Automotive is laying off most of its staff and is announcing that to employees today. Read more »
Fisker puts U.S. workers on temporary leave
Fisker doesn’t seem to have nailed an investment partner or acquirer after months of discussions, so is now cutting costs and has placed its U.S. workers on temporary unpaid leave. Read more »
As electric car experiments fumble, Tesla is last man standing
Three companies that made aggressive bets on the future of electric cars — A123 Systems, Fisker Automotive and Better Place — are now facing major problems financially and commercially. Read more »
The cleantech sector dodges a bullet as Obama projected to take Presidency
As Obama is projected to have won the Presidential election, clean energy and cleantech supporters cheer and hope for four more years of support for the development of next-gen energy technologies. Read more »
Advanced Equities settlement another headache for Bloom Energy and cleantech
Will Advanced Equities’ charges from the SEC, and subsequent settlement, linger as an issue for Bloom Energy? As part of the settlement, Advanced Equities has to attempt to accommodate any investor in the fund in question if they want to sell the securities. Read more »
Fisker keeps on raising funds
Electric car maker Fisker Automotive has managed to raise $100 million of its planned $150 million round, bringing the company’s funds to a eye brow raising $1.2 billion. Advanced Equities led the fund raise. Read more »
Coda recalls 78 electric sedans
Electric car startup Coda Automotive joins the ranks of its peers that have recalled early cars because of faulty parts. On Sunday Coda recalled 78 of its electric sedans because of a mis-installed side curtain air bag. Read more »
Battery maker A123 posts big losses
A123 Systems was supposed to be a success story about an innovative U.S. battery company, but it has struggled to live up to that expectation. The company on Tuesday posted lower revenues and greater losses for the first quarter of this year, about two months after it launched a program to replace defective batteries. Read more »
Oh, the places solar cells will go
A solar-powered loo prompts us to wonder where else can solar cells go to produce and promote clean power use. See our list of 8 places where solar cells make a good source of power. Read more »
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Ups and downs for cleantech in Q1
This quarter the EV market struggled to find its footing. Meanwhile, the smart-grid sector solidified and low-power technology proved itself important in the data center. Read more to learn what these news pieces and others mean for the larger space over the next few months. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Fisker unveils 2nd electric car the Atlantic (formerly Nina)
Electric car startup Fisker Automotive unveiled a design prototype of its second extended-range electric car that is now being called the Atlantic (formerly called Project Nina) at an event in New York City on Tuesday night. Read more »
A123 fixing problem batteries, including ones for Fisker’s Karma
Lithium ion battery maker A123 Systems announced that it will replace some of the battery modules and packs that it’s sold that could contain defective prismatic cells, and that includes batteries for Fisker’s electric car the Karma. Read more »
Coda ships its first electric sedan (finally)
Electric-car startup Coda officially drove its first ready-to-ship electric car off the assembly line at its plant in the Northern California city of Benicia, California, on Monday morning, saying that the move is the start of its customer sales. It’s been a long time coming. Read more »
Electric car maker Bright Automotive to shut down
According to local reports, Bright Automotive, which was a spinoff from the not-for-profit think tank Rocky Mountain Institute, and which had been developing a plug-in hybrid car called the IDEA for commercial fleets, plans to close shop. Read more »
Abound Solar suspends production, lays off 180
The past year has been difficult for solar panel makers as many of them shuttered factories and filed for bankruptcies. The latest sign of this bleak time comes from a Tuesday announcement by Abound Solar, which is now suspending production and letting go of 180 workers. Read more »
This is how far off Fisker is from its original numbers
It’s now clear that the delays for Fisker’s electric car the Karma have veered the company off track. But just how far is Fisker from its original goals? Read more »
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 »
GM won’t meet its Chevy Volt 2011 sales goal
Whether you like the Chevy Volt or not, if you are a supporter of electric cars, you should be disheartened by the news that the Volt won’t meet its 2011 sales goal after all. Not hitting the goal will have a greater impact beyond GM. Read more »
Obama’s 1M electric car goal could be difficult
I look at the numbers for whether the DOE and Obama will be able to meet the goal of putting 1 million electric vehicles on the road by 2015. Read more »
Fisker won’t ramp up production of Karma until Q2 2012
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 »
A123 lines up $25M amid disappointing ’11 forecast
Is A123 Systems a company that is good at announcing deals but can’t profit from them? After cutting its 2011 sales forecast last Friday, A123 on Monday announced a licensing deal with Japan’’s IHI, which will make a $25 million equity investment in A123. 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 »
Dozens of Fisker’s electric Karma car land in U.S.
Close to forty of Fisker’s first electric car the Karma were shipped to the U.S. this weekend from a factory in Finland, and the Karma has now been certified by the EPA, according to VentureWire. It still needs approval from the California Air Resources Board. Read more »
A123 goes back to the arm of GM
The courtship between A123 Systems and GM didn’t really work out before, but the two are giving it another try. GM on Wednesday named the lithium-ion battery maker as the supplier for its newly announced all-electric Chevrolet Spark, which is set for launch in 2013. Read more »
Electric car startup Coda to buy battery management tech
One of the big hurdles in engineering electric cars is to figure out how to effectively monitor and control the battery systems. For Coda, that means buying EnergyCS to beef up its battery management system development and expand into the grid energy storage market. Read more »
Fisker to use BMW engine for second electric car
Fisker Automotive, which finally began delivering its first plug-in electric hybrid car this summer, has begun promoting its second model in earnest as well. The company announced Thursday that its next car, dubbed “Project Nina,” will come with engines and other parts by BMW. Read more »
Genomatica files for IPO for making green chemicals
Green chemical developer Genomatica has filed for an initial public offering to seek up to $100 million, according to its government filing on Wednesday. The company engineers processes to create chemical from renewable sources for making a variety of products, from clothing to auto parts. Read more »
Electric car maker Fisker valued at $2.2B?
Electric car maker Fisker is sending around a picture of celebrity Leonardo DiCaprio driving one of the first Fisker Karmas. But much more quietly the company is also raising another round of $200 million at a valuation of $2.2 billion, according to a report. Read more »
Green Overdrive Video: The Fisker Karma
For our latest Green Overdrive show we take a peek at Fisker’s extended range electric car the Karma. Read more »
What’s the least annoying sound to slap on an electric car?
Many of the electric cars I’ve test driven are immediately surprising because of one thing: they’re often times completely silent. But now after some concerns that silent electric cars equal deadly electric cars, some auto makers are developing digital noises to add onto these battery-powered rides. Read more »
Ray Lane: Kleiner is not moving away from greentech
While there’s been a perception that Kleiner Perkins has moved away from greentech investing, Kleiner Partner Ray Lane told me in an interview that Kleiner is not pulling back and is expecting 6 to 8 IPOs out of its cleantech portfolio in the coming two years. Read more »
PHOTOS: Kleiner’s Ray Lane receives his Fisker Karma
Kleiner Perkins Partner Ray Lane received the world’s second production Fisker Karma, an extended range electric car, on Tuesday. Read more »
PHOTOS: Numbers growing for Fisker Karmas
The number of Fisker Karma’s that have been produced is starting to grow, and Fisker has posted new photos of its lined up Karmas on display. These cars are a mixture of cars for a roadshow for retailers and the first cars for customers. Read more »
DOE bets on lightweight steel for fuel efficient cars
Greener transportation doesn’t just involve electric vehicles and biofuels. Lighter weight steel can make a car more fuel efficient, too. That’s the idea behind the Wednesday announcement by the federal government to offer a $730 million loan to a steel maker Severstal in Michigan. Read more »
Cleantech investing drops by a third and embraces efficiency
Cleantech venture investments dropped by a third in the second quarter of this year compared to the same quarter last year, according to the Cleantech Group. However, energy efficiency technologies such as LED lighting and energy management software are still getting some love from private investors. Read more »
Fisker starts hiring to make its second electric car
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 »
Why the LinkedIn IPO Is Bad for Cleantech
Amidst all of the champagne cork-popping, and bubble talk in the wake of the LinkedIn IPO Thursday morning (high-five to Reid Hoffman) I’ll offer up this downer of an article: the LinkedIn IPO is bad for cleantech. Read more »
A123 Systems Posts Lower Sales, Widens Loss in Q1
Auto makers aren’t making much money (if any) off of electric cars yet. The same thing is true for the makers of the batteries that will run them. A123 System on Monday reported lower sales and widened its loss for the first quarter. Read more »
