Fisker is the latest electric car maker to reach out to Chinese investors and auto tech giants for investment and acquisition. And it’s also the latest electric car company to struggle and face a discounted value. Read more »
From the sidelines of the Detroit Auto Show, former GM Vice Chairman, Bob Lutz tells us about how the transition to electric cars will be gradual and a lot more sober than the electric car hype of a few years ago. Read more »
Smith Electric Vehicles was hoping to raise capital through an initial public offering, but called off that plan and will turn to private capital instead. It’s the latest cleantech company that hasn’t been able to go public in 2012. Read more »
While Wanxiang is not a known name in the U.S., it’s one of China’s largest industrial parts makers and it’s making very aggressive bets on U.S. cleantech startups, some of which have been struggling. Read more »
Chinese investors and the Chinese government are starting to aggressively fund U.S.-based cleantech startups. There’s been a half dozen of these deals in recent weeks and months, so I thought I’d put together this list to point out the 10 big ones I’ve been watching: Read more »
Electric truck and van maker Smith Electric Vehicles has filed for an IPO that could potentially raise up to $125 million. The company, based in Kansas City, Mo. has long said that it planned to go public. Read more »
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 »
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 »
Is it a good time to be an electric truck maker? The answer depends on who you ask. For Smith Electric Vehicles, it’s a resounding yes. But for Modec, which just entered administration (ie bankruptcy proceedings), not so much. 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 »
This year saw some improvements in public market investors’ appetite for cleantech companies, but not enough to make it a good year. As always, the hopes are that 2011 will prove a better one. Check out our picks of top 10 IPO candidates. Read more »
The Obama administration has just unveiled a proposal to require some of the biggest vehicles on the road — including school buses, fire engines, big rigs, large pickup trucks and vans — to slash fuel consumption and emissions by 10-20 percent between 2014 and 2018. Read more »
Smith Electric Vehicles U.S., an electric truck and van maker based in Kansas City, Mo. and backed by $32 million in stimulus grants, has become the great green hope for its loss-making parent company, the United Kingdom’s Tanfield Group. Read more »
President Obama’s visit to Smith Electric Vehicles in Kansas City, Mo. last week was just a warm-up for what’s shaping up to be a full-on electric car and battery offensive by the White House this week. Read more »
Absent from Obama’s speech today at Smith Electric Vehicles was any mention of the energy bill now languishing in the Senate, in contrast to his speech at the government-backed factory site of solar startup Solyndra in May. Read more »
