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 »
Hang around the energy storage crowd long enough, and you’ll hear chatter about ultracapacitors. Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk has said he believes capacitors will even “supercede” batteries. What is it that makes ultracapacitors such a promising technology? And where do they fall short? 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 »
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 world’s greentech industry is likely meeting the end of 2010 with a mix of relief and trepidation. Clouds are on the horizon for global investment in renewable energy, and VCs fret about realizing returns on their existing investments. Meanwhile, China boasts the world’s largest population ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
The cloud provides on-demand resources likes of which their target users have never had access to before without buying their own clusters. GPUs already seem to be everywhere. For this reason alone, it seems likely that HPC architectures of the future will be a lot more ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Defying gravity, revenues, and profits, electric car maker Tesla Motor’s shares hit a record high on Monday at close to $33. Tesla’s stock started trending up late last week after it’s third quarter earnings report, which showed a quarter loss that was smaller than analysts expected. Read more »
Tesla Motors has just picked up a $30 million investment from Japanese electronics giant Panasonic. The two companies announced on Wednesday that Panasonic — a preferred battery cell supplier for Tesla’s electric vehicles — has bought a $30 million stake in the Palo Alto, Calif. car maker. Read more »
First Wind Holdings has canceled its IPO, joining the ranks of greentech hopefuls that have found the recent economic climate — or perhaps, their own financials — too unfavorable to risk the public markets. Read more »
BrightSource Energy is close to securing approval from the California Energy Commission for its first commercial project to build a solar thermal power plant, and it’s lined up a hefty federal loan guarantee. Is it time for it to go public? Read more »
Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk took on the Colbert Nation last night, chatting with Stephen Colbert about living large, Tesla’s long-discussed plans for a $30,000 third-generation electric car (after the Model S), dollars and timelines for private space travel (with his other startup, SpaceX). 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 »
Some of the fog is lifting on the details of a partnership between Tesla Motors and Toyota, as Tesla has said that by the end of this month it plans to deliver two electric vehicles to Toyota, both converted from current Toyota models. Read more »
Tesla’s stock has sunk for the first time below its $17 IPO price, shedding more than 16 percent today to close at $16.11. At one point the stock traded as low as $15.83, a significant drop from last week’s peak above $30. Read more »
For British sports maker Lotus, a range-extending engine for plug-in vehicles just got a green light. The automotive consultant arm of Lotus Cars (a Tesla Motors supplier), has joined hands with Fagor Ederlan to develop and eventually sell the engine globally. Read more »
General Motors moved this week to link its upcoming Chevrolet Volt and in-vehicle communications system, OnStar, with Google navigation tools and smartphones based on the search giant’s Android platform. This marks a key intersection in the trajectories of automakers and Internet giants and could pave the way to much more comprehensive partnerships across previously disconnected industries and systems. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Verizon and Google have been promising the Nexus One would appear on the carrier Real Soon Now for what seems like forever, but it’s nowhere to be seen. Things heated up with the rumor the HTC Incredible was coming to Big Red. So where are they? Read more »
Tesla has just filed its first amendment to its S-1 filing, noting that it has begun drawing funds from its federal loan facility and has struck a deal that could shrink or eliminate a potential gap in Roadster sales anticipated for 2012. Read more »
Managing perception is nothing new for alt-fuel vehicles: Part of what made startup Tesla Motors so high-profile for such a small-scale, young venture in its early days was that it refuted the longstanding perception of electric cars as slow, utterly un-slick vehicles for do-gooders. Now one […] Read more »
Lots of clients like you to track your time and submit reports detailing your daily activities, so they know their money is being spent well. It’s good practice for them, and it’s good practice for you Read more »
