Although automakers are racing to develop electric vehicles that could eventually see mass market adoption, car companies’ inaugural plug-in efforts are widely expected to make up only a small portion of the auto market. In this post for Earth2Tech, I dug into some of the factors that could keep prospective car buyers from going electric in the next few years — stirring up a lively discussion in the comments section.
Tag Archives: Earth2Tech
Tesla IPO: A Test for VC Model in the Auto Biz
If and when Tesla Motors goes through with its long-discussed goal of going public, I’ve argued over on Earth2Tech that it will offer a glimpse at the role IPOs will play in the nascent green car market, as the question remains: Is the classic venture capital model (invest early and find a big exit in the form of an acquisition or an IPO) viable for this sector, or will a green-car IPO be more about feeding big capital needs and branding? This article also appeared (through syndication) on BusinessWeek.com.
Tagged Analysis, BusinessWeek, Earth2Tech, Electric cars, IPO, Tesla Motors
The Price of a Stimulus Award, Courtesy of ECOtality
ECOtality subsidiary eTec (with several partners, including Nissan) won a nearly $100 million grant from the Department of Energy in August to deploy 11,210 charging stations — tripling its total number of installations — in five states over the next three years. But the grant didn’t come cheap. I dug through ECOtality’s first report of financial information since the grant award for a sense of how ECOtality’s race to secure the DOE contract reverberated throughout its business, and wrote this post about it over on Earth2Tech.
Applied Materials Buying Advent Solar Assets, Cheap
Chip equipment maker Applied Materials announced today that it is acquiring 7-year-old startup Advent Solar. While the amount for the Advent deal has not been disclosed, Lux Research analyst Ted Sullivan told me for this Earth2Tech post that it, “was done very cheaply….Investors did not get their money back — pennies on the dollar is a very safe assumption.”
Beyond Salt: Desalination Startup NanOasis Eyes Wider World of Clean Water
If you can efficiently separate tiny molecules of salt from seawater, you probably have the technology to filter out larger bacteria, protozoan cysts and other contaminants floating in much of the world’s freshwater. That’s part of what NanOasis hopes will allow the company to not only provide tech for desalination projects in California, but also eventually sell into the market for water filtration systems in developing countries, the startup’s executives told me for an article on Earth2Tech. The piece also appeared (through syndication) on BusinessWeek.com
Posted in Greentech
Tagged BusinessWeek, Earth2Tech, NanOasis, Startup Profile, Water
Why Solar Power Needs a Manufacturing Revolution, Not Just New Materials
“Inventing disruptive manufacturing innovations is every bit as hard as inventing new materials,” says Frank van Mierlo, President and co-founder of 1366 Technologies. Solar power, if it’s going to compete on cost with coal and other fossil fuels, needs both. It’s on that premise that 1366, a developer of new machines and processes that can be easily integrated into solar companies’ existing manufacturing lines, has based its business model. Read more over on Earth2Tech. This post also appeared (through syndication) on BusinessWeek.com.
Tagged 1366 Tecnologies, BusinessWeek, Earth2Tech, Solar, Startup Profile
What the ARPA-E Bets Mean for the Future of Green Cars
Of the $151 million in grants announced this week under the federal ARPA-E program, more than a fifth has been allocated for green vehicle projects. Over on Earth2Tech, I’ve looked at how wisely the DOE is placing its chips when it comes to choosing risky ideas for transforming the auto industry and cleaning up transportation.
