Tag Archives: Electric cars

Electric Vehicle 101: Know Your Warranty

Posted on July 17, 2010 | Leave a comment

When it comes to warranties, it’s helpful to think of plug-in vehicles in two general categories: all-electric models with zero tailpipe emissions (such as the Tesla Roadster and Nissan LEAF), and hybrid models that use electricity but also have an internal combustion engine (as in General Motors’ Chevy Volt and Fisker Automotive’s Karma).

For this Earth2Tech article, I’ve explained how California emissions regulations factor into green car makers’ warranty decisions, and reported the scoop that General Motors aims to get what’s called enhanced AT-PZEV designation for the 2013 model of the Volt. The first-generation model of the car won’t carry that status (which can open the door for certain purchase incentives), partly due to the battery warranty.

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Posted in Auto, Energy Storage, Policy

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Tesla IPO: Will Tesla See a Powerhouse Public Offering?

Posted on June 23, 2010 | Leave a comment

Tesla Motors, the Silicon Valley electric car startup gunning to raise $185 million next week through an IPO and sales of shares to Toyota, has won over members of the Silicon Valley, Capitol Hill and Hollywood elite. But will the company, which has never turned a profit, charge up Wall Street with a blockbuster IPO?

I dove into Tesla’s regulatory filings and interviewed several analysts to weigh the comany’s prospects for a blockbuster, lackluster or middle-of-the-road IPO. Written originally for Earth2Tech, this article also appeared on Salon.com and NYTimes.com, and was featured in the New York Times’ DealBook blog.

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Posted in Auto, Finance

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Toyota Deal Not a Silver Bullet for Tesla’s Mass Market Goals

Posted on May 28, 2010 | Leave a comment

After sorting through Tesla’s amended S-1 filing, I wrote this Earth2Tech piece answering some key questions about electric car maker Tesla Motors’ deal with Toyota. Despite Toyota’s agreement to invest $50 million in the startup, ties between the two companies remain very limited, and hurdles remain for Tesla to start cranking out the Model S in large numbers at the old NUMMI facility in Fremont.

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Posted in Auto

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Hacking the Car: Next-gen Vehicles at the Mercy of Cyber Attacks

Posted on May 15, 2010 | Leave a comment

The shift to an increasingly digital transportation system brings with it one of the banes of the Internet: hacking. Computer scientists at the University of Washington and University of California, San Diego, have shown what kind of havoc a sophisticated hacker could wreak on vehicles that rely heavily on in-car networks and connect to the web via wireless.

Over on Earth2Tech, I’ve explained some of the researchers’ findings and possible implications for electric cars that are linked to communication networks and the power grid. This post also appeared (through syndication) on CNNMoney.com.

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Posted in Auto

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Why A123 Threw Down for Fisker & Who’s Next

Posted on January 16, 2010 | Leave a comment

Battery maker A123Systems and plug-in car startup Fisker Automotive, which announced a new partnership this week, seem like natural dance partners. Each exists as an outsider in an entrenched industry, they’re both gearing up for a ramp up in 2011 and they share one mega backer — the U.S. government. I interviewed A123′s VP of Automotive Solutions, Jason Forcier, for this Earth2Tech piece analyzing why the battery maker pledged to not only supply Fisker with battery systems and collaborate on a new vehicle, but also to invest $23 million in the startup.

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Posted in Auto, Energy Storage

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10 Signs Your Next Car Won’t Be Electric

Posted on December 22, 2009 | Leave a comment

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.

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Posted in Auto

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Tesla IPO: A Test for VC Model in the Auto Biz

Posted on November 24, 2009 | Leave a comment

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.

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Posted in Auto, Greentech

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