Tag Archives: Venture Capital

Light Is the Bright IDEA for Transport

Bright Automotive, which recently scored the first investment from General Motors’ new venture capital arm, aims to help steer commercial fleets toward more efficient options by decoupling size from efficiency. In other words, it lets customers have their cake (sip less fuel) and eat it too (carry more stuff). To accomplish this, Bright is developing a plug-in hybrid van called the IDEA with advanced materials that could shave thousands of pounds off the weight of conventional counterparts. I’ve written a profile of Bright for National Geographic News, covering the company’s accomplishments so far and challenges ahead as it pursues government funds on the road to commercialization.

GM’s $100M Venture Fund on the Hunt for Car Sharing Play

When it comes to car sharing, General Motors’ new venture capital arm wants to get some skin in the game, GM Ventures President Jon Lauckner told me this week in San Jose, Calif. Asked to elaborate on what type of car sharing play might attract GM’s investment, he commented that Zipcar and GoLoco are two “interesting models.” You can read the full scoop in this piece I wrote for Earth2Tech.

Image courtesy of Flickr user Andrew Currie