Mercedes-Benz A-Class E-Cell set for 2010 Paris auto show debut
As reported earlier, Mercedes-Benz will be launching a new all-electric version of its entry-level A-Class model dubbed the A-Class E-Cell. This limited production model is being developed together with Tesla and will reportedly make its world debut next month at the 2010 Paris Auto Show.
Daimler, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz, formed a partnership with Tesla last year to help accelerate the development of electric vehicles. In the case of the A-Class E-Cell, Tesla is … Continue Reading
Tesla scores more from Toyota's big Fremont Factory sale
It’s been almost three weeks since we published a Tesla story.
We trust that means that the Silicon Valley electric-vehicle startup is working away feverishly on the designs, engineering, production plans, and manufacturing site for its Model S four-door sports sedan (pictured right), which it is still promising will arrive during 2012 (perhaps as a 2013 model).
Only one little piece of Tesla news has drifted our way lately, from our colleagues at Autoblog Green: … Continue Reading
Solar array, lithium cells to power part of Ford Focus plant
Many houses, stores, and factories across the U.S. now have arrays of photovoltaic solar cells mounted on their roofs. These days, that’s hardly news.
But Ford’s announcement that it will install half a megawatt of power-generating solar panels at its Wayne, Michigan, assembly plant has a new angle: The plant will also store some of that solar energy in lithium-ion batteries, letting Ford draw on it even after dark.
Pairing lithium-ion storage batteries–which use large … Continue Reading
PetroAlgae chances weak green IPO market with $200M filing
PetroAlgae, a company claiming that it has found a cheap way to convert algae into fuel — a goal that formidable competitors like Sapphire Energy and Solazyme are also chasing — just filed for a $200 million IPO despite a weak public market for green companies. Early signs suggest that this move could do more harm than good to the burgeoning algae industry.
Many analysts already agree PetroAlgae has jumped the gun. The company doesn’t … Continue Reading
A123 spins out energy storage startup, loses Chrysler deal
Advanced battery maker A123 announced more than its quarterly earnings yesterday. In addition to posting a lackluster $22.6 million in revenue, the company spun off a new energy storage startup called 24M Technologies to work on more unorthodox lithium-ion architectures.
The company also tempered the good news, noting it has lost its contract to supply batteries to electric Fiat/Chrysler vehicles to a lower bidder. This is a big hit for the company, which is trying … Continue Reading
Bay Area soon to be home to 5,050 more EV charging stations
Infrastructure for electric transportation is heating up. Companies like Coulomb Technologies and Ecotality are already deploying electric vehicle charging stations region by region. And just today, general Motors said it was gearing up to announce a charging partner for its forthcoming Chevrolet Volt.
Now in the San Francisco Bay Area, one of the most progressive regions when it comes to advanced transportation, the Air Quality Management District is funneling $5 million into an initiative to … Continue Reading
Cleantech funding to the moon: $1.5B invested in Q2
Venture capital funding in cleantech companies swelled to $1.5 billion in the second quarter of 2010, its highest level since Q3 2008, according to a report released today by Ernst & Young. This is a staggering 64 percent increase over the amount invested in Q2 last year.
The number of deals closed also saw a slight increase, about 4 percent from last year, to 68. The disproportionate growth in dollars and deals points to one … Continue Reading
Electric vehicles incentives guide: Country by country
Green conscience and new technology are both laudable, but getting extra money in your back pocket is nice too.
Now, after all those years of paying taxes on your hard work, you can finally get some of it back. Consider it a tax refund for buying an electric car.
Now that we know the purchase and lease prices of two of the biggest-hitters–the 2011 Chevrolet Volt and the 2011 Nissan Leaf–many buyers will want to … Continue Reading
Tesla founder Eberhard leading VW efforts in Silicon Valley
Many global automakers have research outposts in Silicon Valley.
BMW’s is one floor of an unremarkable office building in downtown Palo Alto, while Volkswagen’s much larger Electronics Research Laboratory (ERL) occupies a whole building in an office park nestled in the foothills above Stanford University.
It turns out that more than a year ago, Volkswagen added a “name” to its largely unknown staff of researchers, scientists, and engineers.
Analysts skeptical
It’s Martin Eberhard, founder of … Continue Reading
Chevy Volt: No $5K rebate, carpool-lane access for CA buyers
Now we know: The first two plug-in cars from major manufacturers will go head-to-head on warranties and lease prices: $350 a month for the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, $349 for the 2011 Nissan Leaf.
Now the choice shifts to other measures, including electric and overall range, as well as the plug-in perks that states like California offer to early adopters to encourage them to opt for electric cars.
This is where it gets interesting. While California … Continue Reading
Late to the party, Honda unveils plug-in vehicle strategy
With General Motors, Nissan and Mitsubishi all moving forward on plans to launch plug-in and all-electric vehicles in the next two years, Honda — one of the largest automotive companies in the world — has been conspicuously absent. But no longer.
Today, the company announced that it will have both a plug-in hybrid and an all-electric model on the market in the U.S. and Japan by 2012 — the first time the company has committed … Continue Reading
Inside Tesla and Toyota’s deal to co-build the all-electric RAV4
Two months after announcing their informal intention to build an electric vehicle together, Tesla Motors and Toyota have made their relationship official, inking a deal to co-produce an all-electric edition of Toyota’s RAV4 SUV.
According to the companies, two prototypes already exist, and the car could be ready for mass production as soon as 2012 — tying Tesla’s all-electric sedan, the Model S, to market. The new RAV4 will be distributed and sold by Toyota, … Continue Reading
Remember the 2011 Chevrolet Volt's 230-MPG claim? Forget it.
Almost a year ago, General Motors launched a little marketing campaign connecting its 2011 Chevrolet Volt range-extended electric car to the figure “230 mpg.”
As we pointed out at the time, they were basing that projection on a proposed formula for fuel usage patterns that made a lot of assumptions about the driving cycles that would be used.
Frankly, we think the whole exercise sowed confusion. But it sure got the Volt a lot of … Continue Reading
Bill Gates backs EcoMotors' new OPOC engine with $23.5M
Throughout the history of the internal combustion engine there have been a multitude of scientists, inventors and entrepreneurs shouting claims about revolutionary new engine designs promising greater efficiency, more power, fewer emissions and lower production and running costs.
However, to this day we are yet to see anything come up to replace the existing four-stroke engine design currently found in most cars (not including the newer generation of hybrids and all-electrics). Most of these ‘alternative’ … Continue Reading
U.S. buyers save less driving EVs (but it's not about payback)
Auto industry analysts get paid to issue reports, and most of them are vastly better at data analysis and number crunching than we’ll ever be.
That doesn’t mean, however, that sometimes their data isn’t misleading. It’s important to keep context in mind, and not miss the forest for the trees.
What’s got us thinking this way is a blog post from Pike Research, which neatly analyzed how much money average consumers in different countries could … Continue Reading
Why is Tesla's stock deflating after only two days?
Good news for those of you who shorted Tesla Motors‘ stock: the electric car company’s shares are already falling in price as the zeal around its $226 million public debut begins to fade — after just two days.
TSLA closed at $21.96 today, its third day of trading, after falling $1.87. Yesterday saw the wildest ride with shares skyrocketing up to $30.42 before falling back down to $23. The company may still be celebrating its … Continue Reading
IPO or not, Tesla won't survive as independent, analysts say
Quick, name the last automaker to go public before yesterday’s Tesla Motors IPO. Stumped?
It was Ford Motor Company. The year was 1956.
Perhaps buyers of Tesla Motors stock were optimistic because they had little context to assess the company. Tesla’s stock soared from its offering price of $17 to close at $23.89 by the end of yesterday, meaning Tesla Motors is now worth $2.2 billion.
Not bad for a company that’s sold just over … Continue Reading
Tesla makes magic happen, prices shares at $17
Tesla Motors is already off to a good start before its debut on the Nasdaq as TSLA tomorrow. The electric car company’s shares have been priced at $17 a pop, exceeding the expected range of $14 to $16.
With 13.3 million shares, or about 14 percent of the company, selling on the public market, the total take will be around $226 million. This is higher than the $178 million the company anticipated last week, and … Continue Reading
Buzz on private share sites bodes well for Tesla IPO
Less than a week before Tesla Motors — the darling of the emerging electric car industry — is scheduled to go public (June 29), reporters and analysts are still divided on whether the sale will soar or not. But activity on secondary market sites, where private shares of the company have been traded for months, suggests that Tesla’s sexy products and perennial buzz may be enough to carry off a lucrative IPO.
Right now, the … Continue Reading
Coulomb launches ambitious plan to electrify cars: 4,600 new charging stations
Less than a week before Tesla Motors — the darling of the emerging electric car industry — is scheduled to go public (June 29), reporters and analysts are still divided on whether the sale will soar or not. But activity on secondary market sites, where private shares of the company have been traded for months, suggests that Tesla’s sexy products and perennial buzz may be enough to carry off a lucrative IPO.
Right now, the … Continue Reading
