Nissan’s wireless EV charging could leave Coulomb, Better Place in the dust

Nissan’s wireless EV charging could leave Coulomb, Better Place in the dust

Electric vehicles have come a long way in the last two years. Tesla Motors and Fisker Automotive have proven that EVs can be fast and decently ranged, even sexy. Nissan is promising to make them fairly cheap. General Motors is working on something any flag waving urban American would be proud to drive. But there’s still one hitch: battery technology — we don’t have anything better than the lithium-ion cells currently in use, and only… Continue Reading

Coulomb brings electric vehicle charging stations to Sacramento

Coulomb brings electric vehicle charging stations to Sacramento

Coulomb Technologies, maker of networked electric vehicle charging stations, is gradually growing its presence in and around the Bay Area — it already has a significant number of stations in San Francisco, San Jose and Walnut Creek, for example. Today, it officially arrives in the state capital, Sacramento, where green development firm DMC Green has opened the first of 40 contracted stations that will use Coulomb technology.

DMC Green is a research, development and installation firm… Continue Reading

McDonald’s attempts to go green with help from EV charging co. Coulomb

McDonald’s attempts to go green with help from EV charging co. Coulomb

McDonald’s — battered by almost constant criticism of its negative nutritional and environmental impacts — is attempting to turn the tide by opening its first “green” restaurant. Built with sustainable materials and integrating eco-friendly technology, this one McDonald’s will notably include electric car charging stations provided by Campbell, Calif.-based (and Better Place competitor) Coulomb Technologies.

EV charging and the fast food chain may seem like an odd combination — after all, it hasn’t introduced gas pumps… Continue Reading

Solazyme wins big with $57M for renewable oil

Solazyme wins big with $57M for renewable oil

Solazyme, producer of renewable oil derived from algae, just raised $57 million in third-round funding to bring its total capital to more than $76 million. In addition to producing so-called green fuels, the San Bruno, Calif., company is expanding its eco-friendly chemicals business — an increasingly common move for companies in the biofuel space. It is also exploring nutritional and cosmetics opportunities.

The bulk of the funding came from VantagePoint Venture Partners, which has made a… Continue Reading

Coulomb vies with Better Place to build electric car charging stations

Coulomb vies with Better Place to build electric car charging stations

The field of companies looking to establish networks of electric vehicle charging stations has become quite the horse race. And a relatively recent addition, Coulomb Technologies, has taken on reigning Silicon Valley firm Better Place with a new, grassroots business strategy targeting gas stations, government agencies and shopping centers.

Campbell, Calif.-based Coulomb is in the spotlight today, having raised $3.75 million in a first round of funding from German backer Estag Capital — a round expected… Continue Reading

VantagePoint charges up on $435M for cleantech

The clouds may have rolled in for many other sectors in today’s economy, but the sun still shines on cleantech — and VantagePoint Venture Partners in particular. The San Bruno, Calif.-based firm just landed $435 million for its second fund, reports VentureWire.

The close comes as a solid rebuttal to industry insiders’ concerns that capital might dry up for cleantech in light of plummeting oil prices. VantagePoint’s portfolio includes many names that have remained largely above… Continue Reading

Agassi raises $200M for electric car company, Better Place

Agassi raises $200M for electric car company, Better Place

When Shai Agassi departed software giant SAP AG in March, it surprised many people because he was on track to become chief executive of the giant company.

He left declaring bold plans to help convert his native Israel and its neighbor Jordan into gasoline-free economies with nationwide electronic transportation systems. It was a noble vision.

Well, now he’s already emerged, leading a new Silicon Valley company to make electric cars, backed with a whopping $200 million in… Continue Reading