California to set up a $1B electric car network
Better Place (formerly Project Better Place) has scored a coup in the California Bay Area. The electric vehicle startup has struck a deal with the region, including the cities of San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland, to set up a $1 billion charging network for electric cars, with car availability beginning in 2012.
Unlike its charging network in Israel, it looks like the Better Place network in the Bay Area is a plan to support electric… Continue Reading
The Green Way raises $15 – 20M for green planning and design
The Green Way, an Israel-based environmental management company, has secured between $15 and $20 million in second round funding from Shaked Global Group.
Shaked Global also took part in TGW’s first funding round in May, contributing $1 million. Its stake values TGW at several tens of millions of dollars, according to Globes.
Founded in 1997, TGW provides a range of consulting and implementation services for landscaping, irrigation, erosion prevention and waste and wastewater treatment. It also collaborates… Continue Reading
Could a big geothermal energy play be next for Google.org?
Google.org, Google’s philanthropic arm, has taken a number of stakes in solar and wind startups over the past year, most recently joining a $115 million investment in solar thermal firm BrightSource Energy. It now seems to be focusing its attention on the bustling geothermal energy sector, with Google co-founder Sergey Brin recently expressing a strong interest in Ormat, a geothermal startup headquartered in Reno, Nevada.
During an interview with the Israeli newspaper, The Marker, Brin confirmed… Continue Reading
Electric cars go faster in small countries: Project Better Place moves into Denmark
Small countries really do make for faster drives, it seems — especially when it comes to the drive to adopt electric cars. Project Better Place has struck a deal in another tiny-but-rich country, Denmark, only two months after it announced a collaborative effort with two large car companies to install a network of charging stations for electric cars in Israel.
Project Better Place, if you’ll recall, is the company started by former SAP heir-apparent Shai Agassi… Continue Reading
Nissan / Renault and Project Better Place to collaborate on line of electric cars
Large auto makers Nissan Motor Co. and Renault SA have entered a partnership to develop an all-electric car to be distributed first in Israel, then in other countries, working in collaboration with Shai Agassi’s Palo Alto-based startup Project Better Place.
PBP recently amassed $200 million in venture investments but only disclosed a vague plan to lease out batteries and electric cars, as well as provide charging stations for them. Its near-term plans now seem more concrete;… Continue Reading