Solar City, Tesla Building Fast Charge EV Stations Bridging SF and LA
Posted by BC Upham September 30th, 2009 
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Leading solar power installer Solar City, Tesla Motors, and Rabobank have partnered to instal five fast-charge checkpoints for electric vehicles along Highway 101 between San Francisco and Los Angeles.
The charge stations are at Rabobank branches in Salinas, Atascadero, Santa Maria and Goleta, with the fifth in a public parking garage in San Luis Obispo.
The network highlights both the increasing in-roads made by EV technology — and its major weaknesses.
The stations use ClipperCreek technology to provide a 240 volt charge, for free (that’s more than twice the volts of a standard 110 v wall socket). Right now the stations only work with Tesla vehicles, but a company spokesman said it was working with the Society of Automotive Engineers to add standardized plugs, at which point users will have to pay for a charge.
Who Will Lead the Electric Car Market?
Posted by Sarah Lozanova September 22nd, 2009 5 Comments
The outlook for the electric car couldn’t have looked brighter when oil was priced at $140 a barrel, consumer confidence was high, and offers of credit were plentiful. Now that a variety of electric vehicles are nearly ready to hit the market in larger quantities, the world is a different place. The leading manufacturers of the electric car and its ability to compete with evolving hybrid technology have yet to be determined.
Electric vehicle sales will surely benefit from higher fossil fuel costs and governmental incentives. A large upfront investment must be made to produce the volume of vehicles needed to reduce manufacturing costs and create a vehicle-charging infrastructure. Geography and culture will impact which countries can accept the smaller range of most electric vehicles and who can afford to purchase one. Technology advancements will dictate the range of vehicles in the future and the speed at which they can charge.
Mission Motors Keeps Moving: All-Electric Bike Tops 150MPH
Posted by Tom Schueneman September 15th, 2009 2 Comments
We first introduced TriplePundit readers to San Francisco-based Mission Motors back in February after the quintessential whiz-kid start-up unveiled the Mission One motorcycle at the TED conference in Long Beach (and followed-up this summer after it raced at the TTXGP carbon-free grand prix).
The Mission One is ostensibly a high-performance, all-electric motorcycle, but it really is more than that. Like any great entrepreneurial start-ups, it begins with a vision. As we said back in February, that vision for founders Forrest North, Edward West, and Mason Cabot is to show the world that high-performance and cutting edge design need not be mutually exclusive with sustainability. If you think that you need to putter about town on a scooter in order to have a clean machine, the Mission One is out to prove you wrong.
Don’t get me wrong, like the Tesla (for whom North once worked), it doesn’t come cheap. You’d likely not get a Mission One just to tool about town. But the idea is to push boundaries, break new ground, and blaze a path for others to follow.
And earlier this month the Mission One pushed another boundary on the salt flats of Utah.
Cleantech Group, Guardian Announce First Global Cleantech 100
Posted by BC Upham September 14th, 2009 0 Comments
The Guardian newspaper, in partnership with the Cleantech Group, have announced the Global Cleantech 100, which they are calling “the first global, peer-reviewed look at the industry.”
The list is the result of a survey of hundreds of cleantech experts, and thousands of companies, looking for those with the best commercial potential. A panel of 35 experts then narrowed the list down to the top 100, which included some surprises.
It’s Over: Five Reasons Why the Electric Car Wins
Posted by BC Upham August 31st, 2009 15 Comments
It could take ten years or more to become apparent, but I’ll call it now: the electric car will replace the internal combustion engine.
A caveat: I am not an automotive industry expert. Which is why I’m right. I’m not mired in the details, the past failures, the what ifs or the buts. All I see are the big, obvious things. When it comes to sea change in human behavior, though, obvious matters.
So, since no prediction is worth its salt without an accompanying list, the following are five overlapping reasons why our children will all be driving electric cars.
Tesla – Electric Car Manufacturer – Makes a Profit! But What Are the Greater Implications?
Posted by Sarah Harper August 13th, 2009 5 Comments
This month, Tesla motors (a high-profile U.S. electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer) accomplished the incredibly difficult (for any auto maker nowadays): it made a profit! A $1 million profit, to be exact – a quick turnaround from Tesla’s near-collapse of last year. On top of being a sign of vitality for the auto industry, this profit is considered, by BusinessGreen.com anyway, to be a huge achievement for the sustainability movement: it could signal the commercial viability of the EV sector. While I agree Tesla’s profit is grounds for a big “woo hoo,” I wonder if such conclusions on its implications for the greater EV sector are a bit jumped-to. If I treated two leukemia-positive cats with the same medicine (one cat being prone to the disease and the other not), and the not-prone cat recovered, could I reasonably assume my medicine could conquer feline leukemia in both types?
Cleantech Investment Is Up. So Why Isn’t the Sun Shining on Solar?
Posted by Matthew Holtry August 6th, 2009 2 Comments
Photo Source: treehugger.com
Cleantech investments have (mostly) rebounded according to a new joint study by Cleantech Group and Deloitte.
After two quarters of decline, 2Q09 cleantech VC investment hit $1.2 billion. The transportation sector was the clear winner—funding for biofuels, advanced batteries, and electric vehicles reached a new quarterly record of $607 million.
Meanwhile, investors cast a shadow over solar. It’s paltry $114 million is an order of magnitude less than the $1.2 billion it received at this point last year. What happened? An answer after the jump….
Hyundai Ponies Up $3.2 Billion to Go Green
Posted by Jeff Siegel August 3rd, 2009 2 Comments
There was a time when embracing sustainability or “green” initiatives meant sacrificing the bottom line in an effort to “do the right thing.” Clearly this is no longer the case. In fact, as we’ve seen with solar and wind companies, organic retailers and eco-friendlier vehicle manufacturers, embracing eco-sensibilities has proven to be a recipe for success. This has certainly been the case for major automakers.
Although no major automaker has walked away from this economic downturn unscathed, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see which car manufacturers have struggled the most.
Tesla Recall: Setback for the EV Revolution?
Posted by Ashwin Seshagiri May 28th, 2009 7 Comments
Tesla is recalling 345 of its roadsters that were manufactured between March 2008 and April 22, 2009. According to a Tesla press release, this is a significant number of the roadsters sold to date.
As Tesla vies to redefine the auto industry with its breakthrough roadsters (and now sedans) that look a whole lot more like Porsches than something out of The Jetsons, how will this news affect the car company? More importantly, will this prove to be a larger setback for electric and other alternative energy-driven cars?
Will China Lead the Electric Car Revolution?
Posted by Jeff Siegel April 16th, 2009 1 Comment
At the bottom of a recent New York Times article about China’s burgeoning electric vehicle market, I found quite a few hostile comments. Most seemed to be nationalistic in tone, and questioned why we should rely on China for electric cars when GM, Chrysler and Ford are all developing their own electric cars right now.
GM, Chrysler and Ford are all expected to have new electric vehicles in the showrooms within the next 2 to 3 years. And the truth is, if they can keep costs under control, I’m optimistic that demand will be strong. But it is also understandable that some folks are threatened by a potential Chinese electric fleet.
Look at it like this…
Tesla’s Model S: Beginning of the End for the Big Three?
Posted by Steve Puma March 31st, 2009 12 Comments
Last week, electric car manufacturer Tesla Motors made headlines with the unveiling of its long-anticipated Model S sedan. The elegantly-styled four-door hatchback has some extremely impressive statistics. As a matter of fact, the stats are so good that it makes me wonder if this could be the beginning of the end for the Big Three. While Ford, GM ,and Chrysler are mired in government bailouts and don’t appear to be offering much in the way of real change, it looks like Tesla is about to prove that it can not only build a niche sports car for an elite few, but can build one that is much more mainstream.
The annoucement of the new Tesla sports sedan had pundits from across the interweb gushing abut its sleek styling, range, charging times, and cargo capacity. The car sports smooth, aerodynamic curves, with a look reminiscent of high-end BMWs or Mercedes.
Tesla? Ha, who needs it! Here comes AMP!
Posted by Paul S May 28th, 2008 8 Comments
Tesla has long dominated news of electric cars, with its sexy Ferrari-like styling, famous customers, and tabloid worthy behind the scenes politics. But what if you don’t have in excess of $109,000 for the base model? What if you don’t want to wait a year? What if you don’t want to settle for a close cousin of the golf cart? What if you’d like to travel further than your commute?
Up until now, your options were pretty well non existent. Now comes the AMP, which looks suspiciously like a Saturn Sky. That’s because it is, converted to be a plug in electric, with a 150 mile range, 0-60 in under 6 seconds, at a total pre-tax cost including the car of around $50,000. That’s $10,000 less then the deposit alone for a Tesla!
Triple Pundit Takes Tesla for a Spin
Posted by Shannon Arvizu May 14th, 2008 1 Comment
The first zero-emission luxury sports car is one step closer to hitting the streets. Tesla opened its first dealership this month in Santa Monica, California. Triple Pundit, along with Sebastian Blanco (Senior Editor for AutoblogGreen.com), visited the dealership last Friday to take one of their million-dollar prototypes for a spin. While much has been written lately about Tesla’s transmission issues and the firing of one of their founders, the electrifying mood at their new dealership may be an indication that Tesla is on track again.
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