I'm Back

Yes I'm still with the company and things are going well. Was off the blog for awhile but will be back on the writing gig starting officially today. Stay tuned...

New Location...

I have migrated my posts over to my company's server. Please click on the link and check me out over there. Lots of cool stuff going on.

Alert the Media...EV's Can Reduce Oil Consumption

Wow, who knew...the usage of EV's can REDUCE need for oil. The article attached takes the debate on the need for both EVs and the reduction of heavy carbon fossil fuels to curb global climate change. That's likely true if you follow that logic but the headline is up there with "Study says teens like cell phones" which I saw about a year ago.

Welcome Back GE...

Well it's been awhile but GE is back in the EV game. Despite the fact that Edison was one of founders of the EV business the company took a hiatus for about 9 decades.

However they are now back in the game with the Watt Station EVSE, a partnership with Better Place on software and potential moves into batteries.

The EV movement needs the likes of a GE to help make it real. Thanks for joining the party.

This is not going to be popular...

Part of China's grand plan to own the EV space is to force foreign companies to divulge their secrets if you want access to the Chinese market. The manufacturers would be put into a joint venture with a local vendor but the local vendor would have 51% of the company.

While this is not a confirmed plan there is confirmation that the Chinese government is leaning this way. If so, interesting to see if manufacturers will ignore or delay introduction into China (as Toyota has with the Prius). No word on if the WTO will file a complaint against China if they go this route. Rest assure if they do a significant airing of grievances will take place.

Coda's Car Will Cost...

Drumroll please...the Coda car will cost you $44,900 (before the $12,500 you can get from the Feds and the state of CA). Factor that in and you are at $32,400 or a tad less than the Nissan Leaf.

Coda is hoping to have around 10K cars on the road in 2011 with the majority of the product coming from China with final assembly in California. No word yet on who is selling Coda and what plans they have beyond CA.

China Throws Down the Gauntlet in EV's

Tom Friedman takes a shine to China's push to lead EV's. Will the US cede foreign oil to foreign batteries? Will we make bold future bets that made the country great? Let's hope so.

That's a lot of cars

Yikes, China might have up to 200M cars on the road by 2020. That's a lot of folks moving around at a very, very slow speed. Might want to push E-Bikes a bit more there team.

Auto execs question need for widespread public charging infrastructure

Interesting take on public charging and the fact that folks think it will not be needed. Could well prove to be true as most will charge at home and at work but entirely possible that by having a signficant charging infrastructure will help to eas range anxiety. Folks who win here are those who will have chargers but will likely not be forking over a lot of their own money - retailers, Starbucks, etc. Either way we once again just do not know how it will shake out. Too early for sweeping generalizations.

Euro Bike: Day 1

Arrived in Friedrichshafen, Germany for Euro Bike yesterday after 20 hours of travel time (air, train and boat). Although hard to reach it is a beautiful town and is clearly the host of the most important bike show in the world.

Yesterday was a bit of a fog but today I feel fresh and enjoyed taking on the sites. E-Bikes are a hot thing over here at the moment. Many of the big guns are introducing larger lines for the European market with eyes on the US in the next 12 to 18 months. Interestingly enough what I have not seen is a lot of design elements put into the E-Bikes. Most look like current pedal bikes with a motor and battery attached save for a few exceptions. While understandable I really believe a design element is important (think the Prius and how its design accelerated hybrid purchases). Nonetheless it is encouraging and I am bullish on the category both here and in the US.

One observation is this show attracts folks who like to have a good time. There are demos going on outside where people are jumping different terrain and the beer tents were already dealing with long lines at 10AM.

Couple of big meetings tomorrow and an industry dinner tomorrow evening. I will share what I can. Stay tuned...

China to Invest Billions in Electric and Hybrid Cars

Recent post by the NYT on China's commit to EV's. Appearing they want to take the mantle from the US to be the EV capital of the world.

Megacities will drive huge demand for electric cars by 2020

Good news everyone...as we continue to slam ourselves closer together (the death of the far flung suburbs continues) EVs will become more and more necessary. In order to stem pollution the EV will become the choice way to get around.

U.S. Most Likely to Lead Electric-Car Revolution

Interesting note on our current lead in the BCS standings for EVs. As stated several times in this blog it's not a given EVs become the be all end all (remember that ethanol was our savior years ago) and eventually market forces must take over as the govt. cannot be expected to drive adoption through subsidies.

Killer App for E.V.’s: 30-Minute Recharges

Just realized I haven't posted in a bit. Where did the time go? Anyway, the NYT comes up with an interesting piece on charging and the importance of fast charging. While I agree fast charging is a cool and important solution there is still much to work out. For now, first and foremost, is a network of charging that folks need to overcome range anxiety (level 2 is a good start). Who's going to be up to create the next iteration of the filling station?

Rush Blitzes EVs

Former Kansas City Royals employee Rush Limbaugh is none too pleased on the EV movement. He feels EVs are nothing more than a status for the uber-liberal and are yet another example of govt boondoggle.

While I understand he's vitriol I do think he's a tad myopic. There are those in the camp from the Right that EV proliferation is a matter of national security as it will decrease our need from oil from places that really, really do not like us. I think that position is centered and true.

Electric Bikes Where MTN Bikes Were in 80s

Biker mavens the Stanforth brothers tell BikeBiz they are moving into the electric space. Love the quote below:

It's interesting to note that the Stanforth's believe the electric bike market is very much in the same position mountain biking was in the mid-eighties – in its infancy and with potential to achieve huge growth in a matter of years. So could the Stanforth's be onto a winner yet again?

E-Bikes have been slow out of the gate here in the US but there are those who feel the tide is coming (including me). I hope the Stanforth's are turn out to be Oracles.

Tesla Electric Cars: Revved Up, but Far to Go

Yes, I know. I am late with this one as it's about a week old but I wanted to comment on it and simply slipped out of my fleeting short term memory. Anyway, thought the gray lady nailed this one with a peerless look at Tesla. They do not shy away from the facts and are not seduced by the aura that seems to come from the company.

Bottom line is Elon Musk got the car out, took the company public and love him or hate him, has made folks talk a lot about the EV space. He's is almost Steve Jobs like in his ability to capture the public's attention and very few choreograph public events the way he does.

Time will tell on the future of the company but they have left a mark. If this turns into a revolution or not remains to be seen.

Sacre Bleu! Paris Bike Rental Program Spurning EV Ideas

Paris' bike rental program has been so successful they are planning on setting up an EV version this fall. Now you can vroom around the Louvre in an EV. Should be interesting to see if they can pull this off.

Sparks Are Flying

A rare moment in politics is when both sides agree on an issue. It's pretty rare but we have one in the adoption of EV. One side wants to do it to save the planet and the other to reduce need for foreign oil. Yes the means are different but the end is the same and that is what matters.

The Senate got together last week and put up nearly $4B for EV adoption including a plan to get 400K cars on the road in the next three years. Not all folks are happy about this (see Wash Post article previously in this Blog). Interestingly enough some folks in the auto industry are worried that they will now be responsible for upstream emissions (what comes out of the power plant) since their cars will be getting fed from the grid instead of the pump. That's a fair fear on their part as they are already getting hammered on MPG standards as it is. No reason to believe it won't come up in the future. Hopefully when EVs become more of a standard then an exception the Senate will not be struck by selective memory.

The Great Charging Plug Standard Debate

I wouldn't yet call it a war but we could get there. No we're not fighting over a rock in the Mediterranean but instead it is a common standard for public charging. We have two in the running but logic tells us one is the way to go (see either your BetaMax or HD-DVD player as an example). Not sure how this will get to an accord but the infrastructure builders and chargepoint homes (retailers, grocery stores, etc) are going to want a simple solution before real estate is ceded. Here's hope they get there soon.