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Electric Car Sign via Shutterstock

On the tail end end of whirlwind tour around the country to present at EcoGen MasterClasses, I had my own little epiphany around some of the issues that our industry faces today.I remembered the principle of taking just one step.Almost 25 years ago, I was working in a car factory making automotive parts and was invited to see a leading...[read more]

cardiae /Shutterstock

It is not clear that the automotive market alone will provide an advanced battery market of sufficient size and immediacy to attract the necessary capital and innovation. Using a potentially larger market for the deployment of similar batteries in DES systems on the grid to leverage the automotive market, however, would make for a large, combined market.[read more]

The structure of CAFE standards needs to be rethought. CAFE standards should address separately the two energy policy goals that they were designed to achieve: energy efficiency and energy diversity. One goal should not be a trade-off for the other. As CAFE standards and other mandates become increasingly important policy tools in a budget-constrained environment, energy security and electrification supporters must be careful that their interests not be forgotten and subordinated in the battle against greenhouse gas emissions.[read more]

Through a series of improbable coincidences, Cortés’ strategy worked out well for Cortés, which is the only reason we know the story of the burning ships today. One cannot help wondering, however, in reading this week about the unfortunate end of the JCI-Saft battery joint venture, whether a similar strategy did not work out so well for Johnson Controls, Inc.[read more]

WRI CEO Jonathan Lash

“It was a tough year for the environment, and a tough year for environmentalists, especially in the U.S.” So said Jonathan Lash, the CEO of the World Resources Institute, one of Washington’s most respected environmental groups, as he began his annual look at the state of the environment in the new year. 2010 was indeed a dismal year–...[read more]

The Gulf of Mexico oil spill now polluting fragile wetlands of several states is an environmental and economic disaster.  This is the downside of an addiction to oil, and it should serve as a potent reminder of the strategic value that electric vehicles will have to eliminating significant sources of carbon emissions and that crap...[read more]

Gas 2.0 has a post on a speech by Shell CEO Peter Voser on the electric car market (I think he's being overly optimistic that a significant proportion of cars will still be running on petrol in 2050) - Even Shell’s CEO Expects Electric Cars to Dominate. Speaking at a conference in Santa Barbara, CA, Shell CEO Peter Voser said that by...[read more]

I usually scan the energy headlines each morning, but had somehow missed the stories on the recently introduced bills to electrify the U.S. Postal Service fleet: U.S. Postal Service to test a repurposed electric vehicle fleet Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (D-Va.) introduced a bill Friday that would pay for 109,500 electric vehicles, though...[read more]

If you are already a rock star and can’t imagine doing anything else, then “money for nothing and your chicks for free” may be a reasonable characterization of your situation.  On the other hand, if you’re a teenage boy picking up a guitar and hoping to attain wealth and women, you should consider the start-up costs involved....[read more]

GM has made a huge leap into the 21st Century by pursuing the Volt. If ever this company needed a new car on which to hang its future, the time is now, and the Volt is it. This car and its future offspring should win back the attention of the motoring public — and we say that genuinely! 40 Vancouver electric vehicle enthusiasts test...[read more]

From time to time you see reports of electric utility executives or analysts worried about a forthcoming avalanche of electric vehicles (EVs) that will, just maybe, overwhelm utility distribution systems. What happens if everyone comes home from work and plugs in at the same time?  What happens if drivers want to recharge on-peak...[read more]

Some clean techsectors are overhyped, while others have unrecognized potential by David L. Levy When most people think about clean energy, solar and wind are the first things that spring to mind. Markets for these renewable energy sources have exhibited rapid growth of about 25-30% annually, and these sectors have attracted the lion’s...[read more]

Yale Environment 360 has a look at the unfolding transition to electric vehicles - The Electric Car Revolution Will Soon Take to the Streets. Electric cars are a green movement that is finally moving. Shunted to the side as the public indulged its love affair with gas-guzzling SUVs and four-wheel-drive trucks, history has finally caught...[read more]

Quebec is an obvious place to introduce electric cars on a large scale. Its power mostly comes from hydroelectric facilities and, culturally, it’s more European than North American in many ways. It’s little surprise then that Mitsubishi has chosen to team up with Hydro-Quebec on a large electric-vehicle trial that will see 50 of its i-...[read more]

GM may be bankrupt, but Gas 2.0 has a post from GM's director of electric vehicle development indicating that they are trying to come to grips with the modern world - How GM is Making Electric Vehicles Relevant.Developing electric vehicles is no longer a nice little “green” story; it’s absolutely crucial if we are to alleviate our...[read more]