• Wednesday, July 23, 2008 Latest Update: 3:25PM

Greentech Media

Ucilia Wang July 23, 2008 2 Comments

Move to Greener Cars Accelerates

Coulomb Technologies, Google.org, ActaCell and the U.S. Postal Service are among the companies showing off their greentech and investments this week.

It’s a good week for companies to show off their transportation investments, partnerships and green technologies. The first-ever Plug-In 2008 conference in San Jose, Calif. is getting good attendance and media coverage this week, while at the same time the British International Motor Show opened in London on Wednesday.

Google.org, the investment arm of the search giant, said Wednesday it’s putting a combined $2.75 million into car battery maker ActaCell and electric car startup Aptera Motors. The funding is the first for Google.org’s RechargeIT program, which was launched a year ago to bring plug-in electric cars to the market.

ActaCell, based in Austin, Texas, raised $5.8 million in its first round of funding. Aside from Google.org, the company’s investors include DFJ Mercury, Applied Ventures (the investment arm of chip equipment maker Applied Materials) and Good Energies.

ActaCell, based in Austin, Texas, is developing lithium-ion batteries for plug-in hybrid electric cars.

Aptera, in Carlsbad, Calif., is developing a three-wheeled electric car (see Green Light post, Electric-Vehicle Derby Still On, Sci-Fi Inspired Vehicle to Hit California Roads, Aptera Launches 3-Wheeler and Mr. Spock’s New Ride).

Here’s a look at other transportation news:

  • Coulomb Technologies and V2Green are teaming up on a technology and marketing partnership to develop charging stations for plug-in hybrids. Coulomb, based in Campbell, Calif., focuses on developing charging stations and communication networks while V2Green in Seattle is developing software for managing the electricity flow between the grid and the cars.
  • The U.S. Postal Service plans to test General Motor’s Chevy Equinox, powered by fuel cells, as part of a project to identify more environmentally friendly vehicles that could replace its 195,000, gasoline-based delivery trucks. A one-cent increase in a gallon of gas adds $8 million to the postal service’s annual expenses, said a postal service executive.
  • Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies (NADQ: QTWW) has shipped a new generation of composite hydrogen storage devices to Suzuki Motor for the carmaker’s fuel cell vehicle program, the company said. The Irvine, Calif. company said it figured out ways to reduce material cost and improve manufacturing efficiency by producing the new polymer-lined products.
  • Google this week said that the Hymotion plug-in hybrids it uses for its employee car-share program have been getting more than 90 miles per gallon. After a seven-week test, the vehicles’ fuel efficiency reached as much as 93 miles per gallon for a combination of both city and highway driving and 115 mpg for city trips (see Earth2Tech post).

Comments [2]

  • Barry Bernsten 07/24/08 9:38 AM

    America needs to stay FOCUSED, AWARE and EDUCATED.

    History reminds us that every time oil prices peak and the North American market/consumers start to discuss alternative energy sources, the oil exporting countries start to trim down their prices. History also tells us that the oil exporting nations have been very successful in the past and in fact, we have lost our enthusiasm and dropped many of our alternative energy initiatives after oil prices are reduced.

    WE need to stay focused this time.

    1) Al Gore and his energy initiative is on course.
    2) T. Boone Pickens and his wind power initiative is on course.
    3) BG Automotive Group?s mass production electric vehicle program is on
      course.
    4) Richard Branson from the UK is on course.
    5) The Gas Reduction Act of 2008 might not be the most environmentally sound
        solution, but yet it shows that Congress has finally realized that we have an
        energy crisis (again), and a real threat to our national security.

    The continued dependence on foreign oil is a threat to our long term democratic values. We must become an energy independent nation, and with this, some sacrifices will have to be made by the American consumer.

    Be aware!!
    We are exporting approximately USD $700 Billion dollars per year of U.S. currency. The majority of this money is being transferred to the Trillion dollar ?sovereign wealth funds?. This is USD $700 Billion not being spent on America?s educational system, health care and security.

    The ?sovereign wealth funds? are directly buying major interests (large blocks of stock) in U.S. companies, including most of the major banks. Also, billions of dollars of ?sovereign wealth fund? money is being invested in our hedge funds, private equity firms, and the investment banking industry. A few of these firms are directly and indirectly investing large sums of money into our ?gas combustion? automobile industry. Do we want our auto industry in the direct or indirect control of the firms that are supplying us oil?  This is an interesting topic for an investigative reporter. 

    There are automotive consulting companies in Michigan (heart of our auto industry), lobbying States and our Federal Government, NOT to subsidize the Electric Vehicle industry. The latter seems to be contradictory to what the American public would like to see from our automobile industry. After the billions (excess of $20 billion) the automotive companies have lost in the past 6 months producing gas combustion vehicles, you would think they too would change course. Changing course is not adding 2-4 miles per gallon w/Hybrids. Drastic measures in our auto industry must take place and NOW!

    Do not let the temporary reduction in oil prices push us off course?.AGAIN.

    Read, Read, Read- Stay on top of the issues. Let?s not be fooled again.

    STAY FOCUSED, AWARE and EDUCATED! 

    Reply
  • Barry Bernsten 07/24/08 9:38 AM

    America needs to stay FOCUSED, AWARE and EDUCATED.

    History reminds us that every time oil prices peak and the North American market/consumers start to discuss alternative energy sources, the oil exporting countries start to trim down their prices. History also tells us that the oil exporting nations have been very successful in the past and in fact, we have lost our enthusiasm and dropped many of our alternative energy initiatives after oil prices are reduced.

    WE need to stay focused this time.

    1) Al Gore and his energy initiative is on course.
    2) T. Boone Pickens and his wind power initiative is on course.
    3) BG Automotive Group?s mass production electric vehicle program is on
      course.
    4) Richard Branson from the UK is on course.
    5) The Gas Reduction Act of 2008 might not be the most environmentally sound
        solution, but yet it shows that Congress has finally realized that we have an
        energy crisis (again), and a real threat to our national security.

    The continued dependence on foreign oil is a threat to our long term democratic values. We must become an energy independent nation, and with this, some sacrifices will have to be made by the American consumer.

    Be aware!!
    We are exporting approximately USD $700 Billion dollars per year of U.S. currency. The majority of this money is being transferred to the Trillion dollar ?sovereign wealth funds?. This is USD $700 Billion not being spent on America?s educational system, health care and security.

    The ?sovereign wealth funds? are directly buying major interests (large blocks of stock) in U.S. companies, including most of the major banks. Also, billions of dollars of ?sovereign wealth fund? money is being invested in our hedge funds, private equity firms, and the investment banking industry. A few of these firms are directly and indirectly investing large sums of money into our ?gas combustion? automobile industry. Do we want our auto industry in the direct or indirect control of the firms that are supplying us oil?  This is an interesting topic for an investigative reporter. 

    There are automotive consulting companies in Michigan (heart of our auto industry), lobbying States and our Federal Government, NOT to subsidize the Electric Vehicle industry. The latter seems to be contradictory to what the American public would like to see from our automobile industry. After the billions (excess of $20 billion) the automotive companies have lost in the past 6 months producing gas combustion vehicles, you would think they too would change course. Changing course is not adding 2-4 miles per gallon w/Hybrids. Drastic measures in our auto industry must take place and NOW!

    Do not let the temporary reduction in oil prices push us off course?.AGAIN.

    Read, Read, Read- Stay on top of the issues. Let?s not be fooled again.

    STAY FOCUSED, AWARE and EDUCATED! 

    Reply

Related Content

Most Popular

    Articles

  1. Cadmium-Telluride-on-Silicon, a Novel Approach in Solar

    July 1, 2009

  2. Cisco Rolls Out Building Management 'Mediator'

    July 1, 2009

  3. Video: Test Driving the Electric Motorcycle

    July 2, 2009

  4. Suntech Power Plans to Start U.S. Panel Production in Early 2010

    June 25, 2009

    Discussions

  1. Will GM Abandon Hydrogen Cars?

    June 25, 2009 34 Comments

  2. Whither Thin Film?

    June 22, 2009 22 Comments

  3. Cadmium-Telluride-on-Silicon, a Novel Approach in Solar

    July 1, 2009 7 Comments

  4. Stirling Redesigns SunCatcher, Plans 1.5MW Demo Project

    June 23, 2009 7 Comments

Copyright © 2009 Greentech Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

.