A123 Systems Expands in Japan

Tokyo correspondent Hayashi Sakawa points out that A123 systems has entered into an alliance with IHI, a large equipment maker, to collaborate on products for the transportation, industrial and marine markets.

IHI is one of those huge companies you've never heard of. It is 155 years old and works with Toyota, Mitsubishi and others. The reference to the marine market is interesting. Ports seem poised for a green overhaul, according to Julian Gresser of Manatt, Phelps. (Gresser has also taught international law at Harvard.) For one thing, they are dirty. Most of the equipment runs on diesel fuel. For another, they are often located near research universities and large industrial hubs, making them ideal incubators for new technologies.

"Eighty percent of every major industry depends on ports yet there is not a single mention of ports in the energy bill," he told us earlier this year. Some companies, such as Vycon, have begun to market cranes with regenerative power production to reduce fuel consumption. Others have proposed plates that can absorb kinetic energy from passing trucks. Travis Bradford also tells me that green shipping is growing.

A123 and IHI could find quite a lot of opportunities in marine.