Benefitted from attending EV Li-ion Battery Forum

Here is an exclusive interview clip with Naveen Munjal, Managing Director of HERO ELECTRIC at the EV Li-ion Battery Forum 2009, talking about the delegates from the various electric vehicle lithium-ion value-chain that he has interacted with and how he has benefitted from attending the forum.

Tags: Business

White House unveils $2.4 bn in grants

The US government will buy thousands of electric and hybrid vehicles. Government grants also would subsidize installation of electric-vehicle charging stations.  The move reflects the belief that current lower oil prices won’t last: In its models for the future, as part of the GM and Chrysler bankruptcies, the president’s auto task force assumed that gas prices would rise above $4 a gallon by 2015.

Tags: Business, Chrysler, Electric vehicle, Ford Motor Co, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Hybrid vehicle, United States

Bosch JV to supply battery for BMW’s Megacity e-car

A joint venture between Bosch and Samsung SDI will supply Li-Ion battery cells for BMW’s Megacity project, an EV due in the first half of the next decade. BMW last week announced it would pull out of the F1 circuit at the end of this season, after management decided to focus its efforts on sustainability issues and reducing carbon emissions.

Tags: Batteries, BMW, Business, Electric vehicle, Electronics and Electrical, Formula One, Lithium-ion battery, Power Supplies

Nissan’s new Leaf: An EV and charging stations too

Recognizing that consumers won’t go for battery-powered vehicles if supplying them with juice isn’t cheap and convenient, the company is working with electric utilities, private organizations and all levels of government to set up networks of charging stations. The Leaf is expected to go on sale in the U.S., Europe and Japan late next year.

Tags: Batteries, Battery, Business, Charging station, Electric vehicle, Electronics and Electrical, Energy, Japan, Juice, Nissan leaf, Power Supplies, Technology, Transportation, United States

Vinod Khosla on why Li-Ion batteries are overhyped

Vinod Khosla, co-founder of Sun Microsystems and an active cleantech investors, believes that lithium-ion batteries will be eventually replaced if costs do not go down or oil prices do not go up. But Khosla Ventures is still backing the technology because the “lithium-ion markets are here today and there are good markets.”

Tags: Batteries, Business, Khosla Ventures, Lithium-ion battery, Silicon Valley, Sun Microsystems, Technology, Vinod Khosla

TH!NK and ENER1 launch new joint business stream

The first integrated EV drive-train of its kind has been developed by TH!NK (the pioneering Norwegian EV manufacturer), with EnerDel (the US-based lithium-ion battery subsidiary of ENER1) being the sole supplier of its industry-leading lithium-ion battery technology.

Tags: Batteries, Business, Electric car, Electric vehicle, Electronics and Electrical, Lithium-ion battery, Nissan Motor, Power Supplies

BYD aims to sell 700,000 vehicles in 2010

China’s BYD Co Ltd, a battery maker that aspires to be a leading EV producer, has said that vehicle production capacity will double every year for the next few years. The stock has more than tripled in 2009. Berkshire Hathaway invested $230 million last September for a 10 percent stake in BYD in a move seen as a stamp of approval.

Tags: Business, BYD Auto, China, ElectricVehicle, Energy, Technology, Transportation, Volkswagen

LG Chem, SDI in Big Battery Duel

LG Chem is looking to strike a big deal to supply batteries to General Motors.  Samsung is trying to kick-start an effort to overtake its rival. Samsung SDI, an affiliate, said that it will acquire U.S. battery maker Cobasys through a joint venture with Germany’s Robert Bosch ― SB LiMotive. The global battery market is worth $36 billion and is expected to surpass $50 billion in five years.

Tags: Autos, Business, General Motors, Golf, History, Makes and Models, Recreation, Society and Culture

China overtaking the US in an EV?

While US carmakers are going bust everyday, China is, according to the Chinese Association of Auto Manufacturers, aiming for 11 million car sales this year, 17% more than the 9.3 million last year. The US sales, in the meantime should not even amount to 10 million this year. 

Tags: Automobile, Automotive industry, Business, China, GeneralMotors, United States, US

Two Cents per Mile

A must-read for all industry enthusiasts, Nevres Cefo’s recent book makes some controversial statements regarding the delay in the recognition of EV technology’s legitimacy.

Cefo insinuates that the oil companies have colluded in order to prevent the rise of EVs.

Conspiracy theories are right in Mr. Cefo’s forte but it should not be seen in this light. Instead, the book must be commended for trying to raise debate and also especially to raise the profile of the electric vehicle industry so that it falls under the eye of the common man.

Like him or not, for any participant interested in promoting the EV industry, one must be informed of Mr. Cefo’s opinions for they will definitely orient opinions and views for many years to come.

Click on the link on amazon.com here if you wish to purchase the book or wish to just leaf through its back cover online.

Tags: amazon.com, Business, ElectricVehicle, Energy, Nissan Motor, Technology, Transportation