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Monday, May 2, 2011
Lithium Drive: Chevrolet Volt : Promotion Video for South Korea tnr.v, czx.v, lmr.v, rm.v, alk.ax, sqm, cgp.v, abn.v, ura.v, nup.ax, usa.ax, srz.ax, fmc, roc, lit, li.v, wlc.v, clq.v, res.v, ree, avl.to, nsany, f, gm, rno.pa, dai, byddf, hev, aone, vlnc
at 3:16 PM GM is still hitting on the Range Anxiety and that the Chevy Volt - "It's More Car Than Electric" to position itself in the competition to all electric Nissan Leaf. We think that they have to spend more time to position Chevy Volt against CE cars - we need more of both and other Electric Cars on our roads very very soon - watch this great video to find out why.
Another very interesting news in this video is that it is prepared for the South Korean market - is GM going to roll out its international Chevy Volt campaign? So far all electric cars produced by GM and Nissan are bought on spot in U.S. - companies are still delivering to the already existing reservations. New markets penetration and new models of Electric Cars with more powerful lithium batteries can position GM ahead of its competitors and give it a boost with rising global fuel prices.
"Chevy Volt owners average 1,000 miles between fill-ups in March. This is really cool. Range Anxiety is a very big issue and GM Volt has managed to beat it with its range extended version of the electric hybrid. Next step is to put more advanced lithium battery inside in the next model, maybe Volt Crossover pictured above will feature at least 24 kWh lithium battery instead of just 16 kWh in GM Volt - it can give it more like Nissan Leaf range of about 80 - 100 miles and will prepare GM to competition with Tesla S and Toyota RAV4 EV.
"Secretary Chu Announces New Funding and Partnership with Google to Promote Electric Vehicles. The Electric Cars investment space is getting hotter and big names are beginning to eagerly to pile in. The 5 million investment into the charging infrastructure from U.S. Department Of Energy could sound like a joke compare to China investing billions in Electric Cars or personal investments of some entrepreneurs in Lithium space, but it is one step at a time and names in this initiatives are more important than this amount.
Once the guys from Google, Facebook and Twitter will move into Green Revolution our Lithium story will take off into parabolic rise - they have knowledge, technology and understanding that Electric Cars are the way forward. They will need to drive their kids to the soccer games after all, even after Peak Oil which is happening now. We do not know which one of them will make the next Coca Cola in Electric Cars space, but we will be ready with our Sugar business - Lithium will be needed for all of them.
Once the guys from Google, Facebook and Twitter will move into Green Revolution our Lithium story will take off into parabolic rise - they have knowledge, technology and understanding that Electric Cars are the way forward. They will need to drive their kids to the soccer games after all, even after Peak Oil which is happening now. We do not know which one of them will make the next Coca Cola in Electric Cars space, but we will be ready with our Sugar business - Lithium will be needed for all of them.
Lithium Charge: AutoBlogGreen: Better Place signs deal in China; State Grid wants 2,300 swap stations installed by 2015 tnr.v, czx.v, lmr.v, rm.v, alk.ax, sqm, cgp.v, abn.v, ura.v, nup.ax, usa.ax, srz.ax, fmc, roc, lit, li.v, wlc.v, clq.v, res.v, ree, avl.to, nsany, f, gm, rno.pa, dai, byddf, hev, aone, vlnc
at 9:12 AM
We have very interesting news today from AutoBlogGreen on "better place" new deal in China. Now we can see more juice in Shai Agassi's business vision if he will be able to tap into the Chinese market of Electric Cars. Listen to Shai Agassi himself on the link below:
"Lithium Drive: Shai Agassi on Green Transport in the 21st Century - Electric Cars. After the brilliant video from ABC with warning on Catalyst Peak Oil we have an elegant solution from Shai Agassi and his "better place" - where we all will be driving Electric Cars very soon.
It is the best interview with Shai Agassi we have seen so far. Audio quality in this video is not the best, but content will keep you glued to the screens. As you remember, we start to express doubts in the commercial success of the "better place" approach, while always praising Shai Agassi and his company efforts to promote Electric Cars."
Now we can think that recent relative "black out" from the mass media is actually the sign that the company can be actually taken very seriously by its competitors.
For our Lithium investment ideas "better place" approach is actually can be the game changer - you need to have more Lithium batteries than the actual fleet of cars in order to keep the stock at the battery switching stations.
"China leads the world with over 100 million riding e-scooters, e-bikes, and light-electric vehicles. By December 2015, China plans to have 500,000 electric vehicles that can travel slow streets to fast highways. Those EV will be supported with 220,000 charge points and 2,351 battery swap stations in the nation’s latest plans. China’s 12th Five Year Plan is summarized in a new Deutsche Bank (DB) report."
AutoBlogGreen:
by Eric Loveday (RSS feed) on May 2nd 2011
Better Place has announced a strategic agreement with China Southern Power Grid Co. (CSG), the world's eighth largest utility company. The first step of the deal calls for the establishment of a battery swapping station and joint education center in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou before year's end. Meanwhile details of a full-blown joint-venture partnership will be formalized. Additionally, the Guangzhou city government will encourage local automakers to manufacture electric cars with switchable batteries.
CSG chairman, Zhao Jianguo, firmly believes that the "battery-switch model may become mainstream in China." While Better Place founder and chief executive officer, Shai Aggasi, says that:
Our collaboration with China Southern and the support of the Guangzhou government open the door to new opportunities for switchable-battery electric cars made by Chinese manufacturers for the domestic and export markets.
Better Place sees a trend towards battery swapping being spearheaded by utility companies and local governments in China, says company spokesman John Proctor. Recently, at the "2011 International Forum on Electric Vehicle Pilot City an Industry Development" in Shanghai, the State Grid Corporation of China boldly announced that the nation will likely have more than 2,300 swapping stations installed by the end of 2015.
Better Place, China Southern Grid Sign Strategic Agreement Centered on Battery Switch Model
Guangzhou Municipal Government Signs Agreement to Aid New Partnership
TEL AVIV, Israel--(BUSINESS WIRE)--At a signing ceremony today in Israel with officials from Guangzhou, Better Place announced a strategic agreement with China Southern Power Grid Co. (CSG), the world's eighth largest utility according to the Fortune Global 500. The agreement, which focuses on joint electric car and infrastructure projects in CSG's service areas, will further advance electric cars with switchable batteries in China. The agreement calls for the companies to open a battery switch station and joint education center in Guangzhou before the end of the year, while working to formalize a joint-venture partnership.
"The cooperation between China Southern Grid and Better Place is a strategic step, and both companies will have our full support. We are pleased to host the joint education center, the first of its kind in China, later this year."
Underscoring Guangzhou's support for the Better Place-CSG cooperation, Executive Vice Mayor Wu Yimin today signed an agreement with Better Place Founder and CEO Shai Agassi that calls for the Municipal Government of Guangzhou to assist Better Place and CSG in their efforts to create a supply chain hub and electric car network in China's third largest city and home to CSG. The Guangzhou accord calls for the municipal government to encourage local car manufacturers, such as Guangzhou Automobile Industry Group, to produce electric cars with switchable batteries. It also calls for the city to promote electric-car adoption in fleet segments including public-sector vehicles and private-sector fleets such as taxis.
"China Southern Grid is an important partner in a huge market that is moving quickly toward the mass-market development of electric cars and is embracing battery switch as the primary means of range extension," Agassi commented. "Our collaboration with China Southern and the support of the Guangzhou government open the door to new opportunities for switchable-battery electric cars made by Chinese manufacturers for the domestic and export markets."
"Better Place has conducted extensive research and testing on its battery-switch technology combined with managed charging, which takes into account the attributes and needs of the electric grid as the electric-car industry grows rapidly in China," said China Southern Grid Chairman Zhao Jianguo. "We believe that networked infrastructure is critical to enable broad adoption and focusing on charging alone would be too costly and time-consuming. The battery-switch model may become mainstream in China and our joint visitor center and battery switch demonstration project with Better Place will help promote electric-car adoption in China by allowing potential customers to experience this innovative solution."
"Electric cars present a great opportunity for China and are critical to achieve a low carbon economy. We will support this rapidly growing industry by encouraging production of electric cars in the region and promoting adoption in fleets," said Wu Yimin, Executive Vice Mayor of Guangzhou. "The cooperation between China Southern Grid and Better Place is a strategic step, and both companies will have our full support. We are pleased to host the joint education center, the first of its kind in China, later this year."
The Better Place-CSG agreement calls for the companies to jointly engage relevant Chinese government bodies and other stakeholders, secure governmental policy support, and promote technical standards, where appropriate, to further accelerate China's rapidly-growing, electric-car industry. The companies will develop in phases the joint education center to host government and industry delegations and educate Chinese consumers about the benefits of going electric. The center will include interactive exhibits, meeting facilities, electric cars that visitors can test drive, and an automated battery switch station. The facility is slated to open before the end of year in central Guangzhou. Better Place currently operates similar centers near Tel Aviv, Copenhagen, and Toronto, hosting nearly 100,000 visitors per year.
As CSG and Better Place further develop their relationship, the companies also are looking at the potential for a joint commercial operation based on a switchable-battery, network-operator model. Their pilot projects and other joint activities will explore the benefits that switchable-battery electric cars and the networked infrastructure that supports them can deliver to the electric grid in CSG's service area, which spans five provinces, one million square kilometers, and 230 million people in Southern China.
CSG, which ranks number 156 on the Fortune Global 500 list of the world's largest corporations, is part of the Electric Vehicle Industry Alliance led by China's State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, or SASAC. The Chinese government created the alliance of state-owned auto, battery, electric, and oil companies with the ultimate goal of building internationally competitive electric-car brands. The Chinese government has declared the electric-car industry one of seven strategic emerging sectors, stated its intent for China to become the world's largest developer and manufacturer of electric cars, and offered strong support in the form of investment and incentives as the country seeks to leapfrog combustion-engine technology and reduce a growing dependence on oil.
Agassi added, "We are in advanced discussions with a number of Chinese automakers to partner around our open network solution and we will share our selection of preferred partners with the market once a final decision is made."
By the end of the year, Better Place will have battery switch stations under deployment in countries on four continents, including the U.S., Europe, Australia and now China. The deployments form the basis of a growing network for making electric cars more affordable, convenient and sustainable than today's cars with internal combustion engines. The Better Place model also offers governments around the world a solution for reducing dependence on oil and its harmful contributions to global climate change and local pollution while growing domestic green jobs.
About Better Place
Better Place, the world's leading electric car services provider, is accelerating the global transition to sustainable transportation. Better Place is building the infrastructure and intelligent network to deliver a range of services to drivers, enable widespread adoption of electric cars, and optimize energy use. The Better Place network addresses historical limitations to adoption by providing unlimited driving range in a convenient and accessible manner. The company works with all parts of the transportation ecosystem, including automakers, battery suppliers, energy companies, and the public sector, to create a compelling solution. Based in California and privately held, Better Place has operating companies in Israel, Denmark, and Australia. More information is available at www.betterplace.com."
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Lithium Drive: Shai Agassi on Green Transport in the 21st Century - Electric Cars tnr.v, czx.v, lmr.v, rm.v, alk.ax, sqm, cgp.v, abn.v, ura.v, nup.ax, usa.ax, srz.ax, fmc, roc, lit, li.v, wlc.v, clq.v, res.v, ree, avl.to, nsany, f, gm, rno.pa, dai, byddf, hev, aone, vlnc
at 5:30 AM After the brilliant video from ABC with warning on Catalyst Peak Oil we have an elegant solution from Shai Agassi and his "better place" - where we all will be driving Electric Cars very soon.
It is the best interview with Shai Agassi we have seen so far. Audio quality in this video is not the best, but content will keep you glued to the screens. As you remember, we start to express doubts in the commercial success of the "better place" approach, while always praising Shai Agassi and his company efforts to promote Electric Cars.
Now we can think that recent relative "black out" from the mass media is actually the sign that the company can be actually taken very seriously by its competitors.
For our Lithium investment ideas "better place" approach is actually can be the game changer - you need to have more Lithium batteries than the actual fleet of cars in order to keep the stock at the battery switching stations.
Shai Agassi gives us real insight into his business model, Auto and Oil businesses. We think that he was more relaxed at this event then with his usual interviews. As a result we have this brilliant piece of insight into the real economics of Electric Cars, Auto and Oil industry. Please notice his remarks about China and Electric Cars and he talks about our iPod moment in Electric Cars as well!
Shai Agassi has pledged his own future to the "better place" instead of the CEO place at SAP - we will consider that it was the first wave of the real brain power transition into the future Trillion business of Electric Cars. Once it will be taken by Silicon Valley guys for real - we will have our Next Big Thing in action.
"Secretary Chu Announces New Funding and Partnership with Google to Promote Electric Vehicles. The Electric Cars investment space is getting hotter and big names are beginning to eagerly to pile in. The 5 million investment into the charging infrastructure from U.S. Department Of Energy could sound like a joke compare to China investing billions in Electric Cars or personal investments of some entrepreneurs in Lithium space, but it is one step at a time and names in this initiatives are more important than this amount.
Once the guys from Google, Facebook and Twitter will move into Green Revolution our Lithium story will take off into parabolic rise - they have knowledge, technology and understanding that Electric Cars are the way forward. They will need to drive their kids to the soccer games after all, even after Peak Oil which is happening now. We do not know which one of them will make the next Coca Cola in Electric Cars space, but we will be ready with our Sugar business - Lithium will be needed for all of them."
Once the guys from Google, Facebook and Twitter will move into Green Revolution our Lithium story will take off into parabolic rise - they have knowledge, technology and understanding that Electric Cars are the way forward. They will need to drive their kids to the soccer games after all, even after Peak Oil which is happening now. We do not know which one of them will make the next Coca Cola in Electric Cars space, but we will be ready with our Sugar business - Lithium will be needed for all of them."
PolicyExchangeUK:
Time magazine and Foreign Policy magazine recently named Shai Agassi one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Wired called him a "revolutionary". His company, Better Place, is rolling out a new model of all-electric cars predicated on providing consumers with a more affordable, more convenient personal transport alternative to petrol cars. The company will launch its service in Israel and Denmark in late 2011, and begin network deployment in Australia at the same time.
Deutsche Bank analysts reportedly concluded that the company's approach could be a "paradigm shift" that causes "massive disruption" to the auto industry, and has "the potential to eliminate the gasoline engine altogether." It's the global economic opportunity of displacing the $3 trillion oil market that's enabled Better Place to raise $700 million to date including a $350 million Series B round led by HSBC in the largest round of financing yet for a "clean-tech" company.
Better Place has partnered with Renault to produce electric vehicles with switchable batteries for consumers in Europe, beginning in late 2011. The company also has an agreement with China's leading independent car manufacturer, Chery Auto Ltd., to produce switchable battery electric vehicles in China, beginning in 2012."
Friday, April 29, 2011
ABC Catalyst Peak Oil Report tnr.v, czx.v, alk.ax, lmr.v, tsla, rm.v, nup.ax, srz.ax, usa.ax, jnn.v, abn.v, res, mcp, avl.to, quc.v, cee.v, sqm, fmc, roc, li.v, wlc.v, clq.v, lit, nsany, byddf, gm, dai, rno.pa, hev, aone, vlnc
at 2:53 PM We have everything you need to know about the Peak Oil in this great video. Revelations from IEA Chief Economist about Crude Oil production Peak in 2006 are groundbreaking. It is not new and was in the latest IEA report, but who reads anything these days? Maybe, YouTube will bring it to the masses.
If you would like to dig this subject dipper - you are welcome and be our guest on this blog.
"More on Peak Oil. This video will take you out of your box where the energy comes from the wall and price of Oil is driven by speculators today. Fossil fuel era is just a blip in the bigger picture of human history and we are already close to its end."
"We have very interesting findings from Nielsen Energy survey - now most U.S. consumers are ready to buy Electric Cars! We guess that rising gas prices have made all the difference in this change of the sentiment.
Cruising Electric Cars on our streets do help as well, Nissan Leafs and GM Volts are getting on the roads and making the best EV marketing possible.
Both Electric Cars have scored highest safety ratings in the recent crash tests and it will drive consumer attention as well."
"It is coming and every uptick in the Gas prices will bring more supporters to Electric Cars movement, U.S. used to be the land of the Free - now we have a chance to reclaim it from the Oil Lobby. Get off the Oil needle and help others to do so."
Lithium Drive: Green Overdrive: Tesla's Model S Alpha Video Reuters tnr.v, czx.v, alk.ax, lmr.v, tsla, rm.v, nup.ax, srz.ax, usa.ax, jnn.v, abn.v, res, mcp, avl.to, quc.v, cee.v, sqm, fmc, roc, li.v, wlc.v, clq.v, lit, nsany, byddf, gm, dai, rno.pa, hev, aone, vlnc
at 11:31 AM While new investors in this sector are separating Hype and Reality in the Lithium space today, we have the real companies working on real Electric Cars and real Lithium projects to develop the secure supply for the future, which is Electric!
We are monitoring the development of Tesla Model S - company has taken extremely high bar in both the technology and pricing. This Electric Car will be the groundbreaking development for the whole industry.
"This Tesla Model S Electric Car is a piece of engineering art and it is quite a presentation on part of Mr Rawlinson from Tesla! With this kind of attitude and attention to the detail we can expect the beautiful car with remarkable performance.
"Tesla's Vice President of Vehicle Engineering, Peter Rawlinson, talks about some of the features of Model S engineering at Tesla headquarters. He discusses the advantages of designing a car from the ground using Tesla's proven electric powertrain, and how the result will be a drive experience to surpass any that have come before it."
by Damon Lavrinc on Mar 21st 2011 at 2:57PM 
Tesla Model S Development Facility - Click above for high-res image gallery
It's not every day that an automaker invites you inside its R&D center. In fact, it's rare for any OEM to allow journalists into a room that hasn't been swept floor-to-ceiling for any hint of what's around the corner. Then again, Tesla isn't exactly your average automaker.
The electric upstart, with its roots firmly entrenched in the Wild West idealism of Silicon Valley, is in the process of developing and testing its all-new electric sedan – the Tesla Model S – before series production begins next year. So in the Valley's spirit of openness and transparency, Tesla threw open its doors, corralled a few engineers and execs, and let us poke around its Palo Alto powertrain facility to see how development of the Model S is coming along.
Photos copyright ©2011 Damon Lavrinc / AOL
The last time we were offered a glimpse behind the scenes at Tesla, the automaker was still holding court at its... ummm... quaint production facility up the road in Menlo Park. While the Menlo operation is still around (joining battery packs and motors to the Roadster "gliders" coming in from Hethel), the new Palo Alto centermakes a convincing case that Tesla is joining the Big Leagues.
If there was any doubt Tesla isn't spending its partnership funding properly, Tesla's new powertrain plant puts that to rest. The 350,000-square-foot building is a massive, three-story ode to EV engineering, with a horizonless bottom floor producing battery packs and assembling motors, and a second floor littered with monitors, cubicles and Tesla employees plugging away.
When we arrived, we were quickly ushered into Tesla's main research and development bay, where a dozen Model S prototypes in various stages of completion were parked, stripped or hung from rotary lifts. A handful of workers were poking, prodding and assembling one in the background, and when asked what they were up to, we were told that the crew was comprised of managers from the newly acquired NUMMI plant across the Bay being shown how to assemble Tesla's latest EV. Despite toiling over each nut, bolt and alignment, in the time it took for one exec to explain the rear subframe, the workers managed to mount the front clip (comprised of a boron steel beam, three radiators and assorted structural supports) and battery pack into one hoisted sedan – something that, according to our hosts, will take under a minute when production begins in Fremont in 2012. Now, about that battery pack...
The flat, black unit houses around 7,000 lithium-ion cells and is mounted directly underneath the Model S. When Peter Rawlinson, Tesla's VP of Engineering, mentioned the minimal amount of time it takes to install the pack, we naturally asked if it was designed to be swappable. At this point, Tesla isn't saying it has plans to offer a swapping service similar to that proposed and executed by companies like Better Place, but the potential is there, and that speaks volumes in-and-of itself.
Regardless, Tesla claims that the pack will be good for up to 10 years, with three capacities available to Model S buyers: one good for 160 miles, and two others that boost the range to 230 or 300 miles (charging times will vary from a few hours to a working day's worth). Pricing for each comes in at $57,400 for the 160-mile variant, with the 230-mile version commanding around $67,000 and the 300-mile pack model coming in around $77k – all before federal tax credits are deducted.
Tesla's learned a lot from the 1,500 Roadsters silently motoring around the planet, with owners logging nearly 10 million miles in the last few years. Compared to the packs fitted to the coupe, the Model S' batteries not only boast increased performance, a longer life and higher energy density, but they are less costly to produce than those fitted to Tesla's original EV. And that increase/decrease stands to continue. While there's no Moore's Law-type equation to determine the rate of battery innovation, Tesla CTO JB Straubel figures that advances in both energy storage and density are improving at a rate of around eight percent each year.
Tesla isn't citing a weight for the battery pack just yet, but Rawlinson likes to point out that not only is the thin grouping of cells mounted incredibly low in the body, it's been designed to be an integral part of the chassis – so much so that Tesla engineers reduced the diameter of the sway bars because the pack provided enough torsional rigidity.
As for the liquid-cooled motor, Rawlinson likens it to a Swiss watch, with all the components systematically developed and fitted to be as compact as possible – a good thing, considering it's sandwiched between the rear axles. Yes, the Model S is a proper rear-wheel-drive sedan, kicking out around 295 pound-feet of torque and 300 kWh from the combined motor/power control unit (in the pic above, the motor is on the left and the PCU is on the right).
All told, Tesla is claiming a 0-60 mph run of under six seconds, and when we asked what other products Tesla was benchmarking against the S, the response from Rawlinson was simple: "The best of everything."
Tesla is unapologetically hyping up the fact that the Model S has been developed (and soon to be built) entirely in-house, with production plans of around 20,000 units each year. But before series production begins, Tesla needs to test, crash, test, torture, test, drive and test its Alpha fleet of vehicles.
To that end, Tesla is building 20 prototypes at its Palo Alto facility, mainly comprised of the black sedans littered throughout its workshop to test a variety of different systems. One is being used to evaluate the electrical system, another is the dynamics and handling mule, while yet another is undergoing stress testing, logging the equivalent of 250,000 miles in around six months. Two brake testing vehicles are undergoing evaluation in the chilly wilds of Wisconsin and Model S Program Director Jerome Guillen drove one of the prototypes to work the day we arrived. So... comprehensive, then.
Tesla plans to produce around 100 total testers before production begins, with the Alphas running around for three months, followed by dozens of Beta versions set to be built in Fremont later this year. The orange sedans in the shop are being developed for crash testing, and while Tesla reps will only say that full impact testing is set to begin "very soon," they've already performed a series of low-speed tests and were incredibly pleased with the results.
But with all this new production capacity, square-footage and warm bodies, how is Tesla going to turn a profit? Straubel admits that there are a lot of moving parts with its project, but is adamant that the Model S will keep Tesla in the black. "We simply can't sell this car at a loss." No kidding, Straubel. We'll let you get back to work...
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