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Does anybody know whether Tesla patents are actually worth anything? I have never heard anyone say that these patents are limiting the industry.
Batteries: none of importance.
E-motor: nice design but there are many other good designs
vehicle integration: easy to get around
Supercharger: as mentioned by others, this is a tactic to get the standard adopted. TEPCO did the same with the CHAdeMO patents; open to anyone.
Please DO correct me if I'm wrong on these points... I think Tesla is a great company but its patents do not seem to me to be especially important, like the ones owned by Toyota on hybrid powertrains, U of Texas and Hydro Quebec on some battery chemistries, etc.
Tesla opens up all its patents
Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk announced in a blog post that the company is opening up access to its patents; Tesla will not initiate patent lawsuits against anyone who, in good faith, wants to use the company’s technology. Tesla Motors was created to accelerate the advent of sustainable transport....
I wonder what the well-to-wheels energy consumption are on this type of vehicle... Aluminium production is extremely electricity intensive. Are part of the spent plates recycled?
Even if QC is blessed by abundant sources of hydropower, electricity needs to be used efficiently. I would tend to think that rechargeable batteries are still much better choice in this regard. But then again, if consumers don't want them...
Alcoa and Phinergy jointly showcase Al-air EV demonstrator
Alcoa and Israel-based Phinergy jointly showcased Phinergy’s aluminum-air EV demonstrator at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Montréal. In February, the two companies had announced a joint development agreement to develop further Phinergy’s aluminum-air primary (non-rechargeable) battery techno...
(a) VCs are lazy, they like to invest locally. It saves them time and gives them more control over their investments. (b) A lot of VCs are based in California.
That alone explains a big part of the report's findings.
Study finds California captured 69% of global venture capital investment in EVs in 1H 2011
A new report prepared by Collaborative Economics and produced by the organization Next 10 finds that California took in $467 million in global venture capital (VC) investment in EVs (69% of total dollars) in the first half of 2011. The report, Powering Innovation: California is Leading the Sh...
163 g/mile of CO2for cars and light-duty trucks by Model Year 2025. That's about 100g/km, just above the EU target for 2020. However, BCG and others have already demonstrated that OEMs can meet these targets without selling xEVs, i.e. by applying incremental changes to IC engines (including stop-start/micro hybridization), downsizing cars and engines, etc. So it's not clear what impact this will have on Electrification... As Roger noted, we also need higher fuel prices, which improve the TCO of xEVs.
President Obama announces 54.5 mpge, 163 gCO2/mile target for MY2025 light-duty vehicles; California on board
Light-duty vehicle fuel economy standards, 1978-2025. MY1978-2011 figures are NHTSA CAFE in mpg. MY2012-2025 standards are EPA GHG standards in miles per gallon equivalent, incorporating air conditioning improvements. Dashed lines denote that standards for MY2017-2025 reflect percentage incr...
Assuming an average of €6000 Euro subsidy per vehicle, the budget allows for 12,000 vehicles to be subsidized. That's peanuts. We need much larger numbers than that to drive EV costs down. I suppose the combined subsidy effect of Spain, France, UK, etc. will be significant, but it's not like Europe is completely borderless. OEMs also have to invest in local advertizing, distribution systems, etc. Anyway, I guess this is all that a Souther Euro-zone country can afford these days.
Government of Spain approves subsidies for purchase of electric vehicles
The Government of Spain last Friday approved incentives to stimulate the introduction of the electric vehicle, including direct subsidies for the purchase of such vehicles with a budget of €72 million (US$103 million) for 2011. EVs will be subsidized for up to 25% of the purchase price, before t...
A false dawn for micro fuel cells. You don't say...
Pike Research reports global fuel cell shipments doubled between 2008 and 2010; largest unit growth in stationary power sector
Global MW of fuel cell product shipments by electrolyte, 2008-2010. Click to enlarge. Global fuel cell shipments doubled between 2008 and 2010, from approximately 7,500 units to more than 15,000 units annually during that period, according to a new report from Pike Research, released at the ...
People pay money for such studies?
Pike Research forecasts sales of fuel cell vehicles to cross 1M mark in 2020
Fuel cell light-duty vehicles sales, 2015-2020. Source: Pike Research. Click to enlarge. According to a new report from Pike Research, commercial sales of fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) will reach the key milestone of 1 million vehicles by 2020, with a cumulative 1.2 million vehicles sold by the e...
As I've said before, the best way for the US military to deal with energy efficiency and related issues is to STAY HOME. It's really simple, STOP interfering in foreign countries as you did in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Iraq and Afghanistan, not to mention the proxy wars in El Salvador, Nicaragua, Angola & Mozambique (along side Apartheid South Africa).
RAND study concludes use of alternative fuels by US military would convey no direct military benefit; recommends energy efficiency instead
If the US military increases its use of alternative jet and naval fuels that can be produced from coal or various renewable resources, including seed oils, waste oils and algae, there will be no direct benefit to the nation’s armed forces, according to a new RAND Corporation study. Any benefits ...
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