Electric vehicle enthusiasts here in the U.S. are all a flutter over the news that China has announced several policies aimed at creating a market for electric vehicles. They are also excited about the news that a Chinese businessman decided Read more…
I was in Chongqing a few weeks ago. Boy has that city changed since I first visited it in 2003. But that’s not what I want to talk about. I was on an EV panel at the 2014 China Auto Read more…
About six years ago, a handful of tech companies launched the Eco-Patent Commons. This initiative to share environmentally friendly patented technologies is administered by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), a Geneva-based organization that promotes sustainability in business. Last week, of course, Elon Musk, Read more…
By now, many of you may be aware of license plate quotas as a means to reduce the growth of the number of vehicles on the road as well as pollution. In China, major cities like Beijing and Shanghai have Read more…
Is an Electric Car Right for You? Operating a car without needing to visit a gas station is intriguing idea to many American drivers. After all, the pumps can be a painful place—gas prices have been on a roller coaster Read more…
Disruptive technologies tend to follow a certain trajectory. First, they are outliers, often ignored, and typically on the cusp of never entering the market. But, for the successful ones, a tipping point is ultimately reached, after which the technology goes Read more…
I wrote the piece below for Automobile and Parts, a Chinese publication. Since I wrote it news came out that the State Grid will allow private investment in charging networks. But no timeline was mentioned. And no news regarding whether Read more…
A previous post reported on Tesla’s Chinese trademark problem. Apparently, a businessman named Zhan Baosheng had registered the TESLA (or “Te Si La” transliterated) trademark in China, blocking the American automaker from using the mark there. Mr. Zhan was also Read more…
It seems that almost every day, there is news, most of it incredibly good, about what Tesla, driven by charismatic entrepreneur Elon Musk, is up to. Recently, the news is the “Gigafactory,” to be located somewhere in the U.S. southwest, Read more…
Anyone who believes that the Chinese government and other players in the policy-making process have complete agreement on the readiness of China’s domestic companies to produce globally-competitive electric vehicles, or in how to bring them to that level, need only Read more…
Here’s a good article, selected from the ton of them I see, on how to analyze the value of Tesla Motors. The author argues, as many others have before, that those who ridicule Tesla’s astronomical market cap are missing the Read more…
When I heard in late December that Bill McKibben had written another article for Rolling Stone, I was thrilled. His July 2012 piece for that publication — “Global Warming’s Terrifying Math” — started a firestorm. McKibben had determined that the Read more…
Mercedes-Benz unveiled its forthcoming B-Class electric vehicle at the 2013 New York Auto Show in March. The car is promised for an early-2014 release, when it will represent the first battery-powered Mercedes to hit the market. The B-Class is a Read more…
If you’ve not been paying much attention to cleantech in the last little while, it’s time to sit up and take notice. Because post-Solyndra, cleantech has been quietly gaining momentum. We had the chance to take a close look at Read more…