High Conviction Paired Trade – Short Tesla Motors And Buy Exide Technologies, The Sequel
John Petersen Last November I broke with tradition for the first time in over 30 years and suggested a paired trade that bought Exide Technologies (XIDE) and shorted Tesla Motors (TSLA). Over the following three months, investors who made the trade and bought four Exide shares while shorting one Tesla share pocketed the following gains. 16-Nov-2010 16-Feb 2011 Net Entry Exit Gain Buy Four Exide -$29.76 $49.68 $19.92 Short One Tesla $30.80 ...
Shares in Energy Conversion Devices Purchased
Energy Conversion Devices Inc (ENER) opened up trading this morning with a gap down to the $33 level. For the last hour it has been steadily rising up from this point. As I said in my earlier post, I have been looking for a good entry point in this company and feel that the near term support of $33 is an ideal area to place an order. The stock has been on a run for several months and it is always hard to take a new position in a stock that has already seen dramatic increases...
Trading Alert: Railpower Tech
I took a small position today in Railpower Tech (RPWRF.PK or P.TO) at C$0.46. Tom briefly discussed Railpower last November in an article on rail stocks. I don't want to dwell too much on how I view the macro picture for rail, but suffices to say that a combination of increasing fuel prices and concerns about climate change is re-kindling interest in this sector in a significant way across North America (in other regions of the world, mainly Europe, the interest never really vanished in the first place). Tack on top of that the potential for material savings in...
Why Long Range EVs Can Never Be Cost Effective
by John Petersen America’s love affair with the automobile has always been based on the freedom of the road and the ability to hop in the car and drive wherever we want to go; be it to the corner store to buy a loaf of bread or out to the lake for a long weekend. Even though most of our trips are short, people invariably want the flexibility to go for a long drive when the open road beckons. Unfortunately, that mentality is disastrous when it comes to EV economics. I’ve been writing about energy...
A123 Keeps Powering Forward on its IPO
John Petersen A123 Systems filed another amendment to the registration statement for its proposed IPO on August 19th. With this amendment, A123 is much clearer on its anticipated Federal funding than it was in earlier filings. In addition to discussing the recent DOE announcement that they'll receive $249.1 million in ARRA battery manufacturing grants, they've reduced their estimate of the ATVM guaranteed loans that they'll be eligible for from $1 billion in their July filing to $235 million in the current filing. This most recent number is specific enough to indicate that it reflects ongoing negotiations rather than...
The Cruel Realities of EV Range
John Petersen An English proverb teaches us to hope for the best but plan for the worst. With the imminent introduction of a variety of plug-in vehicles that will begin hitting showroom floors in the next few months, the phobia du jour is range anxiety, an entirely rational terror that an EV will get you to your destination in eco-chic style but only get you home with the help of a tow-truck. Sadly, most people who extol the virtues of electric drive are incurable optimists that have little or no regard for the risks inherent in complex systems...
HydroPhi: Turbocharging Trucks With Hydrogen
by Debra Fiakas CFA Casting about for alternatives to burning fossil fuels for energy, hydrogen is a logical candidate. It is the most abundant chemical on the planet and the energy density of compressed hydrogen is about 5.6 milli-joules per liter. This compares to 32.4 mj/l for gasoline and 4.3 mj/l for a lithium ion battery. That is where the romance ends and the realities of hydrogen begin. Hydrogen poses a safety risks, particularly in transportation and distribution. Hydrogen gas leaking into the air may spontaneously ignite. Extremely low temperatures will turn it into a liquid, but that...
Plug-in Vehicles, Unconscionable Waste and Pollution Masquerading as Conservation
John Petersen For eighteen months I've been blogging about the energy storage sector and discussing the current and potential markets for batteries and other manufactured energy storage devices. A recurring theme that I've discussed many times is the unrecognized but undeniable truth that while plug-in vehicles masquerade as conservation measures at an individual level, they're incredibly wasteful at a societal level. The conclusion is counter-intuitive and my articles on the subject invariably draw heated criticism from self-anointed defenders of the faith. Their arguments, however, do not change the inescapable truth that plug-in vehicles are one of the most...
Valeo February Update (Ten Clean Energy Stocks)
I'm trying something different and doing quick updates on individual stocks in my 10 Clean Energy Stocks model portfolio as I have time to write. The portfolio as a whole has been accelerating with the instant torque of an electric vehicle this year (details here.) I thought I'd start with the company that's newest to my readers,
Valeo SA (FR.PA, VLEEF)
12/31/18 Price: €25.21/$28.20. Annual Dividend: €1.25. Expected 2019 dividend: €1.25. 03/4/19 price: €29.13/$33.00. YTD gain: 15.5% Euro/ 12.8% USD.
I added this stock to the portfolio because it has great technology and and improving market share, but weak industry growth and overoptimistic management projections in 2018...
UQM Technologies Receives Additional Order From Carnegie Mellon for Two UQM(R) Generators to Provide...
Unique Mobility Inc (UQM) announced today that it has received an order for two UQM® generators that will provide generated power for two additional "Spinner" hybrid electric unmanned ground combat vehicles being built by a team led by the National Robotics Engineering Consortium, a unit of Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute. The UQM® generators will be integrated with a small diesel engine to generate the power required by the two additional unmanned ground combat vehicles (UGCV's) which are propelled by high torque wheel-mounted UQM® propulsion motors.
Interview with Dr. Mike Gallagher, President & COO of Westport Innovations
One of the companies I have followed for some time is Westport Innovations, Inc., (TSX:WPT or WPIVF.PK) out of Vancouver. The technology and product suite allows large diesel trucks to run standard diesels on a 95% natural gas mix, enabling fuel switching as well as significantly improved NOx and PM, as well as CO2 emissions. The company's rapid expansions date from a late 1990s joint venture with Cummins (NYSE:CMI), and Westport has led this market sector since then. I had the opportunity at the recent Greenvest 2007 Conference I chaired in San Francisco to hear...
ZAP Purchase Orders Increase to more than $200 Million for High-Efficiency ZAP! SMARTCAR Next-Generation...
ZAP (ZAPZ) announced today that dealer purchase orders for its Smart Car high-gas-mileage vehicles has increased to more than $200 million as American demand for the unique microcar has spread. ZAP CEO Steve Schneider made the announcement. On March 9, ZAP announced that it had crossed the $100 million purchase order milestone for the Smartcar Americanized by ZAP from U.S. auto dealers. Demand for the highly efficient gas-powered car has accelerated as rising gas prices continue to fuel consumer interest in next-generation automobiles, according to Mr. Schneider. Oil prices recently climbed to more than $50 per barrel, rising...
Two Exciting Alternative Energy Themes For Summer
By Harris Roen Summer is here, and the sun has been shining on alternative energy. Two investment themes in the changing alternative energy landscape have emerged as potential profit centers for investors. To take advantage of these trends, the Roen Financial Report has added in four new companies to the list of about 250 alternative energy companies that we track for our readers. Investment Theme #1: The growing domestic Japanese solar market In the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, Japan has committed to growing renewables as a domestic energy source. According to Mercom Capital Group,...
Shipping Panic Creates Preferred Arbitrage Opportunity
Tom Konrad, Ph.D., CFA Seaspan Worldwide has several classes of publicly traded securities, with different claims on its income streams. The company owns container ships leased under long term contracts to shipping companies. The shipping industry is in a massive downturn, raising concerns about its customers' ability to pay. The company's preferred shares have sold off more than half as far as its common stock- far more than justified by its relatively low risk. There exists a 5.5% yield opportunity to buy the preferred and hedge the risk by buying puts on the...
List of Efficient Vehicle Stocks
Efficient vehicle stocks are publicly traded companies that produce technologies allow cars, trucks, aircraft and ships to travel the same distance and carry the same loads using less fuel. Includes electric and hybrid electric vehicles, as well as other improvements that reduce fuel use. Similar to Alternative Transportation stocks, which reduce overall fuel use by shifting passengers or freight to more efficient types of vehicles.
This list was last updated on 8/24/21.
AeroVironment, Inc. (AVAV)
Aptiv PLC (APTV)
BorgWarner (BWA)
Blink Charging Co. (BLNK)
BYD Company, Ltd. (BYDDY)
CDTI Advanced Materials, Inc. (CDTI)
CPS Technologies Corp. (CPSH)
Enova Systems, Inc. (ENVS)
EEStor Corporation (ZNNMF)
Elio Motors, Inc. (ELIO)
Evolve Funds Automobile...
NREL Researchers Prove the Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility in Electric Drive
John Petersen In the most under-reported cleantech story of the year, researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory have used an impressive array of computational and modeling tools to prove that the Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility, which holds that the first unit of consumption of a good or service yields more utility than the second and subsequent units, doesn't have a loophole for plug-in vehicles. The penultimate slide from an NREL presentation at Plug-in 2011 says it all – and proves beyond doubt that cars with plugs are less effective at saving fuel and reducing emissions than...
