Envision’s Off Grid Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
In a recent discussion about the extent to which Demand Charges are an impediment to development of DC fast chargers EV Fast Charging Disincentives, the solutions explored included primarily a) regulatory reform of the rate design & b) technology solutions involving battery based peak shaving.
A 3rd solution could be added, for strategies involving charging with behind-the-meter renewable generation. Solar carports can offer such a solution, with various configurations involving batteries sized to support L2 chargers. Most of the PV carports are grid-connected but can be islanded. I recently discovered a system that is completely off-grid. So far most of the carports...
Battery Investing for Beginners, Part 3; Resetting The Cheap vs. Cool Baseline
9.30.09 Cheap vs Cool John Petersen I've been blogging about pure-play energy storage device manufacturers since July 2008. By mid-November I'd assembled a short list of thirteen pure-play public companies that accounted for almost 25% of the $30 billion global battery market. Frankly I was shocked to learn that major battery manufacturers like Exide (XIDE) and Enersys (ENS) that report billions in annual sales carried tiny market capitalizations when compared with far riskier technology development companies like Ener1 (HEV) and Valence Technology (VLNC) that would be little more than rounding errors on the big boys' financial statements....
Epic Changes Are Coming in the Electric Power, Transportation and Energy Storage Sectors
John Petersen Epic is the only word I can use to describe an evolving tragedy that killed tens of thousands of people, inflicted hundreds of billions in property damage, destroyed 3.5% of Japan's base-load power generating capacity in a heartbeat and will cause recurring aftershocks in the global electric power, transportation and energy storage sectors for decades. While I'd love to believe the worst is behind us, I fear the times of trouble have just begun. Since it's clear that Japan will have to turn inward and serve the urgent needs of its own population first, the...
My Portfolio’s Latest Casualty And Addition
The Casualty Last Monday, I discussed how I had recently reviewed Railpower Tech with a view to potentially adding to my position on grounds that: (a) the company had a fair amount of cash in the bank, which reduced the need to go to capital markets for financing for a while; and (b) that it was getting badly battered by general market conditions, potentially offering an attractive entry point. Although my portfolio has taken a beating in recent weeks, I remain ready to take small positions in stocks if I feel they are being unfairly bashed, including in...
Westport Fuels Natural Gas Conversion
Earlier this week Westport Fuel (WPRT: Nasdaq) reported financial results for the quarter ending September 2018. Based on British Columbia, Westport is a developer and manufacturer of clean fuel systems for both fossil and renewable fuel sources. It has taken some years, but Westport management has worked hard and overcome a number of obstacles to bring a mix of engines and systems capable of handling various fuels such as natural gas, hydrogen and liquid petroleum gas.
Revenue jumped to $65.5 million in the September 2018, quarter delivering $4.3 million in cash earnings. The company’s relationship with truck engine manufacturer Cummins (CMI: NYSE) is proving to be...
Chrysler hybrids planned
DaimlerChrysler AG (DCX) may sell gasoline-electric cars and trucks to U.S. consumers as early as 2006, adding another fuel-efficient option to its main strategy of diesel-powered vehicles. Chrysler, the maker of Jeep, Dodge and Chrysler brand cars and trucks, is studying whether to add gasoline-electric hybrid versions of some of its vehicles, according to Chrysler Group CEO Dieter Zetsche. He didn't say which models. Chrysler already plans to sell 100 diesel-electric Dodge Ram pickup trucks to fleet customers later this year.
Lux Boosts Their Micro-Hybrid Vehicle Forecast to 39,000,000 Cars a Year By 2017
John Petersen A couple days ago Lux Research published a new report titled “Every Last Drop: Micro‐ And Mild Hybrids Drive a Huge Market for Fuel‐Efficient Vehicles” that focuses on rapidly growing markets for micro-hybrid vehicles and their battery systems. During 2011, automakers sold an estimated 5,000,000 micro-hybrids worldwide, mainly in Europe. By 2017, Lux forecasts global micro-hybrid sales of 39,000,000 cars a year and a $6.3 billion annual market for their battery systems, which represents an across the board average of $161 per vehicle compared to an auto industry average of less than $60 per...
Enova News Updates
Enova Systems Inc (ENOV) announced that it has entered into a joint School Bus program with a major North American Truck Manufacturer. The School Bus project will feature Enova's post transmission 80 kW Hybrid Drive System and has the potential to lead to future production in 2006 and beyond. They have also recently announced a partnership with First Auto Works (FAW) of China to supply their 80kW Parallel Hybrid Drive system for "Hybrid City Bus." FAW is the largest automobile manufacturer in China and with its expertise in not only buses, but also automobiles and trucks,...
Axion Power is Poised to Dominate Energy Storage for Stop-start Idle Elimination
John Petersen After eight years of rarely speaking above a whisper, Axion Power International (AXPW.OB) has found its voice, taken the scientific wraps off its PbC® battery technology and shown potential customers, competitors and investors that it's carrying a big stick and is poised to dominate energy storage for stop-start idle elimination – a cheap and sensible fuel efficiency and emissions reduction technology that's expected to grow at spectacular rates for the rest of the decade as shown in the following forecast of battery demand in vehicles equipped with stop-start systems. In a new white...
Toyota to build Prius Hybrid in China
Toyota Motor Corp. (TM) will start building its Prius hybrid sedans in China next year with FAW Group in a step it hopes will promote the vehicles as the global standard for fuel-efficient cars. The move could also help China as it looks for alternative energy sources and tries to keep pollution in check while demand for cars continues to surge.
Hyundai-Enova Innovative Technology Center Completes 60 kW GenSet for Heavy-Duty Series Hybrid Vehicles
Hyundai-Enova Innovative Technology Center, Inc., (HE-ITC) a joint venture between Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. Ltd of South Korea and Enova Systems, Inc. (ENVA), announced today that it has completed development of a 60 kW GenSet for Heavy-Duty Series Hybrid Vehicles in conjunction with Enova Systems. The 60 kW GenSet is an integral component of Enova's HybridPower Series Hybrid, recently introduced at the Electric Drive Transportation Association's annual symposium in Orlando Florida. This leading-edge hybrid technology is the HE-ITC's first commercial product to be developed and produced by the joint research and development alliance between the two companies.
Quantum Awarded Fuel System Production Contract for General Motors’ 2006 Natural Gas Sierra and...
Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide Inc (QTWW) will provide the engineering effort to accommodate the model year changes for the fuel system. Quantum will also produce the alternative fuel systems and provide the specialty vehicle assembly of the fuel systems into the new trucks. In addition to integrating roughly 250 components into the vehicle, Quantum was also responsible for the powertrain and systems engineering to ensure that the system is optimized for performance, durability, safety and emission compliance over the life of the vehicle. Quantum's engineering effort extends to the vehicles being validated through a wide range of operating...
The Best Peak Oil Investments Meet the Strong Grid: CVTech Group
Tom Konrad CFA CVTech Group (CVT.TO, CVTPF.PK) operates in two of my favorite clean energy sectors: electricity transmission and distribution and efficient vehicles. Here is a look at the company's fundamentals. In "The Strongest Strong Grid Stocks" of my 2010: The Year of the Strong Grid? series, I took a quick look at CVTech Group's financial ratios, and decided not to look deeper because they had considerably more debt in comparison to income than the other electricity transmission ("strong grid") stocks I covered in that article. I came across CVTech again while looking at companies involved in...
Westport: Likely Beneficiary Of A Potential Quadrupling Of US Natural Gas Vehicles Sales by...
by Clean Energy Intel Companies with significant exposure to the market for natural gas transportation have obviously received a lot of attention recently following the announcement last week of a co-marketing agreement for LNG transportation between oil major Shell (RDS-A) and Westport (WPRT), a provider of natural gas engine technology. This makes the release of Pike's new annual global sales forecasts for natural gas vehicles particularly timely and worth a look. According to Pike Research, there are currently 12.6 million natrual gas vehicles (NGVs) in the world. These are mainly located in Latin America, the Middle East and Africa....
The Time is Right for Gas-guzzler to Dual-mode EV Conversions
Since early 2008, Axion Power International (AXPW.OB) has been quietly developing an experience base and building grass roots support for a gas-guzzler to dual-mode EV conversion initiative that has the short-term potential to transform up to 120 million gas-guzzling pickup trucks, sport utility vehicles and vans into gas sipping EV-50s. If recent articles from sources as diverse as The Daily Green, Edmunds Green Car Advisor and the Environmental Defense Fund are reliable indicators, the initiative is rapidly gaining ground. The concept is simple – add electric power trains and battery packs to America's least fuel-efficient vehicles and give...
Ener1 Nanotech Unit Prepares to Commercialize Revolutionary Battery Electrodes
ENER1 INC (ENEI) has established and equipped a pilot nanotechnology-based manufacturing facility to fabricate electrodes for high discharge rate, lithium-ion batteries. The company's battery subsidiary, EnerDel, Inc., in which Delphi Corporation holds a 19.5% interest, is in discussions with automotive OEMs regarding evaluation of samples for use in hybrid electric vehicles where the high discharge rate characteristic is viewed as key to performance and cost. EnerDel also plans to explore applications of this technology in other markets.
