Venture capitalist says investing in Tesla is less risky than other in automakers
Filed under: Emerging Technologies
From DOE investments to venture capitalists, there is a lot of money flowing into the green car industry these days. On the whole, this is good, because moving the transportation sector off of oil is a long and expensive proposition. Just getting started is a huge task.
Over at C-Net, Stephan Dolezalek or VantagePoint Venture Partners talks about how this generous pile of cash is causing some people to worry about a green tech bubble. Some investors are still smarting from the tech bubble, but VantagePoint – which has invested in Tesla Motors, Better Place and other companies in the renewable energy industry – is not shying away. Whether or not green companies succeed with their IPOs (and Tesla has already started down the IPO road) will go a long way to set the mood for the industry as a whole. Dolezalek is confident Tesla, at least, will be fine. He told C-Net:
Tesla has real revenues, a real product. Now, it’s going to work on a new product–a four-door sedan–so yes, there’s some technology risk in this model. But that’s no different than the risks of any car manufacturer. So I think as a category, in a lot of ways, the risks are lower because companies have more meaningful products and technologies than lot of what we saw in the 1990s.
Another recent IPO in the green car space was battery company A123 Systems. Dolezalek’s opinion of how that has turned out so far: “that’s OK, not great.” There’s more, including thoughts on how government funding affects the playing field, here.
Report: Next Mazda RX-7 testing with gasoline and diesel compatabile rotary
Filed under: Diesel, Flex-Fuel, Mazda
Mazda Furai Concept – Click above for high-res image gallery
It’s the rumor that just refuses to die. We’re not sure if that means there’s a whole heck of a lot of truth behind it or not, but once again we’re hearing that Mazda is hard at work on a new RX-7 sportscar. And while you might think that making such a vehicle would be as easy as adding a turbocharger to the existing Renesis-powered RX-8 and jettisoning the back seat, Mazda apparently has much more grandiose designs for its next range-topping sportscar.
According to Motor Trend, Mazda’s oft-talked-about 16X rotary engine is now capable of running on either gasoline or diesel fuel with nary a difference in performance. We have to wonder about the accuracy of such claims, but if true, perhaps running on diesel or biofuels would give Mazda the eco-cred it’s aiming for. In any case, MT says that Mazda is aiming for something north of 300 horsepower with improved fuel consumption, emissions and oil intake over the current Renesis.
As ever, we’re taking a wait-and-see approach to these continuing rumors. As much as we’d love to see a new RX on the scene, we’re beginning to wonder if it’s ever going to happen. In the meantime, enjoy the photo gallery of the too-awesome-for-words Mazda Furai concept.
[Source: Motor Trend] Read more…
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Video: Dialogg episode with Bill Clinton discussing environment, electric cars
Filed under: Etc., Carbon Offset, Legislation and Policy, Green Daily
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton – Click above to watch video after the jump
If you have never seen a Digg Dialogg video segment, today is as good a time as any. On this special Earth Day episode of Digg Dialogg, former U.S. President Bill Clinton sits down and discusses the environment, climate change, sustainability, the electric car and so much more. The candid interview answers questions submitted and Dugg by users. Questions with the most Diggs are answered in this lengthy and educational interview. And what’s not to love about Bill Clinton, right? (Not everyone needs to answer that.)
Portions of the interview touch on points discussed on this site every day. The in-depth answers really do help shed some light on a lot of the topics and it appears as though former President Clinton know his stuff – except the part about burying advanced car batteries when they’re all used up; everyone knows that the aftermarket for these will be huge. Also, what’s up with Digg choosing two seriously old plug-in vehicles – the Phoenix SUV and the concept version of the Chevrolet Volt – for the video graphics? Follow after the jump to watch the video in its entirety. There’s some interesting bits of information and you can jump ahead to the discussion about the electric car around the nine minute mark, if that’s your only interest. Hat tip to Eric!
[Source: Digg]
Continue reading Video: Dialogg episode with Bill Clinton discussing environment, electric cars
Happy Earth Day to everyone, Happy Birthday to us
Filed under: AutoblogGreen Exclusive
Earth Day is always a special day here at AutoblogGreen. It was on this day four years ago that we cranked up our blogging fingers and we haven’t looked back since (seriously. Some of those early posts were a bit, um, skeletal). Over the years, we’ve seen this day used to make announcements both important and not so much. Today was a fairly standard mix of pronouncements, but now we’ve also got Twitearth. All in all, it was a good day. Like we’ve said before on this occasion, one of the best ways to really celebrate Earth Day – aside from sending some really, really funny ecards – is to spend some time outside. Enjoy, and let’s work even harder to get reduce, reuse and recycle in the coming year. We like dinos on our cakes, not in our tanks.
[Image: roland - C.C. License 2.0]
Happy Earth Day to everyone, Happy Birthday to us originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Thu, 22 Apr 2010 19:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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2012 BMW 1-Series
BMW will bring out their new 1-Series in 2011 in time for the 2012 model year. At least five models are being considered in the future 1-Series line up by BMW – a 3-door hatchback, a 5-door hatchback, a 2 door coupe, a 2 door convertible, and a small crossover vehicle. Also, as [...]
Via New Car Blog
2010 Beijing Auto Show: BMW’s Bright, Busy Future
âNi hao (Hello),â from the Middle Kingdom. Although press days for the Beijing Auto Show donât start until Friday, BMW invited us out a few days early for an update on its operations in China.
It was to be a grand affair, complete with a tour of BMWâs factory in Shenyang, until the volcanic ash cloud over Europe kept several key executives from attending and scuttled that side trip. We did manage to check out BMWâs Chendebao dealership, one of five dealerships in the Beijing area, and it was quite an eye opening experience.
From the outside, BMW Chendebao looks like any modern, big city sheetmetal dealer. Floor-to-ceiling windows cover a structural steel lattice on the outside of this large two-story structure. Inside is an impressive array of BMW and Mini merchandise; not just cars but nearly every accessory the group makes is on display – from performance accessories like racing sets, to BMW branded bicycles, special edition Mini/Onitsuka Tiger shoes, water bottles, umbrellas and obscenely cute stuffed animals.
Report: Audi RS5 to arrive Stateside by Sept 2011, again
Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Audi
2011 Audi RS5 – Click above for high-res image gallery
With European deliveries set to begin in just a couple of months, reports indicate that the Audi RS5 will, in the end, make it to the North American market, 444-horsepower V8 and all. But it could take a little while.
The first RS5s will begin arriving in customers’ hands in Germany this coming June with a sticker price pegged at €65,300, representing a 32.4 percent price hike over the existing S5 coupe. Inside Line calculates that translates to about $88k by straight conversion, but applied to the U.S. market price for the S5, the 32.4% increase comes out closer to $69,500. Audi, however, doesn’t anticipate selling many of the super-coupes Stateside, and is therefore planning on bringing every RS5 over fully equipped, with the sport differential, Dynamic Ride Control system and Boysen sport exhaust.
So equipped, sources peg the American price for a loaded RS5 at around $75,000. But Audi reportedly warns not to start counting the days just yet, as first North American deliveries likely won’t begin before August or September 2011.
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