June 7, 2009

Mitsubishi Takes The Crown: First Major Car Company To Sell An Electric Car

Posted by matthiss under Uncategorized | Tags: , , |
Leave a Comment 

As was widely reported, Mitsubishi Motors announced i-MiEV, its electric car,  will begin being leased to corporate and government customers in Japan in July. Individuals who want to purchase the EVs will have to wait until next April, when it will sell for a suggested $45,000 U.S. (before taxes).

The all-electric vehicle will have 100 mile range using lithium ion batteries. The i-MiEV will have an onboard charger so that it can charge into standard outlets in Japan (100 or 200 volt). Charge times to replenish the 16 kWh battery pack will be 7-14 hours, although Mitsubishi is developing fast charging stations that will take just half an hour.

To increase its green credibility beyond being a zero-emissions vehicle, Mitsubishi is using bamboo fibers in the plastic of the interior tail light trim, which the company says cuts the CO2 footprint by 10 percent when compared to standard polypropylene.

I still see a great future for electric cars to be used on shorter trips because it seems to be pretty easy to set up a charging infrastructure. To do the same for hydrogen power is a far bigger effort.

 

May 21, 2009

New Opportunities in Clean Tech — My Event Notes

Posted by matthiss under Event, Green economics, SAP
Leave a Comment 

Here are my notes from a very interesting event last week. Andres Wydler gave a great overview of the state of clean tech today, an area that was spared from a direct hit by the recession. Here are a few key stats:

  • VC investment in 2008 was about $8.5 billion (60% U.S.). More impressive is the growth rate: 2001 (about $500 million), 2003 (about $1.2 million), 2005 (about $2 billion).
  • His prediction is that five years from now, nobody will speak about clean tech anymore as it will have become integrated in everything we do.
  • While environmental concerns were the main drivers in the market five years ago, today’s main drivers are commercial interests.
  • He recommended “Hot, flat and crowded” by Thomas Friedman as an example of someone who gets it.
  • He applauded SAP for its focus on sustainable business and for committing to specific carbon footprint reduction targets.
 

May 13, 2009

New Opportunities in Clean Tech, Tomorrow Evening, in San Francisco

Posted by matthiss under Uncategorized | Tags: , |
Leave a Comment 

The Swiss-American Chamber of Commerce is hosting a meeting on “New Opportunities in Clean Tech” tomorrow, Thursday, May 14, 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. at swissnex, 730 Montgomery Street, San Francisco.You will hear first hand from Clean Tech Entrepreneur Andres Wydler about the communities in the Clean Tech field. His presentation will touch on the Smart Grid and Solar, as well as the political and economic implications of the Obama administration’s infrastructure plans. It’s $20 at the door. I hope to see you there….

 

April 29, 2009

Is Nuclear Power a Clean/Green Technology?

Posted by matthiss under Uncategorized | Tags: |
Leave a Comment 

Switzerland, my other home country, is in the midst of an energy discussion that transports me back to the 70s: Whether or not to build nuclear power plants. I was a teenager when this discussion raged in and around Basel because authorities were planning on building a nuclear power station about thirty kilometers away. They were sit ins, demonstrations, and a huge movement against nuclear power. On the other hand, there was the nuclear power industry, stating that this is the safest way to boil water.

Now, thirty years later, there is still no definitive answer to the key question whether a safe disposal of nuclear waste is possible or not. The newest argument for proponents of nuclear energy is that this is a clean energy alternative to coal-fueled power stations; a necessity in the fight against global warming.

I am still against the use of nuclear power because of the inherit danger and the -in my view- unsolved issue of how to deal with its waste. I am concerned that President Obama and others are putting it back on the table.

The public discussion in Switzerland might be a good indicator of arguments to come in the U.S. A good overview can be found here.

 

April 8, 2009

Economy vs. Environment

Posted by matthiss under Green economics
Leave a Comment 

As David Owen writes in The New Yorker, “One beneficial consequence of the ongoing global economic crisis is that it has put a little time back on the carbon clock.” (The full article is here.)

While true, it points to an unsettling underlining truth that advances in ecological terms are not yet a goal of today’s economic developments. When can we best afford to invest in green technologies? In times of prosperity where funds are available or in times like these, where hardship forces us to reinvent the economy with tax dollars? There is no easy answer.

 

March 22, 2009

Plug-in Prius Converter

Posted by matthiss under Green economics, Prius | Tags: , |
Leave a Comment 

3-Prong Power is a shop in Berkeley that offers to convert your Prius (2004 and newer) into a plug-in. It costs about $7K. The details about range and time required for a full charge are sketchy on the website. I tried to inquire but haven’t heard back yet. Having said all that, an interesting company.

 

March 14, 2009

The Price is Right. Come on down.

Posted by matthiss under Green economics | Tags: |
Leave a Comment 

Richard Edelman is quoted in the WSJ as saying that “people are prepared to pay something like 10% more for an ethically produced product. Not 45%, which is the price point that many manufacturers are going out at. “

I learned in economics class that price informs about the value an item has to someone. So, if society values ethically produced products, why not subsidize those to close the gap? We subsidize mass-produces agricultural products already. Also, we have laws in place that punish manufacturers that harm the environment after the fact. Why not reward the ones that are doing something proactively?

There are ways to influence the invisible hand.

 

February 24, 2009

Greetings

Posted by matthiss under Purpose
1 Comment 

Alternative energy is really an oxymoron; as if there is an alternative to changing the way we power most of our life. When the automobile was invented, it was described as a horseless carriage. Hence the gas-engineless machine.

I took this picture in St. Ursanne, Switzerland. Not that I am religious but it serves like a good reminder that we have to think this through.