CalCars questions DOE grants; small, innovative companies left out?
While it would seem that the Obama administration's $2.4 billion investment of Recovery Act grant money into electric car and battery development would be seen as a positive step to most green car advocates, not everyone is pleased with how the money was dolled out. According to CalCars, a number of smaller, innovative companies were left out of the proceedings. One such unnamed company "made the comparison to funding dinosaur land-line companies at the birth of the cellphone age."
Mark Mills, chairman of start-up International Battery Inc. (a company whose application was not selected), adds, "When you look at the list, what you see is that the DOE has made a cautious bet in the space by funding battery manufacturing essentially just by big companies. The DOE has to address whether or not they are concerned that emerging technologies will mature and... whether they think innovation can only come out of big companies. We hope that the DOE decides that there may be follow-on to help entrepreneurs."
Naturally, not all applicants could be selected from grant money from the DOE. Only time will tell if the money was well spent.
[Source: CalCars, Dow Jones Clean Technology Insight]
Photo by marcn. Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Ra Conteur 4:02PM (8/09/2009)
Not everyone can get money. On the positive side is if the current investments prove worthy, and the market for EVs grows as projected - there will be a bigger pot of follow on investment. Probably from VCs and corporate interests. If you can demonstrate some unique aspect of battery design, i.e. cathode/anode electrolyte chemistry, or other means of electron storage (supercaps) you will generate interest.
DOE's selection here seems reasonable, and with some winners will speed the electrification transition to the benefit of all.
Reply
jpm 4:23PM (8/09/2009)
What does CalCars do? From their website its seems they raise awareness and did some prius Li-Ion battery conversions (which was deemed to be rather superfluous). So I don't know if they had the right to complain. But why wasn't AC Propulsion on the list of recipients?
Reply
why not the LS2LS7? 5:58PM (8/09/2009)
Because they don't make batteries?
why not the LS2LS7? 6:02PM (8/09/2009)
Article says these minor companies are making the "latest and greatest technologies". Latest is true, but greatest is up for debate. Car batteries must last 6 years or more, dropping in a technology which is less than 3 years old means no one has been able to test it to see how the battery will work after 6 years.
Broad adoption of EVs is probably going to be enabled by staid technology, not the newest stuff. Lions have been around since the early 90s and still most car batteries are lead-acid or NiMH right now.
Just as you don't see mass-market cars sporting solenoid valve ICEs, I don't know we should assume mass-market EVs will be using the brand-newest technologies.
Reply
wincros 2:36AM (8/10/2009)
I doubt this is the end of the money. There will be more down the road. There has been money some time ago for basic research which is needed for any new tech. Seems to me that funding basic research and companies that could put existing tech into production quickly makes sense. I doubt that any company that could make a convincing argument that they have a great technology and that they can get it into production would be turned down, but they have to do a good job. Remember they are competing with flim flam artists for government money. For every serious small company interviewing for a grant there are three ahead of him with 5 or 6 family member "employees" who want a grant to prove they can run a car on sea water.
Reply
Tim 8:32AM (8/10/2009)
In the last 4 Pay-2-Play administrations of massive redistribution, those who don't have the special interest political connections, can't afford the lobbyists or $Millions in kick-back "campaign support" DON'T get the taxpayer funded redistribution… PERIOD.
Progressive Redistribution IS malfeasance which creates MORE malfeasance!
Progressivism is organized crime, extortion, bribery and corruption.
Since Obama is also the head of real "SPECTRE", he needs a monocle and a little white Persian cat to sit on his lap so that he can pet it while barking orders to ACORN.
Barack Husssein Obama a/k/a/
Barry Soetoro a/k/a/
Barack Dunham a/k/a/
Barry Dunham a/k/a
Barry Blowfield a/k/a
Barry Blowfield Dunham a/k/a/
Ernst Stavro Blofeld
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernst_Stavro_Blofeld
Reply
Anti-Tim 3:21PM (8/10/2009)
Tiny Tim, I see you're up to your old tricks again. Making blanket statements, attempting character assissinations. Try contributing something useful next post.
Tim 3:24PM (8/10/2009)
Right back at ya, buddy.
Anti-Tim 3:32PM (8/10/2009)
****Warning****
Troll Alert! One-Note Tim the Troll's comments should be (and can be) easily ignored. Tim is a semi-literate ill-informed, pseudo-Libertarian (though that is an insult to Liberarians) who suffers from serious delusions, most frequently related to econmics and fascism. He attempts to legitimize his comments by pretending to be a defender of the poor, mocking and belittling, and is frequently mean-sprited to those who disagree with him.
He also attempts flag waving and commonly re-using terms like "Progressive Crony Capitalism," "Eco-Fascism" and "Keynesian Voodoo debt-based econmics" instead of offering logical well thought out points that are actually relevant to the subject at hand.
Tiny Tim thinks that the volume of his posts (over 2200) since 2006 will make up for his lack of anything useful and relevant to say. The net effect of Tim's posts is to prevent otherwise interested and involved people to avoid comment on and participate in a healthy and friendly discussion of the topic at hand.
You may simply insert any of the following as substitutions for Tiny Tim's posts:
- Me think unrestricted free market good
- Me think Progressive NeoCons/Democrat/Socialist/Progressive/Liberal bad
- Me think government bad
- Me think anyone who no like what I say is fascist moron
- Wrongful Wrongful Wrongful!
- Me no like Polocks
- Me no like unicorns farting money
I think Tim is sad, lonely and angry. Somebody hurt Tiny Tim. I feel sorry for Tim. I'm sending you Big Hugs Tim!
Tim 8:34AM (8/10/2009)
But, Barry is just a humble "community organizer"...
(snicker, snicker)
Reply