Archive ‘Industry analysis’

Dutch advisory board urges government to make choices in CleanTech

An acceleration of the Dutch Cleantech sector is only possible if choices are made in sub sectors in CleanTech and several focussed measures are implemented.  Meer...

The ‘total solution’ battle starts as mobility meets grid

For a market to develop rapidly, total product solutions are essential. Especially when you want to revamp a crucial system such as our personal transportation network, you will need to give even the innovators in the market something that does more or less the same as the old system, and more. With Massachusetts’ battery developer A123 Systems (known for its work on lithium-ion batteries for hybrid and electric vehicles) to step into the energy storage systems for electric utilities, it is clear that several parties are getting into position for the storm that a market breakthrough can bring. This week, the startup announced the installation of its first Hybrid [...]  Meer...

The Japanese electric vehicle fight for dominant design

The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the largest energy firm in Japan, plans to begin installing quick-charge stations for electric vehicles. This plan is not about a small pilot. No, it is about the initial roll-out for some 200 stations to be up and running by March of 2010. And TEPCO doesn’t plan to stop there. 1,000 more stations are planned within three years. No coincidence, this will happen at the same time that Mitsubishi will launch its ‘iMiev’. TEPCO and Mitsubishi have been testing the last few years, but also EVs from Subaru and Nissan as well. According to some sources, these stations will [...]  Meer...

Grocery Getters get it on

Talking about ‘original’ names, the new ‘Kurrent’ an Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV) by American Electric Vehicles in Michigan. Is under a lot of discussion. Many producers are launching € 7,000 or €15,000 grocery getters and industrial-yard security cruisers, but the question is. Is the market big enough?   Company president Scott Thornton of American Electric Vehicles says he’ll hire 50 to 70 employees for the new venture. The problem with NEVs is that American laws prevent them from operating on roads with speed limits faster than 35 mph, and they’re allowed to run only 25 mph top speed. Experts disagree on the size of the market [...]  Meer...

Scooters revolutionized through DriveByWire

The Technical University of Delft claims that the future of the scooter will be electric. And who are we to disagree? Whether it will be a combination of LNG, hydrogen or nano chargers, that still remains the question, but electricity is the way to go. This fundamental change in traction technology will give way to many opportunities in the way scooters are designed. For instance, the introduction of so-called drive-by-wire technology makes the old ’steer’ absolutely obsolete. In the near future, one could also use a steeringmodule comparable to that of a Playstation. This alone gives designers a great deal of options that will give electric driving an competitive edge. Wilmer van Kampen, graduated on the design of the ‘BiWire’. [...]  Meer...

PV nears maturity threshold as last years showed a 30% cost reduction

The roll-out of grid-connected solar photovoltaic (PV) systems has increased. A report by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory summarized trends in the installed cost of grid-connected PV systems in the United States from 1998 through 2008. Key findings of the analysis are as follows: • The capacity-weighted average installed cost of systems completed in 2008 – in terms of real 2008 dollars per installed watt (DC-STC)4 and prior to receipt of any direct financial incentives or tax credits – was $7.5/Watt, a decline from $7.8/W in 2007 following several years (2005-2007) during which installed costs remained relatively flat. From 1998 to 2008, installed costs declined by about 3.6% (or $0.3/W) per [...]  Meer...