Toyota And Tesla Motors Finalize Deal
Tesla Motors has become a respectable name in eco-friendly vehicles, particularly the all-electric variety. Toyota not so much. Which makes this deal a rather unique one, and a rewarding one for both parties.
Toyota has had a respectable brand name since coming to U.S. shores in 1957. Its reputation really preceded it. By the mid-1960s, Toyota had entrenched its reputation as a great car manufacturer in the United States. While Toyota doesn’t exactly have the sales to prove its commitment to eco-friendly driving, it is recognized as the manufacturer of the most fuel efficient gasoline vehicle on the road – the Prius. But that’s just one vehicle.
Toyota’s success with the Prius coupled with its financial power and Tesla Motors’ commitment to alternative energy in automotive manufacturing make their partnership a very powerful one. The two companies made their finalization announcement last week.
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The vehicle the two companies will partner on as a first effort is an electric version of the Toyota RAV4. The RAV4 is a Recreational Active Vehicle with 4-wheel drive, a compact SUV that really set the market for compact SUVs. Toyota is known for its innovations and that’s why partnering with Tesla Motors to make the RAV4 an all-electric vehicle makes sense.
The RAV4 is expected to hit the streets in 2012. It will feature a Tesla electric drivetrain inside the RAV4 body and integrated with other key components of Toyota manufacturing. The only question that seems to be unanswered regarding the all-electric RAV4 and Toyota’s marriage to Tesla Motors is “Is the market ready for it?” I’m banking that, by 2012, it will be.
Learn more about the 2010 Toyota Prius. Get the latest information on the Tesla Roadster by Tesla Motors.
All-Electric Vehicles: The Wave Of The Future Or A Tsunami Of False Hope?
From natural gas to hybrid cars to all-electric vehicles, or EVs, U.S. automakers have tried every way possible to create a vehicle that runs on alternative energy. Now may be the best time in history to actually get these vehicles up and running. Or get the drivers up and running – to the local ell-electric dealer.
There are, in fact, more automakers (and not all are U.S.-based) willing to offer vehicles powered by alternative energy than ever before, and it seems that the energy that they may settle on is all-electric. Or is this just false hope?
Here’s a list of some of the manufacturers who have rolled out all-electric vehicles in just the past couple of years:
- General Motors – The 2011 Chevy Volt comes with an 8-year, 100,000-mile warranty.
- Liberty – The manufacturer got its start in 2007, but introduced the all-electric Range Rover SUV in 2010. However, they’ve improved on it in 2011.
- Mitsubishi - The i-MiEV isn’t the most attractive vehicle on the road, but it is one of the less expensive all-electric vehicle options.
- Tesla – You just have to see the Tesla Roadster. You’d be surprised it’s all electric.
- Toyota – Toyota has not done well selling its hybrids so it has partnered up with Tesla to produce all-electric vehicles. None have hit the market yet, but the company plans to introduce all-electric vehicles outside its Tesla partnership in 2012.
- Nissan – Nissan got in on the all-electric market early with the LEAF.
- Smart – You know those funny-looking European cars? They now have a scooter equivalent that will be powered by all-electric energy.
- Citroen – The French automaker has its own sports car powered electrically.
- Luxgen – Even Taiwan automaker Luxgen is going electric with the Luxgen 7 all-electric MPV.
- Volkswagen - Look for it in 2013.
- Th!nk – A Norwegian company with an American division. Think Ox will hit the streets soon.
- Electric City Motors - Manufactures the all-electric vehicle the Current.
- Chrysler – Chrysler created an entire division for all-electric production: ENVI.
With so many traditional automakers introducing all-electric vehicles, you’d think this was a big market to tap. The current political and social landscape in the U.S. makes me think it is. Al Gore preached about the evils of the internal combustion engine and he was laughed off the planet, but now it seems that all the auto manufacturers that are worth a darn are singing his praises. Maybe not literally, but figuratively in the act of rolling out their all-electric creations.
General Electric has manufactured a charger for the vehicles. Nissan and Chevrolet are fighting over a passing gear. And Nissan offers further encouragement by offering to plant a tree on your behalf.
Clearly fuel and energy alternatives are here and making their footprint. Like the days of Cable vs. DSL, the alternatives are battling things out for a shot at mainstream.
NASCAR, Hostgator And Green Energy: A Perfect Partnership?
Independence Day was a special day for NASCAR, Joe Nemechek and Hostgator, the Web hosting company, and it has more to do with than just fireworks.
The Internet company sponsored Nemechek’s car for the NASCAR Sprint Cup on July 4, but the company is also extending that sponsorship beyond the race.
The sponsorship also extends to Nemechek’s Nationwide Car for its upcoming races at Chicagoland Speedway, Gateway International Raceway, and O’Reilly Raceway Park.
A part of what makes this sponsorship special for NASCAR is that Hostgator is a sponsor of green initiatives. Having an environmentally friendly company sponsor one of the most criticized sports like NASCAR is a step in the right direction and we may soon start seeing race cars on the track sporting more modern eco-friendly features with hybrid technology, natural gas or even all-electric.
Here’s an example of Hostgator’s commitment to green energy:
Earlier this year, HostGator.com announced a renewed commitment to keep more than 1,800 of its web hosting servers green through Renewable Energy Certificates for wind farms in the state of Texas.
We’ll be looking for more marriages like this between traditional auto industry professionals and green companies in the future. Meanwhile, read more great stories about automotive green technologies.
Is Natural Gas Becoming Sexy Again?
The BP oil spill, rising gasoline prices in recent years and global terrorism are causing American political leaders to seek out alternative sources of energy and to create a more energy independent nation. One of the potential sources of alternative energy for automobiles seems to be natural gas. In fact, GM will roll out two vehicles for 2011 powered by natural gas.
The question is, is that a good bet?
Consumers don’t seem to be all that interested in all electric or hybrid cars. Maybe they’ll be interested in natural gas. The problem is, there aren’t that many fueling centers for natural gas. Here’s the dilemma:
“It’s a chicken-and-egg thing,” Hill explained. “If there were a lot of delivery points, [automakers] would make the vehicles. And fuel providers say that if there were more vehicles, they would provide the fuel. You probably needed some sort of government intervention to subsidize more fuel stations.”
Perhaps GM is testing the market. If the automaker can create a demand for natural gas vehicles then perhaps more service stations will begin offering natural gas filling centers. Then, if more service stations begin providing natural gas more automakers will start making these vehicles to fill the demand. Or, maybe it’s all just a pipe dream.
But you do have to hand it to GM for making the move. For decades, automakers have been fixated on body style design and technological innovations. This is a welcome change.
There are two ways to pump up demand for natural gas vehicles and cars powered by other alternative energy sources. One is a free market solution and the other involves government grants, or investments.
- The free market solution so far has not worked too well. Automakers have been building eco-friendly vehicles for years. Drivers just haven’t been interested in them. One reason is because they are so expensive coming off the floor. But new technologies generally are more expensive until they are widely accepted. Maybe we just haven’t reached the point in the marketplace where consumers are willing to make the commitment.
- Government subsidies could open the floodgates to alternative energy. Grants for service stations to add natural gas pumps might create more demand for the vehicles. Or perhaps the federal government could subsidize the building of the vehicles and offer incentives to consumers to purchase and drive natural gas vehicles, which would spark the demand for more fuel.
Whether you are a proponent of supply-side solutions or demand-side injections, one thing is clear: If natural gas is to be the sexy solution that GM is banking on it being then something has to give. The endless tug of war between supply and demand will need to break.
Click here for more great reads on the use of alternative energies in the automotive industry.
Nissan Begins LEAF Production In U.S.
Many consumers and some politicians have been calling for greener energy and independence for decades. A part of the overall green picture in the U.S. involves vehicle emissions. Some states have placed stringent testing on vehicles in an effort to curb emissions. But little has been done to change the way vehicles are made in the U.S. – until now.
Nissan is leading the way with its Nissan LEAF, a vehicle based on electric power and zero emissions.
“Nissan is committed to affordable, sustainable mobility. What we’re doing here will radically transform the automotive experience for consumers. Today is a major step in helping create a green economy in the United States,” said Carlos Ghosn, president and CEO of Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
Mr. Ghosn continued:
“Production of Nissan LEAF and lithium-ion batteries in Smyrna brings the United States closer to its goal of energy independence, creates green jobs and helps sustain American manufacturing. Nissan is a leader in global manufacturing innovation, and this state-of-the-art battery plant will strengthen that leadership.”
LEAF is an acronym that stands for Leading, Environmentally Friendly, Affordable, Family Car. It is a huge step forward in the green movement with a 100% electric vehicle that is affordable and is good for the environment.
Production for the vehicle is to begin in 2012.
Prior to production of the LEAF by Nissan, the plant will begin producing lithium-ion batteries, another technological product that is good for the environment and that will enthuse green advocates. The Nissan plant is expected to provide a good number of jobs and help improve the economy as well.
Saginaw, Michigan Home To Alternative Energy R&D
Late last year the California-based solar energy company, GlobalWatt, picked Saginaw, Michigan as the place for a new production plant. Saginaw was in competition with Corpus Christi, Texas and won.
Reasons cited for going with Saginaw over Corpus include 7 years of employment tax credits and $10 million in tax credits. You can read more about that news at MLive.
One of the reasons for looking at Saginaw in the first place has to do with other industry already located there. Local leaders are proud of the fact that Saginaw has a strong interest and a huge leg in the alternative energy R&D sector. As the nation begins to move toward alternative energy and toward energy independence, these plants – and Saginaw, Michigan itself – could prove to be an important aspect of the nation’s energy needs.
This statement from the above linked-to story illustrates how local Saginaw leaders perceive GlobalWatt’s presence in their area:
Officials locally say GlobalWatt would fit well with solar industry growth they are pushing in the Great Lakes Bay Region.
With other businesses like Hemlock Semiconductor and Dow Corning in the area, Saginaw looks to be a major player in alternative energy, particularly solar technology. It looks like GlobalWatt is a feather in the cap of Saginaw, Michigan industry.
Despite the fact that the state of Michigan lobbied like heck to get this deal and wrapped it with huge incentives to get its own sputtering economy revived, the element of this that seems to be overlooked is the tie in to how the push towards energy independence in the USA is one of the best avenues to fixing the broken US auto industry. Granted it is automobiles that will fix the auto industry, it’s sustainable energy solutions that can help the loss jobs recovery, and this deal is the perfect example.
Expected to generate to more than 2700 indirect jobs in the area by 2016, including 500 direct jobs, this deal epitomizes how such a deal can and will create jobs in the sustainable energy industry to replace jobs that were lost as a result of the crumbling auto industry.
Hydros Bottle holds more than just water.
In April when we hit the 2010 Go Green Expo of Greater Philadelphia we took our video camera along in hopes to capture some cool happenings. We met a lot of great people doing great things, and one of those great things that captured my interest the most was Hydros Bottle.
Founded by two U-Penn engineering grads Jay Parekh and Aakash Mathur who have set out to change the world, literally, Hydros Bottle is a reusable filtered water bottle designed with a filter that enables you to run tap water through with no lag so that you always have filtered drinking water on hand with you where you bring the Hydros Bottle.
So simple, yet so ingenious.
Now, a good invention is often an obvious idea once you see it. But the invention is not even the half of it. What impressed me the most was Parekh’s and Mathur’s social mission to improve the quality of drinking water worldwide with Operation Hydros.
With Operation Hydros, $1 from each Hydros Bottle sold will go towards a water infrastructure project designed to be socially, economically, and environmentally viable. Such sustainable development projects meet the needs of people today without compromising those of tomorrow.
For their first project, Hydros Bottle has partnered with the Engineers Without Borders USA to deliver fresh water to the village of Gundom. Once they have set aside enough funds to meet the current and expected future financial needs of the Gundom project, Hydros Bottle intends to do a second project to support.
Below is a 1-minute video we agreed to do for Hydros Bottle because we were so taken by their cause and wanted to go a little farther to help support their cause. You can visit the Hydros Bottle Facebook Fan page to keep up with everything they have going on. We too hope to keep up with them and help make their endeavor a success which I have no doubt will be.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtiSEsBw3mw[/youtube]
Shouts out to Jay & Aakash for the great demo and a sample bottle. I have been using it every day and plan to buy some as Christmas presents later this year.
Hydros Bottle™ holds more than water. It is a chance to help the 1.1 billion people who do not have access to clean drinking water.
Featured products from 2010 Go Green Expo Philadelphia
Last month we were invited to attend the Go Green Expo of Greater Philadelphia in Oaks PA. One of our affiliates was providing the mobile opt-in service for the expo and so we had a chance to partner up with some good folks doing extraordinary things in the world.
Prior to the show we made an effort to connect with some of the vendors on Twitter. We then went on-site with our camera to meet with these folks and others there that caught our interest. While there we caught a demo of their product on tape and added those booths to Foursquare.com, which is a game of sorts you can play with friends and businesses on your mobile phone.
Below is our video from the expo. It’s about 8 minutes in length but it should keep you entertained. In it you get to meet each of the people with whom we connected and did a demo, including:
- Leilani Munter – Environmental Activist and ARCA race car drive
- Theo Chocolate
- Shear Miracles
- One Bag One Earth
- Hydros Bottle
- Ms. Angie’s LemonCu
- Clear Communications
- The Green Banana Skateboard Company
- PrintResponsibility.com
- Soda Stream
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XL-NGg7t9Xc[/youtube]
Shouts out to everyone involved that helped with the production of the video and making this possible: CMP Mobile, Catalyst Marketers, The Indie Show, Go Green Expo.
We are highly particular about the information we share and make a point to keep it original and entertaining. To be notified when we participate in events such as this and to be notified when we publish similar information, you can subscribe to this blog, become a fan on our Facebook page, and also follow us on Twitter. We hope to see you there.
GoGreenExpo in Philly appeals to consumers and businesses. Text GOGREENEXPO to 41513
For those interested in learning about environmentally friendly goods & services for use in modern everyday living, the GoGreenExpo will be at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA next weekend, about half an hour outside of Philadelphia.
What’s special about the GoGreenExpo is that not only does it appeal to local consumers but also to local businesses.
Beginning Friday April 16 at 10 am the expo will open its doors to local businesses for a business-to-business (B2B) experience. On Saturday and Sunday starting at the same time the expo will open its doors to the public for a B2B and business-to-consumer (B2C) experience.
Things you can expect to see include…
- Hundreds of Booths / Exhibits
- Green Job Expo
- Interactive Seminars / Speeches
- Green Marketplace
- Demonstrations & hands on activities
While there, come by the CMP Mobile booth (# to be announced) to catch a sneak peak of the new film documentary Haynesville and also enter for a chance to win Phillies baseball tickets.
We will have a 42-inch HD TV at the booth playing the movie and engaging with passers by at the expo, giving away Haynesville and PickensPlan trinkets.
“Haynesville: A Nation’s Hunt for Energy” is a documentary chronicling the discovery of the largest natural gas field in the United States (and maybe the world). The film examines the historic find in the backwoods of Louisiana, a formation called the “Haynesville Shale,” from the personal level as well as from the higher perspective of the current energy picture and energy future.
The expo has already visited Los Angeles and New York City earlier this year and plans to be in Atlanta later this year in June. CMP is the official mobile marketing sponsor for the Expo.
To learn more about the expo you can:
- Text GOGREENEXPO to 41513 and receive access to the mobile expo site.
- Visit the GoGreenExpo Facebook Group
- Follow @GoGreenExpo on Twitter
- Visit the GoGreenExpo.com website
To keep on the beat, follow @autoconversion on Twitter and hook up with us on foursquare too. We will be promoting the expo all week Tweeting live and checking in on foursquare while there, filming what we can and hopefully release a fun video for all to see soon after the show.
Go Green!
Shoes2Share Organizes Aid To Haitian Earthquake Victims
As you have probably heard, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck southern Haiti on Tuesday near Port-au-Prince, causing a serious loss of life and catastrophic destruction. This is the most powerful earthquake to hit the Western Hemisphere’s poorest nation in the last century.
Shoes2Share International is immediately initiating Operation “THERE”, which stands for “The Haitian Earthquake Relief Effort”. They are partnering with other relief agencies in providing immediate aid and hope to those devastated in Haiti.
Dave Shoemaker is an associate of mine that operates a C12 territory here in the Philadelphia area. C12 is a community of Christian business owners and CEOs and that I trust Dave’s selection for charitable causes such as the one in Haiti.
AutoConversion has made a donation to Shoes2Share to help the victims and people of Haiti, and we wanted to present you with an opportunity to support them as well. Your donation will help deliver essential items like shoes, workboots, infant products, medical supplies, blankets, bottled water, generators, flashlights and batteries to the people of Haiti.
Donate to the people of Haiti through Operation “THERE” here.
Thank you for considering this worthy cause,
Ryan Gerardi
@ac
@yhurg
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