Green Chicago Mortgage News

By Emily Werner When you are working to save the planet, sometimes it can be daunting enough that we can be to lose sight of who exactly we are saving the planet for.  All of us at the We Campaign headquarters in Menlo Park, CA, however, were reminded recently of who WE are fighting for. His name [...]

By Craig S. Altemose Last night, gathered around computer screens in dorm rooms and video projector screens in larger campus halls, students across the nation witnessed the intersection of two of the most exciting and vibrant campaigns in America focused on climate crisis: Energy Action´s “Power Vote” and the Alliance for Climate Protection´s “We” Campaign. During their [...]

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Green Daily, China

China-based Foton Motors and Texas-based Freescale Semiconductor will combine their collective knowledge to open the Foton-Freescale Automotive Joint Lab. The lab will focus on developing software and system-level solutions for use in upcoming Foton vehicles. Both companies will collaboratively work towards developing relevant electronic control technology for applications that included hybrids and electric vehicles (EVs). By focusing on electronics and, more specifically, on software development, the Joint Lab hopes to introduce technology that can reduce vehicle emissions while also increasing the “economic performance and comfort of vehicles.”

Speaking on behalf of Foton Motors, Wu Xeubin, the company’s vice president and director of engineering research said:

Foton Motor has been committed to promoting energy and environmental technology in the automotive industry, and has proved continuous breakthroughs in new energy-driven vehicles over the past years. The opening of the joint lab will provide wings for Foton Motor products to fly into a promising future.

Wings and flying? We’re not exactly sure what this statement implies, but it seems that the Joint Lab will be trying to help Foton Motors reach new heights.

[Source: Freescale Semiconductor]

Continue reading Foton Motors, Freescale Semiconductor to create joint lab for hybrid, EV development

Foton Motors, Freescale Semiconductor to create joint lab for hybrid, EV development originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 12:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, GM, Th!nk (Think)

General Motor’s attempt to trademark the term “range anxiety” is generating some critical heat. The first to attack was Tesla Motors, which basically told GM to go ahead and associate itself with the term. Later, the global marketing director for Think EV, Michael Lock, told AutoblogGreen that:

While I have no interest in bashing GM, it is clear that their technology is limited and their car can only travel about 40 miles without the need for a gasoline engine. This is patently not what the environmentally motivated customer wants. It’s classic defensive marketing to try and divert attention away from your weaknesses and this is typical of the battle cry, ‘the best defense is offense’.

However, the early adopter end of the market is well educated and, as you may see from the blogs, are already decrying this. It may frighten some of the mass market, but they are not going to build the market over the next 12-18 months anyway and it may actually cement their view that GM is not enthusiastic or invested in pioneering this new market. I think that’s a big risk.

Our marketing of the Think brand starts in earnest over the next 6 months and we are confident in the technology and the message. If anything, this presents a great opportunity for us to differentiate from the legacy manufacturers earlier and clearer than we had hoped for.

Lock also issued a statement to the media that said:

At Think, we are, frankly, a little bemused by GM’s recently released ‘range anxiety’ campaign. It strikes me as ‘kindergarten marketing’ and can only be designed to confuse the public at a time when we should all be concentrating on education. The flaw in the GM Volt is that their hybrid arrangement carries enormous excess weight by needing both a power generation and a bulky power storage device.

For many customers, it is a bogus argument that the 100 mile range, in a Think City for example, will cause the driver to run out of charge on the way home from work. Most work commutes are comfortably within that range and new ‘fast-charging’ technology that enables a 0-80% charge in 15 minutes debunks the myth that a pure EV car is a limited niche option for America’s needs. We welcome the late entry by giants like GM to the clean tech debate, but are hoping for a more positive contribution.

No interest in bashing GM, indeed.



[Source: Think]

Think on GM’s range anxiety trademark: “their technology is limited” originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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