California leads venture funding for electric vehicle technology

December 7, 2011

- Jerry Hirsch

California is fast becoming a global center for electric-vehicle innovation and jobs.

Businesses in the state collected $467 million in electric vehicle venture capital investment during the first half of this year, or 69% of the global total, according to a study by Next 10, a nonprofit founded by Silicon Valley venture capitalist F. Noel Perry.

California also is now tied with Michigan, the traditional center of the U.S. auto industry, in the number of patents filed for electric vehicle technology. Both states generated 300 patents for electric vehicle technology from 2008 to 2010.

Globally, California trails only Japan and South Korea in electric vehicle patents and leads other nations, including Germany, Taiwan and France, Perry said.

Employment also is taking off. Tesla Motors has hired 300 workers in California so far this year, bringing its national workforce to about 1,400. It plans to double its employment next year, with most of the jobs coming to an auto factory in Fremont that it is refurbishing to launch production of its Model S electric sedan in 2012.

“We have a huge hiring plan for next year,” said Arnnon Geshuri, Tesla’s vice president of human resources.

Tesla’s growth is starting to trickle to vendors and contractors. Geshuri said Tesla is busy upgrading and building more office space at the Fremont factory.

“That means we will need more carpet, tables and desks, and that has an economic effect on the trade groups that provide those services,” he said.

Other companies, from small electric drive manufacturers to businesses that install electric vehicle charging stations commercially and in homes also are growing rapidly, with many having doubled their workforces or grown even faster this year.

The growth is important because it is one of the few areas of expansion in a struggling state economy, said, Tracey Grose, a vice president of collaborative economics who prepared Next 10’s report.

To be sure, the venture capital being spent in California represents just a fraction of what the auto industry is putting into electric and hybrid vehicle technology. Nissan, for example, is spending more than $1 billion on just one project: a new factory to build battery packs for its electric Leaf sedan in Smyrna, Tenn.

And the industry is not without its setbacks; last week electric vehicle start-up Aptera Motors shut its doors, putting its staff of 30 out of work after the Carlsbad company ran out of funds.

But “venture capital and patents give us a look into innovation and are a leading indicator of emerging industries,” Grose said.

California’s status as the nation’s biggest auto market -– and electric vehicle market -- and a tech savvy population of early adopters have made the state a friendly environment for companies investing in electric drive technology, said Jordan Ramer, chief executive of EV Connect, a Culver City company that installs public and home charging stations.

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Homes Powered by the Sun: Sell For More, Becoming New Standard

by Phoebe Chongchua

PhoebeChongchua.com 

They might be a costly addition to your home at first but solar panels are boosting a home's resale value, according to a study earlier this year by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Homeowners may recoup their full investment from the installation and then some, when their home is sold.
Over a period of approximately a decade, about 2,000 solar homes in California were analyzed by researchers and compared to about 72,000 comparable homes not solar powered.

Here's what the study found that estimates for average photovoltaic (PV) premiums among a large number of different model specifications coalesced at a $17,000 price increase for a relatively new "average-sized" (based on the sample of homes studied) PV system of 3,100 watts (DC).

According to the report, the PV energy system is rapidly growing, especially in California where (at the time of the report) almost 100,000 were installed in mostly residential properties.
However, the report authors indicate that, "Although this research finds strong evidence that homes with PV systems in California have sold, on average, for a significant premium over comparable homes without PV systems, the authors recommend that extrapolation of these results to different locations or market conditions be done with care".

Studies like this one may be influencing builders. KB Homes announced this month that the company is making solar power a standard feature in its homes that are being developed in Southern California beginning next year. This development will apply to 28 home communities, an increase from just 10 communities in March.

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LED Holiday Lights: 6 Need-to-Know Tips

By: G. M. Filisko

LED holiday lights vs. old-fashioned bulbs: 6 tips to help you decide which is right for you.

1. LED holiday lights save you money. LED lights use at least 90% less energy than traditional holiday lights, according to the U.S. government’s Energy Star program.

That results in a $50 energy savings for the average family during the holidays, says Avital Binshtock of the Sierra Club in San Francisco.

Put it into perspective: The amount of electricity consumed by one 7-watt incandescent bulb could power 140 LEDs—enough to light two 24-foot strings, says Energy Star.

2. But LED lights typically cost more than old-fashioned holiday lights.

• GE 100-bulb string of Energy Star-certified LED white lights: $18.97 at Lowe’s

• GE 100-bulb string of conventional white lights: $8.97

But shop around because a growing number of retailers are offering sales on LED holiday lights and, if you can’t find a sale before the holidays, you can certainly find one after. Plus, prices will surely go down as these lights gain traction.

3. LED holiday lights last and last. LED bulbs can keep your season bright for as long as 100,000 hours, says Cathy Choi, president of Moonachie, N.J.-based Bulbrite, which manufactures LED and regular bulbs. That’s substantially longer than the life of your old holiday light strings.

4. You can string a BIG strand of LED lights. Safety wise, you shouldn’t connect more than three traditional light strings, but you can connect up to 87 LED holiday light strings, totaling a whopping 1,500 feet, Choi says. So blow your neighbor's display away by cocooning your house in lights:

• You won’t have to buy as many extension cords.

• You can take your holiday lighting display further away from the outlet.
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5. LED lights reduce the risk of fire. They stay cooler than incandescent bulbs, according to Energy Star.

6. How about that hue? Some people stick with their old lights because they don’t like the brighter hue that white LED holiday lights emit. But Choi says manufacturers now offer a “warm white” bulb that more closely mimics the glow of an incandescent light. Be sure to read the label to choose a bright or warm white and to ensure what you’re purchasing isEnergy Star-certified.

Colored and color-changing LED holiday lights are more vibrant than conventional lights, making your display easier to see from the street, Choi says.