General Motors Brownstown Battery Assembly Plant’s LaTanya Clanton works on the Spark EV battery line Tuesday, May 13, 2014 in Brownstown, Michigan. GM is bringing all of its electric vehicle battery building capabilities in-house with production of battery systems for the 2015 Chevrolet Spark EV at Brownstown. The plant already…
Why is Fisker Automotive on the brink of collapse? (reportedly) The news is full of stories today saying that Fisker Automotive is unable to pay its bills, has laid off 75% of its workforce, is being sued by the landlord and the webmaster for lack of payment, that the negotiations…
It’s looking more and more that Fisker Automotive is circling around the Bankruptcy end game. On Wednesday the company announced a temporary furlough of employees, so the company could preserve cash. On Thursday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Fisker’s management is now exploring bankruptcy, but unfortunately that article is…
Several good milestones were reached in the world of Tesla Motors. The first expansion of the Supercharger network began with construction of stations on the East Coast. That’s a good milestone, however the company seems to be behind original projections for the network in California. That the lawsuit from the…
Today A123 Systems announced a Chapter 11 bankruptcy and sale of the company’s automotive business assets to Johnson Control. This is the beginning of the end for the company that was formerly the darling of the green technology hype machine. The company has developed some amazing battery technology, but ran…
A123’s new Nanophosphate EXT technology offers better performance in cold and hot weather, reduces the need for thermal management systems, and is a breath of good news following months of difficult times at A123 Systems. Amid worries that A123 Systems might be unable to continue as a going concern, the…
A123 Systems announced today company engineers had found a manufacturing flaw requiring the company replace, costing the company $55 million, a large number of nanophosphate lithium ion battery packs manufactured by the company for five electric vehicle manufacturers. A123 Systems announced this morning the company had discovered a manufacturing flaw…
Fisker Automotive has released a press release denying allegations that the company rushed the Fisker Karma into production in an attempt to meet Department of Energy loan milestones. Fisker Automotive is denying last weeks report that delivery of the Fisker Karma was rushed in an attempt to meet deadlines in…
Startup lithium battery manufacturer A123 Systems is in a rocky period, between troubles at Fisker Automotive, and new deals with Tata and SAIC, the largest automakers in India and China respectively. A123 Systems is on a roller coaster of a ride right now. The company has announced several new deals…
The companies identified a manufacturing flaw, and are of course issuing a recall. Late last week A123 Systems disclosed they’d found some mechanical problems in the battery packs they supplied to Fisker for the Karma plug-in hybrid luxury sedan. (see A123 Systems finds problems in batteries for the Fisker Karma)…
Problem found in coolant system for battery packs A123 Systems is supplying for the Fisker Karma. Battery manufacturer A123 Systems disclosed today flaws in the battery packs they’ve supplied to Fisker for the Karma plug-in hybrid luxury sedan. A123’s engineers have identified the nature of the flaw in the coolant…
