assembly
-
Proposition 23 was defeated last night, putting an end to a much ballyhooed piece of cleantech-stopping legislation that was also causing some qualms in the venture capital community. The proposal would have halted California’s AB 32 law, which requires the state to roll back greenhouse emissions to its 1990 levels by 2020. Prop 23 would have put a hold on AB32 until the state’s unemployment rate dipped to 5.5 percent for 12 months. Its largest backer was Texas oil company Valero, and also gleaned support from another Texas oil interest, Tesero, as well as conglomerate Koch...
-
Ford Saves Scrap Steel, Stamps Explorer Parts From Pickup Leftovers
A century ago, Henry Ford was known for insisting that parts be shipped to his factories in wooden crates whose slats were sized so they could be reused to build parts of the Model T body. Now a similar spirit of saving scrap is being used to stamp fender baffles for the new 2011 Ford Explorer out...
John Voelcker -
Solar Array, Lithium Cells To Power Part of Ford Focus Plant
Many houses, stores, and factories across the U.S. now have arrays of photovoltaic solar cells mounted on their roofs. These days, that's hardly news. But Ford's announcement that it will install half a megawatt of power-generating solar panels at its Wayne, Michigan, assembly plant has a new...
John Voelcker -
So What Exactly Is An American-Made Car? You May Be Surprised
We wrote about the 2011 Coda Sedan and Coda's EV cost calculator not too long ago, and described the cars as a "Chinese-built sedan" with a battery pack "containing Chinese-made lithium-ion cells." The Coda, we said would be "the first Chinese-manufactured passenger car sold in the U.S. when it...
John Voelcker -
Oil-Backed Prop. 23 Could Suspend CA Emissions Reductions, Hurt Green Startups
Come November, California voters could have a major impact on the state’s environment. The ballot will include Proposition 23, a measure that would suspend the Global Warming Solutions Act that passed in 2006 (otherwise known as Assembly Bill 32), which called for reductions in greenhouse gas...
John Voelcker -
2011 Chevrolet Volt Lithium-Ion Battery Pack Goes Into Production
The lithium-ion battery pack for the 2011 Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicles officially went into volume production today. The 16-kilowatt-hour battery pack, containing 220 lithium-ion cells made by Korea's LG Chem, will be assembled in a 160,000-square-foot factory in Brownstown...
John Voelcker