Jason Hendler, Author

I started out in the automotive industry as a General Motors Scholar attending the University of Detroit, studying Internal Combustion Engines and working for the Alternative Fuels Group within the Advanced Engineering Staff at the General Motors Technical Center. While I enjoyed the work, the impact of Japanese imports on the US auto industry revealed to me that the big 3 would be in permanent decline due to entrenched corporate / union / dealer polices, so I decided to work in other industries. I then moved into the defense industry, and the parallels were disheartening – large corporations with trade unions that wouldn’t / couldn’t adapt. This industry too suffered a great collapse, so fortunately, I was able to apply my military telecommunications experience towards the high-tech commercial industries. It was within the Silicon Valley high tech industry that I eventually learned the product development tools necessary for companies to innovate and thrive. I applied these techniques with great success within an industry that many thought stagnant – antennas – and reaped great rewards. The US auto industry is now being overturned by Silicon Valley style innovation in the area of alternative fuels / propulsion systems. My experience at the GM Technical Center’s Alternative Fuels Group, and my personal implementation of disruptive technology allows me to identify how new companies are penetrating the incumbent heavy auto markets, and how old companies are transforming themselves to resist this new competition. My goal with these columns is to give you my foresight into how these various companies are applying these Silicon Valley techniques in an attempt to seize market share and profits. With that knowledge, I hope to help you navigate your own choices into the vehicles you plan to purchase in the future. For more information, you can visit my <a href= http://www.linkedin.com/pub/jason-hendler/14/b3/91b >LinkedIn Profile</a>

Articles

Best Buy Adds Onstar, Electric-Car Chargers; Are Cars Next? Jason Hendler January 25, 2011

If you haven't been keeping an eye on Best Buy, you may have been stunned by their recent announcements at the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

First, on January 6, Best Buy...
Beijing Limits Car Registrations To Tackle Traffic, Pollution
It's no secret that China's auto market has been growing rapidly, surpassing the US market in unit sales for the last two years. While that's an indicator of the country's strong economy, it has also created serious pollution and congestion problems in China's largest cities. During the week of...
Jason Hendler January 7, 2011

Could Rising Commodity Prices Kill (Or Hurt) The Electric Car?
At the time of this writing, oil has sprinted above $90 a barrel, silver has jumped 80-plus percent in the last year and China just announced an 11 percent decrease in exports of rare earth metals for 2011. Will these constraints on critical resources, and their inevitable steep rise in costs and...
Jason Hendler December 31, 2010
Is There a Business Case for Electric-Car Battery Lease or Swap?
As 2010 draws to a close, we now have shipments of the 2011 Nissan LEAF and the 2011 Chevy Volt to customers around the United States. With the advent of these vehicles, is there still a business case for Better Place? To refresh your memory, Better Place is the venture between Shai Agassi and...
Jason Hendler December 22, 2010
The Missing Electric Car Segment: Minicars At $15,000 Or So?
For the past few years, we’ve witnessed the success of low-volume, high-priced, highway-capable electric vehicles in the Tesla Roadster. We’ve also just recently seen the advent of medium-volume, medium -priced highway-capable electric cars like the 2011 Chevy Volt and 2011 Nissan LEAF...
Jason Hendler December 20, 2010
Yamaha Motor Plans To Introduce Electric Scooters Overseas
Back in the fall of 2009, Yamaha debuted a hybrid motorcycle, the HV-X, with production planned in the coming year. Now, Yamaha is moving into the battery electric vehicle space by introducing a scooter into Asian markets. Prototypes of the EC-03 were revealed last year, but in the press release...
Jason Hendler January 23, 2010
Eaton To Begin Providing Hydraulic Hybrid Retrofit Kit in 2010 Jason Hendler January 23, 2010

A serious contender against electric hybrid systems is the hydraulic hybrid, which stores braking energy in a hydraulic fluid instead of batteries. The energy is then returned to the wheels when...

AutoPort Licenses V2G Tech From the University of Delaware.
Fresh on the heels of an announcement that AutoPort is partnering with AC Propulsion to convert vehicles for evaluation by the United States Postal Service (USPS), AutoPort is now announcing that they are first to license vehicle to grid (V2G) technology developed at the University of Delaware. ...
Jason Hendler January 22, 2010
Di Pietro Motor (Rotary Air Engine) As Zero Emissions Range Extender
Angelo Di Pietro is an Italian engine designer who once worked for Mercedes Benz on their Wankel Rotary engine in 1969-1970, then migrated to Australia to pursue other interests, among them, as hobbyist / inventor of the Di Pietro Rotary Air Engine. Rotary air motors aren't new, as any mechanic...
Jason Hendler January 22, 2010
ZAP, Jonway Partner to Target China Electric SUV Market
Zap (Zero Air Pollution), an American electric vehicle maker known for their fleet vehicles, small trucks, cars and scooters, and Zhejiang Jonway Automobile Co. Ltd., announced a commercial agreement for the development and production of electric SUV's, cars and other vehicles for domestic and...
Jason Hendler January 21, 2010
Tesla Motors Opens Chicago Store
When Tesla Motors received a cash infusion from Daimler for less than 10% of their shares, one of their objectives was to begin opening more stores in key markets around the world. Since then, they have opened stores in Colorado, Monaco, Miami and now Chicago. Per the press release linked below...
Jason Hendler January 21, 2010
Quantum Signs LOI With Fisker Automotive as Exclusive Supplier of Q-Drive Technology
Per the press release linked below, Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide, Inc. announced today that it has entered into a letter of intent with Fisker Automotive that outlines the terms of a production and licensing agreement for the Fisker Karma Program. Under the supply arrangement...
Jason Hendler January 20, 2010

AC Propulsion and AutoPort, Inc. Partner to Develop Electric Vehicle for US Postal Service Feasibility Study Jason Hendler January 20, 2010

AC Propulsion, source of the technologies and/or components and systems for the Tesla Roadster and Mini-e, has now partnered with AutoPort, Inc. to develop an electric vehicle for a US Postal...
Will Moller International / Freedom Motors Ever Produce the Rotapower Rotary Engine?
We are now just a month shy of a year since Moller first announced having received RFQ's for a total of 900,000 of their Rotapower rotary engines. Eight months ago, they claimed to be in the final stages of their manufacturing agreements. Earlier this week, they now claim to have signed a...
Jason Hendler January 19, 2010
US: SAE Standard Defines EV Charging Coupler
Codes, regulations and general standards may not be sexy, but they prevent consumers from buying a product like Beta video casette recorders before VHS becomes the defacto "standard". With the emergence of countless alternative fuel / propulsion vehicles from many different automakers around the...
Jason Hendler January 19, 2010
Detroit News to Give Away a Harvey Coachworks BugE(TM) EV at NAIAS
In an effort to not merely cover the news of alternative fuel / propulsion vehicles, but to actually contribute to its history and success, The Detroit News, per their press release, announced earlier this week that it will be giving away a Harvey Coachworks BugE(TM) electric personal mobility...
Jason Hendler January 17, 2010
Suzuki to end hybrid development with GM
Last month, Volkswagen increased its stake in Suzuki to 19.9%, while General Motors relinquished their last remaining shares in the company. The ramifications of these equity shifts is that GM will be replaced by Volkswagon as the source of Suzuki's alternative fuel / propulsion technologies. For...
Jason Hendler January 16, 2010
Fisker Automotive Secures $115.3 million Funding for Plug-in Hybrids
New American carmaker Fisker Automotive has secured access to an additional $115.3 million in private equity funding to develop plug-in hybrid cars. This funding is necessary for Fisker Automotive to access a $528.7 million U.S. Department of Energy conditional loan that will, in part, help speed...
Jason Hendler January 15, 2010

Quantum's All-Wheel-Drive Diesel Hybrid Military Vehicle at NAIAS Jason Hendler January 15, 2010

Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide, Inc., (Nasdaq: QTWW) today announced that its Clandestine Electric Reconnaissance Vehicle (CERV) all-wheel-drive diesel hybrid electric vehicle is proudly...
Port of Los Angeles to Work with Vision Industries
When it rains, it pours for Vision Industries Corporation. Fresh on the heels of a partnership with Capacity of Texas, Inc. to build a Zero Emissions Terminal Tractor (ZETT(TM)) built on Capacity's PHETT® platform and powered by the Vision plug-in electric/hydrogen fuel cell technology, they...
Jason Hendler January 15, 2010
Chevrolet Partnering with Detroit-based Utility DTE Energy
In addition to General Motor's recent announcement that Michigan will join California and Washington, D.C., as the first markets in which Chevrolet dealerships will receive Volt's, Chevrolet is revealing more details about their rollout of demonstration program vehicles to government / utility...
Jason Hendler January 14, 2010
A123 Systems In Battery Supply Pact With Fisker Automotive
After talks with EnerDel fell through, A123 has reached a multi-year supply agreement with Fisker Automotive. In addition, A123 intends to invest $23 million in Fisker Automotive - $13 million of that in cash. This is a huge coup for A123, who missed their first big opportunity to supply...
Jason Hendler January 14, 2010
Triple 6 Enters 2010 World Zero Carbon Championships by TTXGP
666 Road Racing Ltd., designers / producers of high tech material and laminate components for high performance motorcycles, has now signed up for TTXGP series electric motorcycle racing. In 2009, they were contracted by Mavizen, the designers / racers of the winning electric motorcycle at the TTXGP...
Jason Hendler January 13, 2010
Green Vehicles' Triac(TM) All-Electric Vehicle Now in Production
Green Vehicles Inc. of San Jose, CA, is set to unveil the 2010 Triac, a highway-capable, 3-wheeled electric vehicle at the North American International Auto Show, in the Electric Avenue area. Based on feedback from their 2008 prototype and 2009 "early adopter" customer sales, the 2010 Triac boasts...
Jason Hendler January 13, 2010