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Prognog Home
 According to reports from Auto Blog Green as well as a lengthy thread on Tesla Motors Club forum, Tesla Motors has raised the price on a slew of options for the Tesla Roadster. The price increase, however, will not only affect the price of just any future owner, but those brave souls who apparently "locked-in" the price of their car--including said options.
As ABG puts it, "it turns out that customers who already locked in orders recently have been unlocked and asked to reselect options. Some of the previously selected options are now higher priced and other previously standard features are now extra cost options."
Tom Saxton, one of the aforementioned customers who locked-in his options and pricing, has a nice breakdown of the changes on his blog.
Short of the original email from Elon Musk, no official word from Tesla Motors on these latest changes.
Update: Brief comment from Tesla's Rachel Konrad on Greentech Media noting that they had to "improve the margins on the car for the next round of investors..." She goes on to note that Tesla does not take the increase lightly but "it’s a decision we think helps ensure the viability of the company going forward."
No real word yet on why they decided to "unlock" the lock-in prices on those customers who had put down a $50,000 deposit.
Further Update: ABG is reporting that Tesla Motors has called two townhall meetings next week, one in Los Angeles and one in Menlo Park, to discuss the new changes. As ABG puts it, "It seems that even a new explanatory email from CEO Elon Musk has had little calming effect on the firestorm ignited by the increasing of prices for locked-in Tesla buyers. To avoid further damage from what is fast turning into a PR nightmare, the company is turning to a previously-successful approach and has announced a set of town hall meetings."
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GM announced that it would be building its own plant in Michigan to produce the lithium-ion battery back for the Chevy Volt. According to their press release:
" *GM will establish the first lithium-ion battery pack manufacturing facility in the United States operated by a major automaker
* LG Chem has been selected to supply the lithium-ion battery cells for the Chevrolet Volt
* Advanced battery strategy strengthens GM's capabilities to develop hybrid and electric vehicles
* GM will open a new automotive battery lab - the largest of its kind - in the United States to further strengthen design, development and testing capabilities
* A partnership with the University of Michigan has been established to develop a specialized curriculum for battery engineer."
This is undoubtedly good news for fans of the Volt as well as those of lithium-ion batteries. The fact that GM is not only choosing to use this technology, but is heavily investing in the manufacturing of the batteries indicates a commitment to the project that clearly serious.
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 The American Wind Energy Association, or (AWEA), has recently announced record growth in the wind producing industry in the US for a third year in a row. The United States now produces roughly 21,000 (MW) of installed wind power capacity at this point.
According to the AWEA, "this summer, the U.S. passed Germany to become the world leader in wind generation."
They also report that according to the US Department of Energy, "wind could provide 20% of U.S. electricity by 2030, supporting 500,000 jobs and reducing greenhouse gas emissions as much as taking 140 million vehicles off the road, and saving 4 trillion gallons of water."
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 Switchgrass, a resilient, high-yield grass native to North
America, has been drawing a lot of attention lately thanks to the president giving
it his imprimatur in his 2006 State of the Union address.
This might just be more than political rhetoric because Switchgrass
(also known as Tall Panic Grass) could become the biofuel of our dreams.
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Read more...
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The evolving world of alternative energy is, among other things, an interesting venue in which many disparate players play a part. We find traditional environmentalists, energy companies, and a wide array of land owners and interested municipalities.
 The interesting thing about wind energy is that the power source is rarely near the energy need. Thus you find wind farms in the middle of absolutely nowhere--more specifically, in those windy environs that people generally try to avoid. The NY Times has a short little feature on the developing wind power industry in Wyoming and the ranchers on whose land this windy area sits.
Nice to see the participants in this case not only accepting but profiting from this alternative energy power source. The formation of associations, groups of landowners in this case, generally insure a more equitable deal for the people living there than the somewhat impersonal and often unfair right-of-way deals otherwise offered.
As the Times puts it: "This allows them to bargain collectively for a better price and ensures that as few as possible succumb to high-pressure tactics or accept low offers. Ranchers share information about the potential value of their wind."
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Recently, in fact just last week, the BLM announced a moratorium on all new solar power projects on Federal land, citing the need for further environmental impact studies. We even talked about it in a recent blog post on solar power.
Now, the BLM has announced it was going to continue accepting solar energy applications for solar power plants on BLM land.
“We heard the concerns expressed during the scoping period about waiting to consider new applications,” said BLM Director James Caswell, “and we are taking action. By continuing to accept and process new applications for solar energy projects, we will aggressively help meet growing interest in renewable energy sources, while ensuring environmental protections.”
Although the BLM needs to move carefully in granting any type of project on federal land, this is great news for renewable energy and solar power specifically.
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Interesting article here on Alternet.org.
After a steady stream of news out of Washington this past year that ethanol was going to cure all our woes, it's refreshing to hear some rational thoughts to the contrary. Written by the Co-Directors of the International Forum on Globalization (www.ifg.org), the authors make some good points about the pitfalls of looking for biofuels to cure our dependence on oil noting that "corn-produced ethanol and many of the other biofuel varieties are leading us down a path of unsustainability as they continue to impact fragile ecosystems, threaten biodiversity, concentrate corporate power and increase inequities in rural communities."
I think a move away from corn based ethanol is an absolute necessity and sources like switchgrass and other cellulosic materials can provide a much more sustainable system of supply. Ultimately, though, it is like the authors say, " "the answer must involve renewables plus significant efforts toward all-out conservation, efficiency, reduced consumption and "powering down" of energy use."
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 Broken Turbine from Der Spiegel
A wind tower toppling over in the middle of a field doesn't quite seem to pose the danger that global warming does, but I do see their point. I see the advantages of wind power vastly outnumbering the problems and I imagine as the technology improves we'll see some of these difficulties overcome.
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Read more...
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 Automotive X PRIZE (AXP) announced that it was funding a competition with a prize greater than $10 million for a car that is capable of obtaining 100 miles per gallon in real-world driving and conditions.
"We invite the world's best and brightest minds to look at this independent, high-profile competition as a way to make a difference for generations to come," said Mark Goodstein, executive director, Automotive X PRIZE. "In the spirit of grand competitions throughout history - including Lindbergh's historic flight across the Atlantic 80 years ago - we expect that the Automotive X PRIZE will bring about change and innovation for the benefit of everybody. This competition will help level the playing field and capture entrepreneurial, scientific and technical energy to bring about viable cars that consumers want to buy."
More information and guidelines can be found at http://auto.xprize.org.
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