Shai Agassi, founder and CEO of Project Better Place, gave an amazing speech at a New Democrat Network meeting recently. Want to know how Agassi's idea for electric cars got $200 million -- the "largest seed round of any venture in history?" Then you have to check out his speech below the fold which tells the history of the company, makes a case for electric cars and details his company's future plans.

The 25 minute video flies by thanks to Agassi's charm and humor. Project Better Place begins testing this year and it plans to have hundreds of cars on the road a year later. Agassi refers to renewable energy sources as "virtual oil fields" and talks of feeding power to the grid as a backup power source for a country. The speech ends with him predicting that by 2020, more new cars will be electric. If that prediction comes true, he will have likely played a significant role.


[Source: Google Video]

Zap's CEO Steve Schneider did a very interesting audio interview with CEONEWS.Tv recently where he talked about the Zap-X, the Zap-Coke deal and the future of the company. On Zap-X, Schneider says Chinese automaker Youngman owns 51 percent stake in the Detroit Electric joint venture, while Zap owns 49 percent in the company. Schneider explains Detroit Electric will sell higher speed electric vehicles while Zap continues to sell the lower speed vehicles. Schneider says the Youngman relationship is unique because, according to his understanding, there are only a handful of licenses given to Chinese companies to make cars inexpensively (Zap can sell buses for half the price, for example). On the release of the Zap-X, Schneider says it's a 36-month project but did not say when it started (it's been at least 14 months). Schneider did say the Alias is a 18-month project and they are six months into it. Remember that Zap has been talking about the Alias since June 2007, which was eight months ago.

On the recent deal with Coke (Coca-Cola is using thirty of Zap's compact trucks in Montevideo, Uruguay) Schneider says it was spawned from the UPS deal. Schneider explains the UPS deal came from one brave UPS rep that "risked his career" to use Zap trucks and a tractor trailers hub model. The hub model showed bottom line savings for the company and what do you think happened to that UPS rep? He was promoted to a much "larger capacity" position at the San Fran UPS branch! "Quite a few" companies (Schneider won't give out names) have contacted Zap, looking to repeat the model, since that brave UPS rep started the ball rolling.

Schneider also talked about a trip to Dubai and said the Middle East is more interested in electric cars than you might expect. Schneider was asked about the Daimler lawsuit and while he could did not say much, he did say Zap's lawyers tell him it should be settled in three months. Things are changing like the climate Schneider jokes and "the market is finally catching up (after 14 years) to what ZAP has been preaching." Schneider expects Zap to have 100 dealers by the end of this year, up from 56 at a recent meeting. AutoblogGreen is not a stock investing website but we have to admit we are really impressed by this interview and Zap's CEO Steve Schneider responses. He talks a good game, at least.


[Source: CEONEWS.Tv]

Wall Street Journal blogs about GM CEO Rick Wagoner recent talk to reporters in Washington about GM chairman Bob Lutz's recent comment that global warming is "a total crock of sh*t." Wagoner backed away from the comment, saying that "the comments weren't coming out of the company" and "I would have preferred to pass on the comment." Wagoner didn't back away from Lutz, though, calling him "the clear leader of GM's push to develop extended-range battery-powered hybrid vehicles."

So, what does Wagoner think about global warming? Wagoner says "the data is pretty clear that the temperature on the earth is rising." Saying the globe is warming is quite different than saying humans are a significant contributer to that warming. The "non-confrontational" Wagoner, as the Journal describes him, has never said he believes in global warming or not (see 37 minutes into the video below the fold).

What's GM doing about global warming? Wagoner says "it makes sense for us to put the business in a place where can respond productively." Wagoner also says that "a lot of things need to be done to address CO₂" and that GM is investing "a huge amount of money" to fulfill the company's responsibility as a big player in society. In the past Wagoner has said electric cars don't look like the answer but GM has come around to the idea.

[Source: Wall Street Journal]

Say hello to the newest government lobbying group: car salesmen! The AP is reporting that GM CEO Rick Wagoner asked car dealerships to lobby their state and local governments to not regulate tailpipe emissions. Here is exactly what Rick said in a speech at the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) meeting in San Francisco attended by about 10,000 dealers and their spouses:

We're not going to be able to accomplish everything that we otherwise could. ... We need to work together to educate policymakers at the state and local levels on the importance of tough but national standards. ... Dealers are very effective in the political process because we don't have a plant in every state. ... We have dealers in every state.

Last year, Congress passed a new CAFE standard but California was denied a waiver to regulate tailpipe emissions in its state. California and other states are still fighting to get the waiver to regulate tailpipe emissions and if that happens, Rick says automakers will have to focus on meeting state regulations and won't be able to focus as much on alternative fuel vehicles.

Seems this is not the first time car dealerships might impact policy making. After the speech, Rick said car dealers were a valuable help in the CAFE debate in Congress last year. What's he talking about? Last year, in the middle of the debate on CAFE, NADA launched a website listing the number of light trucks sold sorted by political districts.

Car salesman/government lobbyist? I guess it's not really a stretch ... especially for used car salesmen.

Related:

• Rick Wagoner weighs in on fuel prices and Washington's involvement in alternative fuels
• Washington Auto Show videos: Car makers on senators, state regulators and CAFE
• More and more eco-thoughtful car dealerships coming to America

[Source: Associated Press]

We just told you about rumors of Wal-mart getting into the EV business. I tracked down the source to a speech by Wal-mart CEO Lee Scott. Here is the the full text, video and what he said about plug-in hybrids:

Now let me turn to something that you might think is completely out there. I have been talking with the heads of the major auto manufacturers over the past few weeks. And I have been asking them if there is a place for Wal-Mart in the hybrid electric or plug-in electric car market, so our customers do not have to spend so much money filling up their gas tanks. Maybe there isn't room for Wal-Mart in this right now. But something tells me that there may be some role for us in the future, and we are going to continue taking a look at this.

Let me throw another idea out there. What if we looked at whether Wal-Mart could provide eco- friendly energy to our customers? What could we do in the U.S. -- where per capita energy use is among the highest in the world?

Imagine your customers pulling into your parking lot, and seeing wind turbines and solar panels, and being able to charge their cars while they shop. I think that would make them feel good about shopping at your stores. It would also make them feel good if they could save money in the process. What if we fed the power generated by those wind turbines and solar powers back into the electrical grid? Just imagine the impact of our customers being able to buy eco-friendly energy at the unbeatable Wal-Mart price.

It's very early in the talks, but this news is encouraging. I would guess Wal-mart's role would be as a recharging station along the lines of a Project Better Place. Considering the amount of real estate Wal-mart controls and the amount of time people spend in their stores, I think Wal-mart could be a major player in the EV biz without batting an eyelash.

Update: What Lee actually says is different than the text of the speech. In this video, Lee says he "personally called" the "chairman" and "visited" the "largest" automaker. Lee also included Sam's Club and not just Walmart as a possible place to recharge your car.

Related:

• Sam's Club to sell lithium-ion electric car in Christmas promotion
• Wal-Mart to dispense ethanol?
• While we're talking - Wal-mart Is working
• Wal-mart's other green policies

[Source: Walmart]

USA Today asked 90 CEOs what they drive and thirteen percent said they drive a hybrid. Here are the some of the reasons the CEOs gave for choosing a hybrid:

• Phil Libin, CEO of the Sunnyvale, California technology company EverNote, says his Lexus GS450 is like "driving a giant Bluetooth headset. ... Hybrid-ness means several extra screens of status indicators."
• Bob Peterson, president of Melton Truck Lines, does not think his Camry hybrid is as "manly" as the GMC Yukon Denali SUV he traded in but he was tired of sending oil money to Venezuela and Iran.
• Bert Hancock, owner of Robert Hancock property management, says "this is Warren Buffett country, where people are suspicious of those with flashy jewelry and big cars." Bert says his employees will think he is a "pompous jerk" if he drove a black Hummer.

Ralph Bianculli, CEO of supply distributor Paradigm Group (and driver of an '07 BMW) says before you object to CEOs "prancing about in a gas-guzzling foreign car" ask yourself: if you needed a surgeon, would you want one that drives a '07 Mercedes or a '95 Chevy Malibu? Pictured above is Patrick Sweeney, CEO of Odin Technologies, with his Prius. That's an airport in the background. He is also a pilot.

Related:

• Video: 12 consumers consider buying a hybrid
• 100 Silicon Valley executives to drive plug-in hybrids

[Source: USA Today]

Roger Smith, the former General Motors CEO who oversaw the company through the '80s and had a very green vision for GM, died two days ago. Here is a quote from the LA Times by Roger about hybrid cars from an interview he did in 1990 with University of Michigan business historian David Lewis.

Wait until you see what the car of the year 2000 will be ... I'm absolutely convinced it will be a hybrid, part electric, part engine.

In 1986, Roger was the one that agreed to enter GM in the Australian solar race which led to Paul MacCready creating the car that would become the EV1. In 1990, before he left GM, Roger promised that the EV1 could be made, and it was his statements that were probably the reason California created the ZEV mandate. That is not how Roger will be remembered or the way things worked out at GM.

Roger Smith is known in popular culture as the target of Michael Moore's Roger and Me, a movie about GM closing plants in Flint, Michigan and Moore's quest to try and talk to Roger about it. Honda released the first hybrid in 1999 and, as Roger predicted, GM released the EV1 but then they killed it. CEO Rick Wagoner has downplayed the potential of hybrids for years, only recently showing support for the technology. Would things have been different if Roger were CEO of GM in the '90s?

Rest in peace, Roger Smith.

There are three video interviews on YouTube from The Charlie Rose Show with GM's president and CEO Rick Wagoner. They were done in 1999, 2002 and 2006. It's really an amazing look at the developments in the car industry over those years. In the 1999 interview, the two men talk about "unheard of" price reductions and the 2000 SUV, which is larger than ever. Rick is also really excited by the new technology called Onstar. That video is below the fold.

In 2002, they get into deeper price reductions and talk of slowing sales for SUVs. You can almost see the interest in green issues grow, becoming equal to concerns about market share and China. This interview is the most interesting and is at the top of this post. 26 minutes in, after asking Rick about fuel cells, Charlie asks if Rick believes electric cars and hybrids are "the wave of the future." This is what Rick says.

"I think we tried electric and I think the conclusion is honestly that doesn't look like the answer. We think we can improve gas engines. We think that there will be a role for hybrids, which is a combination of some form of battery power and gas or diesel. We think there is a role for those but they are inherently at a disadvantage because you are paying for two propulsion systems. So we think there is going to be a role and this will evolve. But if you ask what could 10,20,30,40 years ultimately replace or begin to replace the internal combustion engine without big consumer trade offs, I think the best best bet is fuel cells."

He is then asked about peak oil and global warming. The 2006 interview, also below the fold, talks about the shift to cross overs and "imminent" release of hybrids. GM's doubts about hybrids is not really news. I could write about the rise of hybrids, growth in cross overs, public attitudes towards climate change, etc. but you see it in the greying hair of the CEO of GM in these videos.

[Source: YouTube]

And the other shoe drops. In an e-mail to customers, Tesla's Ex-CEO hinted that the Tesla may be delayed. Here is what he said. "And naturally, the question on many Tesla customers' minds is "When will I get my car?" The short answer is: We are still planning to start production of the Roadster by the end of next month and deliver the first cars to customers this fall. We have a good chance of meeting this goal, but to be fully transparent, I want you to know that while it is within our reach, it is not yet fully within our grasp." Of course, Martin Eberhard leaving, search for an operations CEO and possible delay may have nothing to do with each other. Go below the fold to read the LONG answer, which shows why Jalopnik might be building up from a molehill.

[Source: Jalopnik via Treehugger, Register]

Tesla Motors has replaced Martin Eberhard as CEO. The new CEO is Michael Marks. Marks is the former CEO of Flextronics and an early investor in Tesla. Elon Musk will post this news to the Tesla website Monday.

Update: To be clear, Matt Nauman says that Musk will say that Eberhard will continue as the company's president of technology "and focus on the success of the Roadster program as well as the advancement of our core technologies."

Update II: As Tony correctly notes below, Tesla will look for a permanent replacement for Eberhard while Marks serves as interim CEO.

Update III: Musk's statement is here.

[Souce: Matt Nauman]