Chevron Invests in Solar Energy Technology

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewarticle+articleid_1967956~zoneid_Home.html

Chevron Invests in Solar Energy Technology

By: The Panelist Tuesday, May 27, 2008 4:35 PM
Symbols: BP, CVX, FOSL, JASO, STP, XOM
As I mentioned on The Panelist...

For the most part, Big Oil is hesitant to embrace alternative energy, preferring instead to push for more drilling. For some, however, it appears that the industry is seeing the writing on the wall. Even Big Oil execs know that the days of fossil fuels may be numbered. As a result, Exxon (XOM) is heading into the business of hybrid car batteries, BP (BP) is investing in jatropha and Chevron (CVX) is looking into solar energy.

That's right. Chevron is putting some of its eggs into the solar energy basket, rather than indefinitely relying on a limited resource. And it does make sense. After all, oil is far more likely to disappear before the sun runs out; the latter has billions of years of life left. So investing in technology that makes harnessing its energy for our use makes sense.

The interest of CVX in developing solar energy technology is an indication that it may not be solar energy companies that lead the way in technology development in the future. Other companies want a piece of the pie. And they may have bigger funding pockets. BloggingStocks makes this observation on where solar energy development may be going:

Given the potential size of the bonanza, the investments should not be surprising, but they could squeeze smaller solar energy companies out of the market. Firms like JA Solar (NASDAQ: JASO) and SunTech (NYSE: STP) have their entire futures bet on the success of solar energy and the fact that there are not many companies in the business, at least until now.

This means that if you have been wary of start-up growth companies involved in alternative energy, you now have an...alternative. CVX is doing rather well right now, and diversifying its energy portfolio can only help, especially if current trends continue. Investors get the stability of a venerable and proven company, along with a measure of growth from a company that invests in a new technology sector. And, with CVX reaching out to renewables, it can give environmentally friendly investors a warm, fuzzy feeling about helping the company reform its practices.

...

[tinrobot]

1. They invested in battery technology about 10 years ago.

The result of that was to take powerful NiMH batteries for electric cars off the market.

I hope they're not as serious about solar.

[OKIsItJustMe]

2. Yup, no one can use them at all

Well, with a few exceptions maybe:
http://www.ovonic.com/al_alliances_licensees_battery.cfm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturn_Aura#Aura_Green_Line
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Malibu#Sixth_Generation_2008-future

http://www.designnews.com/blog/1100000110/post/1000025700.html?nid=3225

Monday, April 28, 2008

The Mythical Battery In The Basement

Apr 28 2008 5:00PM

At a recent social gathering, a lawyer told me the “truth” about electric vehicle (EV) batteries.

“A friend of mine knows someone at Google, and he said that General Motors could build great electric cars right now if it wanted to,” he said. “The battery technology is ready. The problem is GM is in bed with the oil companies.”

Ah, yes, the old auto-industry-in-bed-with-the-oil-companies conspiracy theory. Twenty years ago, we kept hearing about the 200-mile-per-gallon carburetor. Now it’s the killer battery.

The amazing thing about this bit of technological folklore is that it lives on, even among engineers. Over the past 10 years, I’ve received countless e-mails from readers who are convinced there’s a battery in a basement (usually at GM), wrapped in oily rags, hidden on a shelf somewhere. The battery is a veritable powerhouse, capable of propelling a truck for 400 miles on a 15-minute recharge. But the evil scientists at GM are rubbing their hands together and twitching with delight while they take payoffs from the oil companies for hiding it. It’s reminiscent of the final scene in the movie, “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” in which the government hides the Ark of the Covenant in a non-descript wooden crate in an unnamed warehouse somewhere.

It is, of course, a great yarn. And it lives on because so many people at cocktail parties believe it and nod their heads knowingly. GM, after all, must be in bed with the oil companies, as well as with J. Edgar Hoover and Darth Vader.

...

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2007/07/toyota-to-boost.html

Toyota To Boost JV Output Capacity For NiMH Batteries By 50%

14 July 2007

The Nikkei reports that Toyota Motor plans to build a new factory on the site of Panasonic EV Energy Co—its battery joint venture with Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.—to boost the annual production capacity for NiMH cells used in the automaker’s hybrid vehicles by 50%.

The new plant will increase the output capacity of Shizuoka Prefecture-based Panasonic EV Energy Co. to a level sufficient to produce NiMH battery packs for 750,000 vehicles per year.

Panasonic EV Energy will also manufacture lithium-ion batteries for future Toyota hybrids.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/new_cars/4227944.html

2009 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid Prototype: Tokyo Test Drive

Published on: October 22, 2007

TOKYO — Toyota may be the first to market with a plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV) vehicle. Today, we were briefed on Toyota’s future hybrid and alternative fuel plans. And while there was no official announcement by Yoshitaka Asakura, Project General Manager of Toyota’s Hybrid Vehicle System Engineering Development Division, he mentioned that their plug-in development program was under way and that it may not wait for lithium-ion battery technology to mature.

"Toyota has the knowledge and experience with nickel metal hydride. And we have to use the battery we know best, in terms of overall performance," said Asakura.

Toyota is using their proven nickel-metal hydride (NiMh) battery packs in prototype Prius PHEV’s which we had an opportunity to drive at Toyota’s Higashi-Fuji Technical Center about 45 minutes (by train) outside Tokyo. The prototype PHEV’s use two current generation Prius battery packs sandwiched together with the charging system in-between. The packs are modified to deliver a greater ability to charge and discharge. This is, according to Asakura, so that they can get an accurate representation of how the more energy dense lithium ion pack will perform in production vehicles. In all likelihood, the first of those vehicles will be the next generation Prius. The prototype battery system weighs about 220 lbs. more than the current production Prius pack and intrudes into the trunk so that that’s there’s only room for about two medium size suitcases. A lithium ion pack would be much smaller and lighter—about the size of today’s production battery pack.

Asakura said the prototypes can operate on electric power for a range of about 7 miles and can re-charge in three to four hours using a 110-vlot outlet. Under the hood is the current Prius’s 1.5-liter inline four. The electric motor generates 50kW, which combined with the more powerful pack, allows the Prius prototype to reach 62 mph on electric-only power. Current cars can only hit about 25 mph before the gasoline engine cuts in.

...

[tinrobot]

3. Only for gasoline powered hybrids, but not pure electric.

NiMH Held Hostage by Chevron Texaco Until 2014

.....but no more EV-95 batteries can be made, after Chevron sued Toyota. In 1994, Stan Ovshinsky, the inventor of the NiMH battery and principal of Energy Conversion Devices with the late Dr. Iris Ovshinsky, sold control of the NiMH batteries to a jont venture, GM Ovonic, between GM and his company, with the goal of manufacturing patented NiMH batteries for EVs.

Ostensibly, GM was supposed to go into production, and thus, it seemed, perhaps, natural to allow them control of the battery they would, supposedly, be using. In the event, Honda and Toyota used NiMH 4 years prior to GM's final release of a NiMH version of the EV1. But passing control of the batteries to GM proved a fatal mistake for the future of EVs. GM announced on Oct. 10, 2000 the sale of the worldwide patent rights for the NiMH batteries to Texaco. Six days later, on Oct. 16, 2000, even before the sale was consumated, Texaco then merged with Chevron. The sale of the batteries was finally concluded on July 17, 2001, long after Texaco had become one with Chevron.

Chevron/Texaco received "...GM's 60 percent stake in batteries, and a 20 percent stake in ECD itself...", giving Chevron effective control of NiMH. On Mar. 6, 2002, just months after inheriting control of NiMH batteries, Chevron's subsidiary filed suit against Toyota, Panasonic, their PEVE joint venture, Sanyo et al. On December 12, 2001, Chevron's affiliates filed an arbitration demand...with the International Chamber of Commerce...In December 2002, an arbitration agreement...on Nov. 4-19, 2003, the hearing was held, and concluded on Jan. 21, 2004. On July 7, 2004, the settlement agreement ended in complete defeat for Toyota, Matsushita and their joint venture, PEVE. NiMH was only mentioned for "hybrids", those which cannot plug in, and Cobasys, Chevron's unit, became distributor of PEVE batteries, received $20 million licensing fee, in addition to $10 million paid to Energy Conversion Devices. "Cobasys will also receive royalties through December 31, 2013 on certain NiMH batteries sold by in North America."

Chevron oil, the successor to Standard Oil of California, thus worked with GM to eliminate the batteries needed for plug-in EVs, similar to how America's small urban commuter railroads were bought up by the same surprising buyers.

http://pppad.blogspot.com/2007/05/nimh-held-hostage-by-chevron-texaco.html

From the OC Weekly :

Chevron's lawsuit led to a settlement agreement with PEVE (and Sanyo, etc.) whereby Toyota paid $30M to Chevron, Toyota was granted the rights to use "small-format" batteries on the Prius, and Toyota agreed not to build "large-format" versions of its batteries (needed for plug-in cars) for export to the U.S. until 2014. At least, that's what it seems to be; portions of the settlement agreement are still secret.

http://www.ocweekly.com/index.php?option=com_content2&task=view&id=25134&Itemid=47

So, Chevron sued Toyota/Panasonic for $30 million and won. They let out the small batteries for petroleum powered hybrids but are still keeping the large format (more powerful and efficient) batteries for non-petroleum EV cars off the market.

(edited to add links)

[OKIsItJustMe]

8. They do have a right to protect their patent

Patents, love 'em or hate 'em, if a company does not seek to protect their patents, they (essentially) lose the right to defend them.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobasys#Patent_dispute_with_Panasonic_EV_Energy
http://www.cobasys.com/news/2005/20050706.shtml

Cobasys and Panasonic EV Energy Extend Cooperation and Agree to Expanded License Terms

ORION, Mich., July 6, 2005 -- Cobasys announced today that they have granted additional royalty-bearing license rights to Panasonic EV Energy (PEVE), a joint venture between Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (MEI) and Toyota Motor Corporation. The expanded rights will permit PEVE to solicit and sell Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) battery products for certain North American transportation applications. In return, Cobasys will receive royalties on PEVE North American sales of NiMH battery products through 2014.

"We believe this agreement will complement our core business strategies, provide additional revenue, and enhance our progress toward achieving full manufacturing capacity at our Springboro, Ohio plant," said Thomas S. Neslage, President and CEO of Cobasys.

Under the terms of the expanded agreement, Cobasys and PEVE will continue to cross license each other for current and future patents through 2014. They will also maintain their technical cooperation to advance the state-of-the-art NiMH battery products and continue their joint development for the next generation of high performance NiMH battery products for hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). The parties have also agreed to evaluate the feasibility of assembling PEVE battery packs at the Cobasys Springboro, Ohio, manufacturing facility.

...

[losthills]

4. Does this mean we're gonna start declaring war

on countries with lots of sunshine?

[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

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[jpak]

7. Boo fucking hoo

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=115&topic_id=148936