The DOE has announced up to $10 million in funding to establish graduate-level training programs for engineers in power electronics. The five-year program will begin in the fall 2016 school year. Citing the important part that power engineers play in advanced energy technologies, the DOE expects them to be in high demand in the growing… Read more »
Job News
Ford opens up its EV patents, puts 200 more engineers to work on electrification
Tesla isn’t the only company that can play the patent-opening game. Ford has announced that it will make its portfolio of over 650 electrification-related patents available to competing automakers. Unlike Tesla, which has implied that it will allow others to use technology “in good faith” free of charge (and Toyota, which plans to make some… Read more »
Apple and A123 settle engineer-poaching lawsuit
The iCar is still just a rumor, but Apple surely has been showing a lot of interest in EV-related technology, including large-format batteries. This week, the Cupertino computer-maker agreed to settle a lawsuit alleging that it had been showing a little too much interest in engineers working for Massachusetts battery-maker A123. In February, A123 filed… Read more »
Tesla has picked over 150 employees from Apple
Disruptive technology in an elegantly designed package that sells itself – that’s the formula that’s been working wonders for two American companies. The parallels between Tesla and Apple, and the fact that quite a few employees have made a move from the computermaker to the carmaker, isn’t news, but a recent Bloomberg article puts some… Read more »
Energy Power Systems announces new Michigan battery manufacturing facility
Battery-maker Energy Power Systems plans to establish a high-volume manufacturing facility in Pontiac, Michigan. The new 150,000-square-foot facility will produce batteries for use in start/stop and micro-hybrid vehicles; utility-scale distributed energy storage; renewable energy integration; and fast-charging infrastructure for EVs. Full-scale production is expected to begin in early 2016. Initial annual capacity will be 500… Read more »
Fisker is hiring, rebuilding its supply chain
Things are stirring at Fisker Automotive. New owner Wanxiang plans to relaunch the Karma plug-in luxury sedan next year, and the company is hiring – its online job board lists some 45 open positions, including engineers, managers and interns. Fisker is renewing its relationship with Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies, the supplier of the Karma’s powertrain… Read more »
Musk: Gigafactory is a no-lose proposition for Nevada
Elon Musk, always quick to respond to any perceived slight against Tesla, has posted a detailed rejoinder to a recent Fortune article that told the story of how the company selected a Nevada site for its Gigafactory. The article didn’t accuse Tesla of doing anything wrong, much less illegal. On the contrary, as befits a… Read more »
Elon Musk: no college degree required
There are loads of Elon Musk interviews on YouTube, but a team from the German magazine Auto Bild skipped the usual questions, and concentrated more on aspects of Elon’s personal life and his philosophy of business. Describing his process for interviewing a potential new hire (around 8:30), Musk said, “I ask them to tell me… Read more »
Tesla bulks up Hong Kong operations
Tesla plans to double its Hong Kong workforce to over 100 people by the end of the year, and has hired a country director for the Chinese city. “Hong Kong could potentially be the place to showcase the success of electric vehicles to the rest of Asia,” said Veronica Wu, Tesla’s VP for China operations…. Read more »
A123 names Patrick Hurley as its new Chief Technology Officer
A123 Systems, the Massachusetts battery-maker now owned by Chinese giant Wanxiang, has hired former Johnson Controls executive Patrick Hurley as its Chief Technology Officer. Hurley will lead the company’s R&D arm, A123 Venture Technologies, and will also be responsible for integrating A123’s battery development in China. The change is part of the compnay’s move away… Read more »