Toyota Search - Powered by PodTech.net

AtTask is Used by Apple, Disney, CBS, and More…

Brad Baldwin — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 01:18:55 +0000

AtTask provides on-demand project and portfolio management software. Scott Johnson, CEO and Founder, and his team have self-funded and enhanced the @task offering over the past six years with dashboard UI, Web 2.0 collaboration, workflow, templates, APIs, and global language support. In that time, AtTask landed an impressive customer list, including Apple, Chevron, Johnson & Johnson, Toyota, and more. To accelerate their business, AtTask recently completed a $7M funding round from http://www.openviewpartners.com/ OpenView Venture Partners.

Johnson introduces AtTask, the company, and provides details of the new Enterprise version of @task. AtTask also launched Project Daily, a blog with the best thoughts coming out of the project management industry.

Tags: AtTask, Scott Johnson, @task, Web 2.0, Apple, Chevron, Johnson & Johnson, Toyota

Feeling Fuelish

Matt Kelly — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 12:30:55 +0000

Katie Gerrigan’s documentary film, Feeling Fuelish?, highlights her trip from L.A. to Chicago, via Route 66, in a Toyota Prius. I spoke with her at Hybridfestin Madison, Wisc.

Tags: Katie Gerrigan, Feeling Fuelish?, Route 66, Toyota Prius, Hybridfest

San Francisco’s Green Garage

Matt Kelly — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 12:30:04 +0000

Pat Cadam is owner of Pat’s Garage, an independent auto repair shop located in San Francisco’s SOMA district. He and his mechanics work primarily on hybrids like the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight. He’s also one of the few “green” auto repair shops in the Bay Area. Not only that, but Pat and his team are part of the A123 Systems Hymotion team, doing all the conversions of hybrids to plug in electric vehicles, for companies like Google.org, as part of their ReChargeIT initiative, (our coverage of the story is here) Wisconsin Public Power, and others.

Tags: Pat Cadam, Pat’s Garage, ReChargeIT

Who is Doug Korthof?

Matt Kelly — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 12:30:43 +0000

Something different on today’s show — an interview with blogger Doug Korthof. He and his wife Lisa are passionate EV advocates, having driven electric vehicles for more than ten years, including two EV1’s and now a Toyota RAV 4 EV. This advocacy must be genetic, as their son operates Energy Efficiency Solar. Doug is a frequent commenter on blogs and Websites pertaining to EV’s, and I know him through his participation in a discussion group on Yahoo, where he is often critical of GM’s plans to produce the Chevy Volt. So I wanted to know, who is Doug Korthof?

Tags: blogger, Doug Korthof, electric vehicles, Chevy Volt

Miles Automotive Did It!

Matt Kelly — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 12:00:07 +0000

A five-door, five-passenger, high-speed lithium-ion-powered vehicle capable of traveling 150 miles at 85mph from the Miles Automotive Group will be available to the masses within 18-24 months — for less than $30k. If I were GM, Toyota, or any of the other major automotive brands, I’d be looking in my rear view mirror and watching for this Pininfarina-designed electric vehicle coming up quickly behind me. During the Alternative Fuel and Transportation National Conference and Expo, I spoke with I. Zion Enos, of Miles Automotive, about this world-changing car, the Javlon.

Tags: I. Zion Enos, Javlon

Batteries, Hybrids and Policy

editor — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 22:35:49 +0000

At the recent Clean Tech Venture Network Conference in San Francisco, Nora McDevitt interviewed Peter Fusaro, chairman of Global Change Associates, Dan Kammen, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and Maurice Gunerderson, venture partner with CMEA Ventures on CleanTech. This vlogcast explores their views on batteries, hybrids and policy trends. Kammen believes that, if we want to have plug-and-play hybrids on the road, battery technology is going to have to evolve more quickly, and we also need to tax the carbon content of fuel and set performance-based standards. The energy market is, in part, regulation-driven, and Kammen says we need to create taxes that reflect what we want, as California has done. Peter Fusaro suggests that, as technology continues to advance, and as plug-in hybrids hit the market, we will actually clip energy demand. In the case of batteries, Maurice Gunderson sees the technology for Litihium Ion Batteries for energy storage only a few years away from substantial improvements for premium power in automobiles.

Tags: Clean Tech Venture Network, Nora McDevitt, Peter Fusaro, Dan Kammen, Maurice Gunerderson, CMEA Ventures

Hymotion in Motion

Matt Kelly — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 13:00:17 +0000

As host of The Next Gear, I get to meet people who are trying to bring about postitive changes in the automotive industry. Many of the people I meet are entrepreneurs whose inventions have the potential to change the world, and many of these people are using their own money, working without investment capital or government support. Ricardo Bazzarella is president of Hymotion, the Toronto-based company that has developed a hybrid conversion kit, or Plug-in Hybrid system (PHEV) that can convert existing Hybrid vehicles such as the Toyota Prius and Ford Escape (and eventually the Honda Civic and Toyota Camry) to achieving 100+mpg fuel efficiency, while helping fight climate change simultaneously and without removing or replacing any factory parts or components. The advantages of Hymotion’s PHEV kit include better fuel economy, fewer visits to the gas station, lower fuel costs, less pollution and longer driving range in all-electric mode. The promise is a triple-win for consumers worried about spiking gas prices, CO2 emissions and a national dependence on imported oil. Hymotion is also working on a flex-fuel plug-in hybrid, as well as Vehicle to Grid technology. The kits aren’t scalable just yet, costing around $12,000, but the company is working on lowering that cost to around $6-8K before year’s end.

Tags: Ricardo Bazzarella, Hymotion

Author Sherry Boshert Speaks

Matt Kelly — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 13:00:50 +0000

My thanks to Sherry Boshert for fitting me into her busy schedule of speaking engagements, and meeting me for lunch to talk about her new book. Author of Plug-In Hybrids, The Cars That Will Re-Charge America, Sherry is known as Miss Plug-In for her tireless efforts on behalf of plug-in electric vehicles (PHEV’s). She was one of the first to drive a THINK electric vehicle, and now owns a Toyota Rav4 EV. Her book is one of intrigue involving a wide range of characters including Chelsea Sexton, who worked for General Motors and desperately fought GM’s attempts to kill the EV1 (you may have seen her profiled in the movie Who Killed the Electric Car?, Felix Kramer, one of the founders of CalCars.org, and former CIA Director James Woolsey, among many others. Our discussion covered the bipartisan support of plug-in vehicles, including evangelicals behind CreationCares and What Would Jesus Drive.org, the DRIVE Act moving through Congress, the efforts of organizations like Plug-In Partners, plus the many biofuels out there such as E85, diesel, cellulosic ethanol and even woodchips (my dad was project manager for the Burlington Electric Department in Vermont, helping bring the first wood chip-fired power plant enter the electric grid in 1984 — Thanks Dad!) But perhaps the most fascinating part for me was our discussion about V2G, or Vehicle to Grid technology. For copies of Sherry’s book, log onto Plug-In America.org.

Tags: Sherry Boshert, Miss Plug-In

EnergyCS and EDrive: Battery Powered!

Matt Kelly — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 21:14:46 +0000

So how much does it cost to convert a Prius into a PHEV? I spoke with Greg Hanssen, partner in Monrovia, Calif.’s EnergyCS and president of its offshoot, EDrive Systems, to find out. Along with his company, he has done about 12 conversions for state, government, electricity utilities and fleet customers, with support from Valence Technologies using new Saphion Li-Ion battery system. The hope is with their second generation battery system prototype is that do-it-yourself kits could eventually be sold, for installation by the consumer.

Reporter’s Notes: For more about EnergyCS, Pete Nortman is president. He can be reached here.

Click here for transcript.

Tags: Prius, PHEV, Greg Hanssen, EnergyCS, EDrive Systems, Valence Technologies, Saphion, Pete Nortman

AC Propulsion’s E-Box

Matt Kelly — Tue, 26 Dec 2006 18:38:30 +0000

$70,000 might be a little much to pay for a new car for the average consumer, but with AC Propulsion’s modification to a non-emission electrical vehicle, the Toyota XB may be worth it to the environment. The company modifies the XB using proprietary technology, and while at the Alternative Car & Transportation Expo, I spoke with Tom Gage about the company and it’s operations.

Tags: AC Propulsion, electrical vehicle, Toyota XB, Alternative Car & Transportation Expo, Tom Gage

Toyota Wins Green Car of the Year

Matt Kelly — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 23:31:40 +0000

Green Car Journal’s 2nd Annual Green Car of the Year was awarded to the Toyota Camry Hybrid at the L.A. Auto Show. Voted on by a panel of judges including Carroll Shelby, Carl Pope, Francis Beinecke, Jean-Michel Cousteau and others, the competition also featured the Honda Civic GX, Lexus LS450H, E320 Bluetec and Saturn Vue Green Line. Toyota’s national car marketing manager, Ed La Rocque, accepted the award and dedicated it to the company’s lead engineer on hybrid projects, Dave Hermance, who died in a plane crash less than a week before.

Click here for transcript.

Tags: Green Car Journal, Toyota Camry Hybrid, L.A. Auto Show, Dave Hermance

GM Announces PHEV at LA Auto Show

Matt Kelly — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 19:46:41 +0000

“The technical hurdles are real but we believe they are surmountable.” During his keynote address at the L.A. Auto Show, General Motors Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner announced that the company has begun work on a Saturn Vue plug-in hybrid production vehicle, as well as other alternative fuel technologies. While no production date was given for the PHEV, Wagoner indicated it was a top priority for the company.

Reporter’s Notes: While specifics were lacking, even mentioning GM’s PHEV plans in public represented a giant change in strategy for Wagoner and the company. No doubt they are feeling the pressure from competitors like Toyota, as well as economic and environmental concerns in the market among consumers, as issues like an over-reliance on foreign oil, rising gas prices, and global warming continue to dominate issues of concern for consumers. Special thanks to Ingrid Lobet, Western bureau chief for National Public Radio’s environmental & science program, Living on Earth, for her assistance in providing audio of this news conference.

Click here for transcript.

Tags: L.A. Auto Show, General Motors, Rick Wagoner, Saturn, Vue, plug-in hybrid, alternative fuel, PHEV, Ingrid Lobet, Living on Earth

Holiday Shopping News and Battery Recall Blues

Jason Lopez — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 00:53:53 +0000

In today’s news, CEA analysts’ very rosy predictions for the holiday shopping season, Microsoft opens Vista’s core to software competitors, online video continues to swoon after the recent Google/YouTube deal — including a new deal between CBS and Yahoo — and Reuters opens a news bureau in Second Life, joining Sun Microsystems, Toyota and other real-world companies with virtual properties.

Christmas Photo Credit: Sister72 via Flickr