Cult followers of REDCloud. I’m moving my blogs to the lady electric which is my own personal blog–if you want to follow me there I’d be glad for your readership and feedback.
http://theladyelectric.wordpress.com/
As many of you know, I put my bets on Brazil in 2009 for running ahead with the EV industry. The economy was on fire when everywhere else the black cloud of recession seemed so real.
Brazil has all the ingredients for making EVs work. 80% hydro-electric (so the vehicles run on “water power” not coal, a tremendous success story moving from fossil fuel to ethanol and CNG fuel options–85% of vehicles in Brazil now run on ethanol. And at least the government “green will” in its talking points was buying into EVs. There was also a historic shift towards Brazil on the global stage with their upcoming World Cup and Olympics which are both pushing for ‘green infrastructure’ strategies. There’s all the major car companies with decades of time and money invested in Brazil. Oh and did I mention the ideal climate for a vehicle run on batteries–warm and sunny, hardly a day under 60 degrees anywhere in the entire country.
For heaven’s sake even the CEO of Nissan Carlos Ghsen is Brazilian!!! And there’s no doubt he’s sincerely interested in bringing the Leaf to Brazil along with a 1.6B manufacturing facility that “might” produce EVs–but the dragging of the highly polished leather shoes of corporate and government Brazil continues….
But alas, in 2010 the Brazilian government to make policy declared that Brazil is not ready for EVs and thus suspended talked on EV incentives (perhaps the ethanol lobbies helped in making th
is decision).
Russia on the other hand has a tremendous disadvantage to EVs–the first would be snow. Batteries don’t like cold so much. Second, it has it’s own formerly state owned car companies that are not as shall we say “modern” as the western equivalents. Russia, being Russia, also has more, again being somewhat delicate here “social challenges” than the big Amazonian nation of Brazil. But despite these challenges you see a groundswell of support for EVs. Moscow announced recently it’s buying 10 iMEVs, and 2000 “green” buses. (And check out that snow!)
And then there’s Prokhorov–the gazillionaire (he’s #49 richest man on the planet and #1 in Russia) that’s building the Yo–hybrid electric vehicle for Russia to be delivered soon vs. Eike Bautsita the #7 richest man on the planet and #1 in Brazil who had big plans for an EV factory in Rio but failed to deliver on his promises.
And Russia unlike Brazil is leaving it to the start ups like Revolt to launch an electric vehicle charging grid with some $50M in US investment.
So for now, my bets are on Russia and for start ups to make EVs viable.
I am really pleased to see that FecEx is putting it’s money where it can really do some good. The collaboration with FecEx and WRI put towards making public transportation in Brazil, India and Mexico is a great effort and in cases where the need is so urgent–it is likely to have a significant impact. More on the project here…
WRI and FEDEx team up to improve emerging market transportation
I really liked this comment…
“The resources devoted to agriculture and food are national treasures that require preservation.” –Brent Searle, Department of Agriculture Oregon Analyst and Economics.
The full story on Oregon’s New Agriculture Economic Report available here
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AMBIENTE MOTORS/REDCLOUD SELECTED TO PARTICIPATE IN PRESTIGIOUS GLOBAL ACCELERATOR PROGRAM, START-UP CHILE WITH $40K GRANT
Selected participants, 100 in total, hail from 36 different nations and comprise the third and final application round of 2011
Ashland, Oregon, USA– December 23, 2011 – Ambiente/REDCloud has been awarded a base-grant for its hybrid/electric agriculture vehicle with REDCloud vehicle Information System. The grant is part of Start-Up Chile program which has selected a 100 high-tech global start-up from more than 570 applicants. Ambiente, which has been working for several months on its new line of hybrid utility vehicles which it plans to launch in 2012, would be the first EV company with operations in Chile
With its vibrant agriculture and wine industries as well as the vast national land reserves, Chile is an ideal market to test Ambiente’s purpose-built and rugged hybrid/electric utility vehicles. Chile is also one of the most advanced countries in Central and South America in environmental policies. With a 40% hydroelectric energy portfolio it is a great early adopter market for EVs. The first EV rapid charging station in Latin America was inaugurated in Santiago in April of 2011. Chile also boasts the biggest production volume of copper and Lithium, which are used as raw materials of EV production.
About Ambiente/REDCloud
Ambiente Motors Inc is a hybrid/electric vehicle technology company based in North America with offices in Brazil. Ambiente designs and engineers hybrid and electric utility vehicles for commercial, agriculture and fleet applications. Ambiente has developed the REDCloud™ vehicle information system which offers monitoring and diagnostics for a multitude of electric vehicle platforms. For more information visit: www.redcloudev.com
About Start-Up Chile
Start-Up Chile is a program created by the Chilean Government, initiated by the Ministry of Economy and executed by Corfo/InnovaChile, that seeks to attract early-stage high potential entrepreneurs to bootstrap their startups using Chile as a platform to go global. In line with the national goal of converting Chile into the innovation and entrepreneurship hub of Latin America, the program plans to bring 1,000 startups to Chile by 2014.
The program, unique in the world, and catalyst of similar initiatives such as Startup America, Britain, and Greece, is the ideal opportunity for bootstrappers to receive funding without ceding equity while utilizing one of the strongest Latin American economies as their launching/development platform. Start-Up Chile has been featured in The Economist, BusinessWeek, TechCrunch, and Forbes, among others.
For more information about the Start-Up Chile experience, please visit www.startupchile.org.
Ambiente/REDCloud was part of a round table discussion on entrepreneurship with Senator Wyden at the Sustainable Valley offices in Medford. Ambiente has been part of the Sustainable Valley since its inception.
Senator Wyden was particularly interested in how we can help encourage new technology and innovation to the Ag sector.
I am so proud to live in Oregon, everywhere I look it seems we are on the “cutting edge” I came across this article on the Oregon farmers, born from the Oregon foodie culture and a passion to eat local. We are also the fortunate benefactors of a lush and fruitful (and still very rural) state. NY Times covered the new Oregon farmers in a story in May.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/06/us/06farmers.html?_r=1&src=tp&smid=fb-share
Buy Local! Eat Local!
REDCloud FEED
