Ford

Let's not let this Ford announcement disappear too quickly.

Image Source.

Boston Power Article in Boston Globe: No DOE Funds

Erin Ailworth has written a noteworthy article tracking how Boston Power was unable to obtain their sought after $100Mil in DOE stimulus funds. It's a great piece of journalism, allowing us to peer into this unprecedented release of USA public funds...a process we are learning isn't so transparent.

However, the article could have been a blockbuster if Ailworth had followed through on a couple things. First, she should have utilized http://OpenSecrets.org to provide a comparison of lobbying/campaign donations among applications for the DOE battery funds. If she had done that for Boston Power, she would have noted how PAULTRY a sum they invested ($50K) compared to the grand winners A123 Systems (close to $1Mil. )

Secondly, I think it is remarkable that US Rep James McGovern said there was a "buzz that the [Boston Power] application was very, very strong. People within the industry and at the DOE intimated that this was a really good company with good technology." What amazes me is that anyone at DOE would speak to McGovern after the applications were submitted because I knew of several attempts by others to simply learn WHO THE APPLICANTS WERE...a request that was denied by DOE. So, if Ailworth had stirred the pot a little on the selection process, the story may have been even more interesting.

My working theory is one I don't enjoy holding and I really hope that I am wrong. The theory is that if you didn't rack up enough points (lobbying/campaign donations), you didn't get any DOE funds. So there you go, Erin, you're next article idea. Happy hunting!

Titanium X Memory Lane

I caught up with Dr. Wilbur C. Krussell today on the phone and had a chance to talk with him about his 2&1/2yrs working with Dick Weir and Carl Nelson at Titanium X. What does he remember about them?

"They're smart. They know a hell of a lot about materials. They're really good at the formulation, IP, & Pilot line stuff. "

Krussell ruminated on Weir, Nelson and their tenacity & genius but he's not too familiar with EEStor. Krussell attended the same alma mater as Nelson, ie, MIT.

Regarding EEStor & DOE Funding

There's been a bit of head scratching concerning whether or not EEStor ever applied for federal funding and if not, why not. Without attempting to resolve all those questions at once, it was pointed out to me that EEStor has what can fairly be described as pretty good counsel on the matter. Observe. I'm referring to Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati's Clean tech practice which maintains a competency with important regulatory developments in the space. Their clients include Tesla, Smith Electric Vehicles, Proterra (the electric bus people), Bloom Energy, and energy storage firms Imara & ActaCell.

Here's an excerpt from WSGR's 2009 Cleantech Report:

Government Initiatives. We recognize that

successful navigation of government policy

and funding programs can be critical to the

success of many of our clean technology and

renewable energy clients. With this in mind,

our government initiatives team focuses on

providing clients with critical information

regarding legislative and regulatory

developments, as well as an understanding of

the processes that companies must follow to

obtain government funding for their clean

technology ventures and renewable energy

projects. Our attorneys work closely with

clients on submissions for loan guarantees,

grants, and other federal funding programs

and give strategic advice on best practices in

managing these complex processes.

Kleiner Partner Bill Joy Heads EEStor Relationship

According to a very well connected anonymous source, Bill Joy is the Kleiner Perkins partner who initiated the EEStor Inc. investment. Additionally, he is responsible for having recruited Mort Topfer to serve on the EEStor Board of Directors.

In the past, this has been a question relegated to rumor....(still will be for some. )But for me, I am highly confident it is the case based on a highly credible source who simply preferred not to be quoted. Joy co-founded Sun with recent EEStor commentator Vinod Khosla and a gaggle of other legendary nerds.

One of the challenges in seeking a comment from Kleiner Perkins on EEStor is trying to target the correct partner to talk about it. Knowing that Joy handled the EEStor investment at least makes that part of the puzzle easier to handle. To date, I've requested comments from Kleiner on most of EEStor's announcements and news items. But they have said that if an investment is not listed on their website, they do not comment on it. On another occasion, a spokesperson for Kleiner told me that they do not comment on investment companies if the company receiving the investment asks them to do so.

image source: wikimedia.org

Mort Topfer Continues to Retire

Former EEStor Board of Director member, Mort Topfer has stepped down from the AMD BoD on July 30, 2009. He is expected to now once again rejoin the EEStor Board of Directors for a 3rd time at which time, he will promptly resign and rejoin again and again. Just kidding. :-)

I found this tidbit searching the SEC website. Topfer as a search term....

NY Times Article on Batteries

Saqib Rahim and Jessica Lebers of ClimateWire made one mistake in their recent NY Times article: there's no mention of any skepticism regarding these DOE funds for batteries. It seems odd that all of this money is circulating and no one is asking any difficult questions about it. For example, I don't think I've read a single article on this battery funding that questioned the underlying supply of lithium ion or the fact that instead of obtaining oil from the middle east we will be gathering our lithium from Bolivia or China. Also, no reporter has examined the relationship between winners/losers of stimulus funding with basic lobbying/campaign donation funds at OpenSecrets.org.

I'm not saying anything is amiss for certain. But, it seems good journalism practices would at least lead one to inquire into some of these issues. It just feels like ever since the Obama administration began, all the tough questions have been set aside.

Another EEStor Skeptic Takes a Swipe

SeekingAlpha author John Peterson lays out the reasoning behind his EEStor skepticism in a blog post he emailed me about today. I think his points have been well covered at TheEEstory.com. It should come as no surprise to anyone just starting to learn about EEStor that there are many skeptics of EEStor. They have credibility. They understand material science and they don't think EEStor can deliver. Some will go to the next step and say what EEStor is attempting is impossible. If you believe in EEStor, you can't run and hide from that. It's not going to go away until EEStor does exactly what Peterson hopes they do, which is deliver some 3rd party confirmation.

In the meantime, in the absense of this confirmation, I'll simply restate my position: I believe EEStor has exactly what they claim and will deliver it as they promise. Everyone wants a time frame but I don't think that is quite as important. And skeptics have a point here regarding timeframes that, again, can't be ignored. But for me, based on all the information I have had the opportunity examine, I think EEStor has done it.

One final thing about John Peterson. I reached out to him via email a few weeks back because I learned he sat on a panel at Storageweek with a Kleiner partner. Did the Kleiner partner mention EEStor? No. Did Peterson ask? No. This brings me to rule #1 of anyone who would attempt to get to the truth about EEStor: when you get the opportunity to ask someone who owns 20% of EEStor a question about their prospects, you ask the question. :-)

Why would DARPA fund EEStor? Businessweek Article Provides Insights

Steve LeVine has written about some of new cleantech priorities of DARPA in this July 23, 2009 article as well as points about past achievements. A few months back, I tried unsuccessfully to speak with Robert J. Nowak, who is mentioned in this article. He has been involved with multiple energy storage initiatives for the DoD and someone who served on a National Academies committee with him recommended I seek him out. Alas, LeVine had better luck. Steve, if you read this blog post, shoot my email address over to Mr. Nowak: eestorblog@gmail.com

From the article:

"Typically, DARPA requires contractors to come up with solutions that are orders of magnitude superior to current technology. It pays companies—from startups to IBM—as well as top universities to meet a goal. Then, other than imposing strict reporting requirements, the agency gets out of the way of the researchers' work."

Ian Clifford on Fox Business July 31, 2009

I cant seem to get the embed video to work on this. Here's a regular link to it.

I'm going to go ahead and say it. This was not the best interview Cheryl Casone ever conducted. Ummm.