Unstealthing Kleiner Perkins' Fortu Powercell: Kleiner helped them seek DOE Battery Funds

Via yet another determined reader of TheEEStory.com, a new stealth Kleiner investment has come to light. This time, it required a FOIA request to the Department of Energy to learn the list of applicants for advanced battery development funds.

The complete list is a whos who of battery upstarts, established players and wannabes. It is currently located at TheEEStory.com.

Since Kleiner has been so generous to me in regards to my numerous requests for comment on EEStor, it does make me chuckle a bit to be able to help uncloak yet another of their investments hiding in stealth. :-)

The DOE document lists Fortu Powercell Inc., as having an address of Kleiner Perkins Caulfield & Byers of 2750 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, California 94025. The POC listed is Mr. Alan Greenshields. From their website, it looks like this is a German company. http://www.fortu.de/

According to the forums website, RCGroups, Fortu uses a lithium chemistry consisting of Lithium-Cobalt-inorganic technology.

HHHhhhmm. Backing a German company for funds designed to grow a domestic battery industry. HHHhhhhmmm, not commenting on the EEStor investment. HHHhhhmmm.

Anyone at Kleiner care to clear any of this up for inquiring minds? Email: eestorblog@gmail.com


Here is one of their patents.

UL in Receipt of Cert Request from EEStor

Lyle Dennis, founder of gm-volt.com and allcarselectric.com, is reporting today that UL has begun working with EEStor on product certification. To what stage has this progressed is anybody's guess--maybe so far it's just at the request stage. But so far, here's the quote Dennis has obtained from UL:

"We have received a request to certify EEStor's product," said Priya L. Tabaddor, PhD, Global Energy Services, Underwriters Laboratories, Inc.

Additionally, back in July, I scored an interview with Jace Curtis from PTI, the company who ZMC contracted to validate the EEStor permittivity testing performed by Dr. Ed Golla. Dick Weir had indicated possibly working with them to prepare and/or complete UL certification testing with them. In the interview, Curtis provides good background on UL's relationship to OSHA, etc. Basically, companies can reduce the amount of time it takes to obtain UL certification by pretesting products before doing the actual testing. Also, according to Curtis, one of the last things a company does before releasing a product is to perform UL testing. It's on the right side of the gant chart.

Underwriters Laboratories on Vehicle Batteries

The timing of UL's press release about testing of vehicle batteries is interesting. But what about standards for EESU's?

Who Follows EEStor?

I started a thread at TheEEStory concerning who reads/views the website. It's an interesting thread that includes various users identifying with various companies, organizations in the list.

Another user went through the list and provided numerous web links to the organizations in question. Who knows, maybe you aren't the only one following EEStor?

Mandatory Reading on EEStor's Carl W. Nelson

http://theeestory.com/posts/61243

TheEEStory.com's GaryB and Tom Villars

Since EEStor is about to be issued a 3rd patent, there's been a bit of activity related to organizing all of this publicly available information. The result is a fantastic EEStor spreadsheet put together by GaryB and Tom Villars. It includes tabs forDick Weir and Carl Nelson EEStor patents, EEStor trademarks, EEStor attorneys, EEStor EDGAR filings, related Incorporations and Permits. EEStor EEStor EEStor.

This really should be included on the EEStor wikipedia page. Who will make that happen? Maybe YOU!

EEStor: The Inventor Richard Weir

In 1963, Richard "Dick" Weir had not yet filed his first of 20+ issued patents. In fact, he was two years away from his 1965 graduation from Cal Poly Pamona aka California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. However, he did pose for the below yearbook photo.



Contrary to popular belief, Dick Weir graduated from Cal Poly Pamona with a degree in Industrial Engineering not Electrical Engineering, which of course, is a more suitable preparation for someone whose career is marked by innovation in production technology not "new science." EEStor fans will note most immediately that their fearless idol does not appear to be a slide rule geek. Instead, it seems appropriate to associate the below photo with Weir's prior service as a pilot in the US Marine Corps. OoooRah!

So, dear reader, are you now examining for the first time one of the greatest inventors of this century?

Special thanks to the Cal Poly Pamona Library and an interested EEStor Inc. investor.

EEStor Third Patent Issue Date Set 9/29/09

The illustrious Tom Villars has located a letter from the United States Patent & Trademark office establishing the issue date for EEStor's 3rd patent for application # 11/400,875. It will be issued 9/29/09 and will have patent #7595109.

Update: There's been some confusion and discussion of this topic. The best theory to date seems to be that one of EEStor's patent's is being split into two, perhaps at their request. This seems to be what happened to one of the patents in the European Patent Office. The topic is still being discussed at TheEEStory.com.

Read it and weep, skeptics!

nanosolar Hints at Residential Offering

One of the hopes that many people had for the Nanosolar announcements that came out recently was that they would make a peep about a residential product. Well, they finally made the peep. See below:

http://www.nanosolar.com/homes

Quote from a new page on nanosolar's website:

"We are planning to enlighten the residential solar market by bringing the economics we have attained at utility scale to private homes everywhere."

The web page offers a place to sign up as a homeowner to be notified when a home product is available. The website also offers a place for Contractors to sign up for alpha/beta testing.

Can you imagine Nanosolar being integrated into building materials like roofing shingles, house siding, etc., being combined with an home based EESU? Slam DUNK!!!

Image: from nanosolar website.

September 11, 2009: In Memoriam

If you're looking for a way to honor all of those we have lost since 9/11, the victims of that horrible day along with the courageous members of our armed services who were pressed into duty as a result, then consider taking the time to write a note today to your state's Senators and Members of Congress. Press them to demonstrate leadership on the issue of energy independence. Don't be naive and think that our entire way of life does not have very strong dependence on this issue. Urge them to stop leading this country into economic disaster. And if your political persuasion allows it, ask for market based incentives to create competition where ever possible. For example, with batteries, ask for tax credits based on energy density and longevity....paid for by a battery tax on imported oil.

http://www.senate.gov/

http://www.house.gov/