Nissan co-founds electric car consortium
Posted on November 17, 2009 at 7:44 am
A baker’s dozen of big names have come together to launch the Electrification Coalition, a vehicle that will bundle their power to shape government energy policy. Nissan is in the mix, as is FedEx.
But the group also digs deeper into the EV ecosystem, arguing that in order to support a rapid scale-up in production of advanced batteries, the feds should provide tax credits for installation of automotive-grade batteries in stationary applications. To help convince consumers that plug-in vehicles will perform as well or better, at lower cost, than conventional vehicles, the coalition urges regulators to review vehicle warranties and establish a minimum residual value for large-format automotive batteries (potentially smoothing the way for battery leasing and recycling).
SEE ALSO: Electric Avenue: Or, How to Rev Up the Electric-Car Revolution from the Journal.
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Big utility joins Nissan’s electric car push
Posted on November 13, 2009 at 2:52 pm
In Los Angeles for the U.S. unveiling of his LEAF electric car, Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn announced his company has enlisted Houston-based electric utility Reliant Energy to help flesh out the infrastruture that will be needed to charge electric vehicles.
China powers Nissan’s profit recovery
Posted on at 9:08 amThe world’s largest country is now also single-handedly responsible for the brighter profit outlook at Nissan. Year-to-date sales in the Middle Kingdom are up 25 percent from a year ago, but October numbers spiked by more than 70 percent.
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MTSU economist: Nissan electric job projections optimistic
Posted on November 12, 2009 at 1:32 pmDavid Penn at MTSU’s Business & Economic Research Center says the study prepared to help Rutherford County officials justify $62 million in tax breaks for Nissan was a tad too upbeat.
“The analysis done on the multiplier assumes that other jobs that Nissan has stays the same,” said Penn, who is also an economics associate professor for MTSU. “These models they use assume that all sources are fully employed to begin with, but we clearly know that’s not the case right now. So that brings down the multiplier a lot.”
For its part, the accused at Younger Associates say they’ve got the government backing them up.
“The analysis is based on the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis multipliers. They are specific to Rutherford County and they are specific to the automotive industry. They are reflective of the past performance of automotive operations in Rutherford County.”
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Auto supplier scouting state
Posted on at 7:40 amAn Ontario maker of headrests and other auto parts is looking at expanding in Tennessee as well as in Mexico and near Evansville, Ind. Windsor Machine Group’s project would eventually bring with it about 130 jobs.
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No hogs for Murfreesboro
Posted on November 5, 2009 at 7:54 am
Harley-Davidson officials have eliminated Murfreesboro and Shelbyville, Ind., from the short list of cities where it might move its 2,300-employee York, Pa., operations.
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Big wheels driving Nissan sales
Posted on November 4, 2009 at 9:20 am
Nissan North America’s truck sales rose more than 17 percent last month, helping the Franklin-based auto maker post an overall volume increase of almost 8 percent. Shipments of Infiniti-brand vehicles, however, fell almost 10 percent.
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For the people, with the people
Posted on November 3, 2009 at 7:27 am
Spring Hill Mayor Michael Dinwiddie has begun working the line at GM’s Spring Hill plant, where the last Chevy Traverse will roll off the line in three weeks.
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One in eight Tennessee factory jobs gone since 2007
Posted on November 2, 2009 at 12:49 pmMore bleak data from the manufacturing sector: Tennessee factories has shed more than 56,000 jobs since September of 2007. The automotive sector accounts for more than 9,000 of those losses and has been laying off workers more quickly than the rest of the industry.
Cash for clunkers’ local boost
Posted on October 30, 2009 at 2:26 pm
Middle Tennessee’s factory sector saw a nice boost in activity during September, with hours worked at durable goods manufacturers jumping almost 20 percent.
Nissan’s electric project getting tax breaks
Posted on October 29, 2009 at 10:56 am
The Rutherford County Industrial Development Board will cut the auto maker $62 million worth of slack over 20 years in return for the more than 1,700 jobs expected to be created at its electric car and battery operations.
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Ghosn: Electric cars need regulatory help
Posted on at 8:12 am
Speaking at UPenn’s Wharton School of Business, Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn said that — between public perception and emerging-market growth — the auto industry has no choice but to dive headlong into the production of cars that don’t need fossil fuels. That said, he does say car makers need a good bit of government help to build a mass market.
The equipment isn’t cheap: A quick-charge device, Ghosn said, costs $30,000 — an investment that might make sense once there is a critical mass of electric-car drivers already on the road, but something that could seem expensive for service station owners in a market where electric cars remain rare. He called for governments to step in and spur the market via regulation. One idea: Make quick-charge facilities mandatory for anyone operating a gas station starting in 2012.
GDP growth tops estimates
Posted on at 7:44 amThe consensus from economists on third-quarter economic acticity had been growth of 3.3 percent. The Bureau of Economic Analysis says it was a little higher than that, with the auto industry — thanks to cash for clunkers — accounting for almost half of the growth.
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Which begs the question: Why not Spring Hill?
Posted on October 26, 2009 at 11:31 pm
Hybrid electric-car maker Henrik Fisker plans to convert a 52-year-old former GM plant in Delaware with the help of a massive credit line from the Department of Energy. (For more on Fisker, check out this Forbes story.)
I already have two possible answers to my question, one practical, the other political. The first: The Wilmington plant already has closed, while Spring Hill will crank out cars for a few more weeks. The second: This gentleman is from Delaware.
Got any other good answers?
Nissan gets into the battery recycling business
Posted on October 20, 2009 at 10:53 amNissan Motor Co. said it will set up a joint venture with a Japanese trading house for recycling of electric car batteries.
Nissan said Tuesday the joint venture with Sumitomo Corporation is expected to begin operations in late 2010 in Japan and the United States. The companies have yet to finalize details including the capitalization of the venture.
The launch is in line with a potential surge in demand for electric vehicles powered by batteries.
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