The year 2009 is under way, but what does it hold for Silicon Valley’s clean technology companies and investors?
Without question 2008 was a monumental year for the solar, wind and electric vehicle industries with strong growth – venture investments leapt to a projected $8 billion up from $6 billion in the previous year.
Now, with strong support from the government courtesy of Obama’s calls for cleaner sources of energy and transportation, hopes are high that 2009 can continue the green momentum although some tension is expected particularly with falling oil prices.
Clean-tech investments are expected in a number of key technology areas in 2009 including solar, wind and energy efficiency. Here at thegreencarwebsite.co.uk however, we’ll focus on what you can expect from Silicon Valley’s contribution to green cars.
January marks the Detroit Auto Show, the biggest of its kind in North America where several overseas manufacturers are expected to unveil new models. Toyota will showcase a prototype of its battery electric car as well as a redesigned Prius 2010 Hybrid model. Honda will also showcase the production version of its four-door Insight hybrid. However, the US manufacturers will not be left out completely with General Motors once again taking the opportunity to highlight its much anticipated Chevrolet Volt and Ford exhibiting its Ford Fusion Hybrid that beats the popular Toyota Camry for fuel efficiency.
On a more local level for Silicon Valley, Tesla is expected to continue shipping its Roadster despite financial difficulties while Project Better Place will begin work on its $1 billion plan to build an electric vehicle infrastructure in the Bay Area.
2009 is predicted to be a watershed year for electric cars with many of the larger automakers expected to announce production of electric vehicles in sizeable volumes. According to Alan Salzman, chief executive and managing partner of VantagePoint Venture Partners in San Bruno, electric cars will do for the auto industry what the PC did for the computer industry.
