How to Build Better Batteries for Electric Cars – Lesson Plan

How to Build Better Batteries for Electric Cars – Lesson Plan

By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues

Today, we’re presenting the third in our new Lesson Plan Series based on Fresh Dialogues interviews. The series is compiled by Lisa Lubliner, our new Fresh Dialogues Education Expert.

 

 

Fresh Dialogues Lesson plan – battery technology electric cars

In 2010, Fresh Dialogues produced a video featuring Mark Platshon, a venture capitalist at Vantage Point Capital Partners, one of the leading investors in battery and energy storage innovation. Mark gave a good overview of energy storage, its limits and potential; and explained what venture capitalists are looking for in new storage technologies. Let’s call the VIDEO Batteries 101.

Here are some extracts:

What is a battery?

“Throw a dart at (two elements on) the periodic table and you can make a battery out of it…a potato and a penny can make a battery…unfortunately we have a very limited periodic table…(and remember)  Moore’s Law doesn’t apply to chemistry!” VC, Mark Platshon

To find out more about batteries and explore a step by step lesson plan about batteries – check out the lesson plan link below:

Why are batteries important to us?

How do batteries work?

How are lithium ion batteries superior to alkaline ones?

How can battery efficiency be improved?

How does battery innovation impact electric cars and the transport sector?

Click this link for the answers:  Fresh Dialogues Lesson plan – battery technology electric cars

MORE RESOURCES

At NY Times – Building a Better Car Battery

And NPR – Leading the Charge to make Better Electric Cars

If you’re an educator and have more resources to share on this topic, we’d love to hear from you. Please LET US KNOW

Lesson plan credit:  thanks to GM.com/education

The video was recorded at SDForum’sCleantech Breakfast held at SAP headquarters in Palo Alto on June 29, 2010. The event was moderated by Jeffrey Selman of Nixon Peabody and also featured (former VentureBeat’s and now) Tesla’s Camille RickettsDania Ghantous of Qnovo Corp. and Ashok Lahiri of Enovix.

For more videos and interviews with Green Visionary and NYT columnist, Tom Friedman; Nobel Prize winning economist, Paul Krugman; Oceanographer and Titanic discoverer, Robert Ballard et al…check out Fresh Dialogues archives

For exclusive video interviews, check out the Fresh Dialogues YouTube Channel

For more Lesson Plans check out our Education Tab above (under All Categories)

Martin Giles: The Economist on Green Innovation

Martin Giles: The Economist on Green Innovation

By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues

The Economist newspaper has a reputation for world-class reporting, with a sardonic British twist. Is the publication bullish about green innovation? I sat down with Martin Giles, the Economist’s US Technology Correspondent last week to get his global perspective on green innovation and the greening of Silicon Valley tech companies. Giles conducts interviews for the delicious Tea with the Economist series and other high profile conferences, but when the tables were turned, he didn’t disappoint. In this Fresh Dialogues interview, we talk GREEN, from data centers to smart grid; and green jobs to political bluster.

Is GREEN and sustainability important to tech companies today?

“It’s definitely on everybody’s agenda. It’s an opportunity to save money. If we can find ways of powering our server farms…our production lines more efficiently, we can save money and do a favor to the environment. That’s a win-win.”

What lasting green trends are happening today?

E-waste is a big issue…How do we create products that don’t leave a massive footprint on the environment?”

Smart grid… It’s classic Silicon Valley – it’s technology on the one hand and power on the other…let’s bring them together and create a whole new paradigm.”


FIND OUT MORE

On SMART GRID:

Primer from the Dept of Energy

Electricity 101

ACTION ITEMS:

Go to www.myecollective.com to find your nearest electronic waste depository.

Check out the 2010 Green Business Rankings at Newsweek and Greenpeace and vote with your consumer choices

Is the greening of tech companies authentic?

(more…)

Batteries 101 – A Venture Capitalist View

Batteries 101 – A Venture Capitalist View

By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues

In this week’s Fresh Dialogues, Mark Platshon, an expert in battery technology with venture capitalists, Vantage Point , provides some Battery Basics.

What is a battery?

“Throw a dart at (two elements on) the periodic table and you can make a battery out of it…a potato and a penny can make a battery…unfortunately we have a very limited periodic table…(and remember)  Moore’s Law doesn’t apply to chemistry!”

.

Why is it a hot space today?

“When did you see a $10 Billion market grow three orders of magnitude in 20 years?”

(That’s Platshon’s prediction for the growth in the lithium ion cell market as we drive more hybrid cars and new generation Electric Vehicles).

What will attract the attention of venture capitalists?

“We are looking for novelty and creativity…materials, systems, cooling…no one is going to find an execution plan because you are up against Samsung and Panasonic, the gorillas. You gotta do something that is truly novel, truly different and run like hell…cos they’re after you.”
.

.

Download or listen to this lively Fresh Dialogues interview

 

We welcome feedback at FreshDialogues.com, click on the Contact Tab | Open Player in New Window

What about grid storage?

(more…)

Carl Guardino on AB 32/ Prop 23: We’re not going to sit idly by

Carl Guardino on AB 32/ Prop 23: We’re not going to sit idly by

By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues

You’ve no doubt heard about the November ballot measure (Proposition 23) which aims to to scupper California’s landmark climate change legislation, AB 32. In this Fresh Dialogues interview, Carl Guardino, CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, didn’t pull any punches in his response to those behind the plan.

“We’re not going to sit idly by and watch you dismantle our environmental achievements… which are also economic ones,” says Carl Guardino.

The Silicon Valley Leadership Group, which represents over 300 major companies in the valley, including Google, Hewlett Packard and IBM (approximately one in three private sector jobs) provides a proactive voice for Silicon Valley businesses on public policy issues, locally and in Sacramento and Washington D.C.

.

Here’s a recap of the issue:

AB 32 is the Golden State’s attempt to cap carbon emissions to 1990 levels by introducing a version of a cap-and-trade carbon tax which would hit power plants, refineries and cement manufacturers hard.

What is Proposition 23?

Supporters call it “The California Jobs Initiative,” and point to the high cost and potential job losses of implementing AB 32; but Proposition 23’s main impact would be to suspend (and effectively repeal) the provisions of AB 32. In turn, AB 32 supporters have launched a Stop Dirty Energy Prop Campaign to thwart the proposition. As of today, Proposition 23 is way ahead in the social media popularity index with over 4,500 Facebook “likes” for Prop 23 compared to just under 3,000 for its opponents.

And here’s how Guardino describes it:

“A veiled attempt to dismantle California’s environmental achievements.”

.

Who is behind it?

Two Texas-based oil companies, Valero Energy Corporation and Tesoro Corporation, provided the initial funding to launch the campaign. Valero donated over $4 Million to the cause.

Guardino’s argument

“This is an economic engine not a caboose and we’re not going to let folks ruin the engine that continues to fuel the renewable energy, clean green economy. It’s not only good for our environment – and it’s critical – it’s also good for our economy and jobs; and we’ve proved that through innovation of products, processes and what we do with our people every day in Silicon Valley.”

“What’s wonderful about Silicon Valley is that it’s never been an ‘either or’  –  it’s never been about the environment or the economy,” says Carl Guardino. “We can have our cake and eat it too.”

.

.

Download or listen to this lively Fresh Dialogues interview

 

We welcome feedback at FreshDialogues.com, click on the Contact Tab | Open Player in New Window

(more…)

Lesa Mitchell: Kauffman calls for boot camps

Lesa Mitchell: Kauffman calls for boot camps

By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues

Reid Hoffman’s concept of leveraging the power of entrepreneurship was echoed again this summer when I talked with Lesa Mitchell, VP for Advancing Innovation at the Kauffman Foundation. She shared her enthusiasm that, for the first time, the Federal Government is waking up to the enormous impact entrepreneurship can have on the economy and recently created an Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. It has limited staff and funding, but it’s a start. I wonder if it will one day include a department of GREEN entrepreneurship? It’s widely accepted that “picking winners” is not the best use of government resources, however, there is much government can do to create a fertile ecosystem for startups to thrive.

Lesa Mitchell recently testified before Congress and shared some of her top recommendations with me:

1. The need to development world-class commercialization boot camps for university students and faculty and entrepreneurs, to get innovation out of labs and into commercial production – this she says is the “low hanging fruit.”

2. Before giving grants, the government must set rules to encourage transparency, sharing data, resources and outcomes. Mitchell cited Kauffman’s iBridge Network (a Craigslist for innovation) as a suitable model to create a “lens into universities.”

3. A free agency licensing model should be adopted to encourage more rapid commercialization of innovation. This idea has created some controversy, but the Kauffman team should be applauded for not pulling its punches.

For more information on the Kauffman Foundation’s work on entrepreneurship and startup trends click here

For more interviews with Friedman, Krugman, Ballard et al…check out Fresh Dialogues archives

For more exclusive video interviews, check out the Fresh Dialogues YouTube Channel

Reid Hoffman: LinkedIn Entrepreneurship

Reid Hoffman: LinkedIn Entrepreneurship

By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues

June 24 marked the 13th annual SDForum Visionary Awards, a celebration of the innovators and chutzpah that make Silicon Valley unique. Although the four visionaries come from diverse backgrounds, Silicon Valley was the common theme for the evening. The visionaries gave a revealing glimpse into the Silicon Valley State of Mind. What exactly is Silicon Valley? What’s its role in the world?

This week, we look at Reid Hoffman’s viewpoint. He’s co-founder of LinkedIn and a renowned innovator in Silicon Valley. He had some strong words to say about the power of entrepreneurship and its ability to jumpstart the economy.

The other honorees this year were Chris Shipley, Arthur Patterson and Brent SchlenderBill Gates was also there. Alas, in virtual form only.

Jeff Weiner of LinkedIn introduced Reid Hoffman as someone with a brilliant strategic mind and ability to invent the future. As well as being Executive Chairman of LinkedIn, Hoffman is also a partner with venture capitalists, Graylock Partners. Pointing to his colleague’s multidisciplinary background (Hoffman studied symbolic systems and philosophy at Stanford and Oxford respectively), Weiner concluded that education provided the building blocks to create an outstanding public thinker and social networking pioneer. Weiner reminded the audience that Hoffman understood the ability of technology to inform and connect people, inspiring him to launch Socialnet (a precursor to LinkedIn) before Facebook and MySpace existed.

Hoffman walked to the podium with some reluctance, saying that listening to the introduction made him “want to run and hide”; yet he started his speech off by grounding us in time and place.

“It’s an enormous privilege to be at this center fulcrum of how we change the world, that we call Silicon Valley,” he said, and posed the powerful question, “What more should we do with that?”

Talking like a true Silicon Valley techie, he suggested not two “answers,” but two “vectors” to his question. And, the visionary he is, Hoffman thinks BIG. First, he recommended leveraging entrepreneurship as a powerful way to get the world economy back on track.  Drawing from author, Tom Friedman’s thesis, Hoffman said,

“We live in a world that is increasingly flat and increasingly accelerating. When you have challenges like economic turbulence and uncertainty… entrepreneurship is a really good pattern…we need to make it more available globally.”

Provoking wry laughter from the crowd, he pointed out that there is no entrepreneurs’ lobby in Washington DC, and implied there should be one to encourage entrepreneurship as part of the stimulus package, both here in the U.S. and around the world.

His second “vector” or call to action was: how can we take business models to the non-profit sector? Drawing from his work at Kiva.org and Endeavor.org, he suggested hybrid models of self-sustaining nonprofits that can help spread entrepreneurship and create high impact change.

“I love to play at the heart of what we do best in Silicon Valley,” said Hoffman. “To take risks, develop technologies and use financing and inspire entrepreneurship to create a lever by which we move the world.”

.

(more…)