Old Wizard

Obama Announces List of Grant Recipients, Recognizing Significance of Hybrid Markets

John, through my own sources, I was reminded that GE has a big investment in A123. As your table reveals, A123 received one of the largest grants from the Government's 2.5b program. Since A123 is probably going to have an IPO soon, it appears that GE will stand to gain a substantial return from its investment. Further, it is also true that the head of American Superconductor was a former principal in A123 and this firm is also a possible recipient of a Gov. grant. I have not verified whether GE has an interest in AM. SUP.. You are right about the political climate, but did not comment on the Buffet point. On the above, a jaundiced observer might conclude that it pays to back the winner politically, especially when the winner has the power to make such large investments in your business' well being.

Obama Announces List of Grant Recipients, Recognizing Significance of Hybrid Markets

John, I didn't see GE in the list. Did they not get money for their new hi-powered battery initiative? On another subject, The natural gas for fuel bill that is wending its way through congress has been allocated 30m. It would seem to me that a balanced energy plan that really deals both with our critical economic and jobs problem would be more balanced. The investment in battery technology is driving toward an electric vehicle solution that will have a major impact in possibly ten years while that which can impact the country in the near term is hardly addressed. Let's look at the numbers, 3 billion for the CAC program that might save 6 to 9m/gallon on 675k cars whereas converting roughly a million vehicles to natural gas fuel for the same money would save2 to 4 times the amount of oil and have a greater immediate impact on jobs and the country's current account. Further, I believe that this battery money is still a buck shot approach that is not likely to converge as quickly and with the focus of Chinese competitors whose investment in equivalent man hours dwarfs the USA'S . Warren Buffet's alone in the Chinese company shows this to be true.