Archive for Mai, 2008

Als größtes Problem gelten bei Elektrofahrzeugen von jeher die Akkus. Sie sind erstens schnell ausgelutscht und die Lithium-Ion-Variante fängt zweitens mitunter Feuer. Bei GM klingt das jetzt ganz anders. Angeblich hat sich die angepeilte Reichweite von gut 60 Kilometern für den Volt in Tests als völlig locker erreichbar herausgestellt. Der verantwortliche Manager Bob Lutz behauptet gar: “Ich würde sagen, die Batterien sind unser geringstes Problem.” Not bad, dann kann es ja bald losgehen …

Israel wird sechzig! Was hat diese Nachricht in einem Techblog verloren? Eine ganze Menge. Schließlich schickt sich das Land gerade an, die Autobranche zu revolutionieren und ist auch sonst ein ziemlicher Tech-Hub. Eine kleine Auswahl hat Reuters zusammengestellt:

— Teva Pharmaceutical Industries,
Israel’s biggest company with a $39 billion market value, makes
lower-cost generic drugs. It has said it expects to double its
revenue to $20 billion by 2012. Its drug Copaxone is the U.S.
leader for treating multiple sclerosis.

— Israel Chemicals is the second-largest company
traded in Tel Aviv with a market value of $24 billion. Its
share price has more than doubled in the past year on soaring
demand for its potash and phosphate fertilisers, extracted from
the Dead Sea and Israel’s southern desert.

— MA Industries is the world’s biggest maker of
generic crop protection products. Like ICL, it is benefiting
from the global rise in food prices that has sent farmers
scrambling to increase their output. Its controlling
shareholder, Koor Industries, recently said it is in talks to
sell up to half of its nearly 40 percent stake.

— Altair Semiconductor develops microprocessors and
accompanying software for the wireless broadband market,
including the technology known as mobile WiMax, which is
expected to take off in 2009.

— Discretix develops embedded security technology for
mobile phones and portable devices and is now entering a new
market — mobile television. It recently announced a joint
mobile TV security product with France Telecom subsidiary
Viaccess. Discretix, whose customers include leading
semiconductor companies and device manufacturers, plans to go
public on Nasdaq in the second half of 2009.

Happy birthday!