Cleantech Investor

Published in: 2011 - A Review of Cleantech Equity Deals, January 2012

There were a host of deals in the EV charging infrastructure space in 2011 – sufficient for this sub-sector to merit its own section this year. Leading the pack – at least in terms of valuation – was the Better Place funding, which valued the company at $2.25 billion.

A major trend in evidence was the interest shown by industrial companies and telecommunications companies in the EV charging space. GE was amongst the new investors in Better Place, while other significant deals in 2011 included the ABB acquisition of Epyon (fast charging technology) and investment in ECOtality, the Qualcomm purchase of HaloIPT (inductive or wireless charging) and Toyota’s investment in WiTricity (wireless charging).

The equity deals were matched by a flurry of activity in terms of collaboration announcements. Non-equity deals during 2011 included:

- an agreement between GE and CODA Automotive for the distribution of the GE WattStation charging station;

- an announcement from Daimler that it will collaborate with Conductix-Wampfler on research into wireless charging, in a project part-funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU);

- news that Nissan and EV charging firm DBT are developing small DC fast chargers;

- IBM’s announcement that it will pilot a web and smartphone app which monitors charge levels;

- collaboration between Sumitomo and Nissan in the fast-charging space;

- a partnership between Nissan and 4R for solar charging systems for EVs;

- a collaboration between Evatran and Yazaki to develop wireless charging technology.

Meanwhile, a consortium of major automotive manufacturers is developing a standard for EV fast-charging. The group, which intends to create a universal charging system which will be compatible with charging methods across Europe and the US, includes Daimler, Audi, Ford, GM and Porsche.

Deals