The Latest BMW i3 Illustration Appears

BMW Blog posted a new i3 rendering. today. It may not seem like big news, but BMW is doing their best to keep details and photos of the i3 under wraps so even drawings become news on the i3. 
It seems that ever since the spy shots were captured, the illustrations are able to really capture the cars general lines. I'm still a little concerned about the apparent bump in the short stubby nose, but this illustration makes it look OK. I trust the BMW designers will make the i3 look good. However the spy shots with all the camouflage don't leave an image of a great looking vehicle. I know that BMW probably has deliberately modified the body a bit under the swirly white & blue body cover so you really can't believe everything you see until the car is officially revealed. Rumor has it that BMW will show a pre production version of the i3 for the first time at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show in September.

Improbabilities Theme: Natural Born Citizens

Given that President Obama released his long form birth certificate today, it seems like a decent time to kick off a series of articles I've been sitting on related to the improbabilities of life that sometimes come to fruition.   Everyone considers EEStor a long shot and an improbability.  But sometimes improbabilities becomes realities.  These articles will offer no new insight to EEStor per se

Joy on EEStor

Happy Easter.

Kleiner Perkins' Bill Joy Ends Silence About EEStor



Source: Masshightech.com
Six years after leading the Kleiner Perkins effort to invest in EEStor, billionaire venture capitalist Bill Joy has finally commented publicly about the investment at the MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge this past Thursday evening.  During an open Q&A session, an attendee asked about progress at EEStor and Joy spent about five minutes talking about energy storage in

An Open Letter to US Dept of Energy Secretary Chu concerning FOIA 10-00297-H which is 190 days past statutory response requirements

Dear Secretary Chu,


First of all, thank you for your service to our country. I sincerely believe you are prioritizing appropriately around renewable energy. Additionally, I thank you for your work to promote interest in and research of energy storage.  Your leadership in these areas deserves much praise. 
I am writing to you today because my associate Tom Villars submitted a FOIA request  (FOIA

BMW Hires Frank Weber, Former Lead Engineer for the Chevy Volt

In a move that further solidifies BMW's commitment to electric cars, they have just hires Frank Weber, former head engineer for the Chevy Volt. Frank will report to Klaus Draeger, BMW's head of R&D

This move is a little surprising because in the past, BMW has rarely hired top people from other auto makers, electing instead to train and promote from within. In my opinion, this is an example of how important BMW feels it is to accelerate their electric car line and not fall behind in the race to bring a wide range of electric cars and plug in hybrids to their showrooms.

What I find particularly interesting is that there have been a lot of rumors around that BMW will be offering a range extender for the i3 shortly after the original BEV version is released in 2013. I'm hearing a lot of talk about a three cylinder, turbo charged engine as being the suspected powerplant for such a set up. This would make the i3 very similar to the Volt so in that regard Mr. Weber's experience can make an immediate impact on the development of the i3.

Non-Disclosure Agreements: EEStory Ship of Gold

Thanks to a dedicated reader who has contributed research to numerous items of interest to the EEStory, we have an interesting book excerpt to read in order to get us into the mindset of Dick Weir in his fund raising days.  What am I talking about?

The book Ship of Gold was published in 1998 and written by Gary Kinder.  It documents the story of "maverick scientist and entrepreneur Tommy

German Company--DBM Energy-- Uses Hummingbirds as Batteries

Note: the following article is based on several German news articles I read recently. To preserve accuracy, I felt it appropriate to abandon the horrible translations made possible by Google and other similar tools and just hack it together myself.  I think you will find the significance of the story easier to grasp as a result.

A German company--DBM Energy-- has identified a way to connect tiny

Apple's External Battery Pack

An Apple patent application published yesterday describes a rechargeable external battery pack combined with a power adapter. The idea of the patent is to eliminate the need for a traveler to pack both.  But wait, there's more. The device would also have adapters that made it possible to charge your iphone or other portable electronic devices too.  
Why am I writing about this?  Because in the