Comments on: Hybrid Battery Maker Cobasys Continues to Falter, Daimler Sues

By: John David

John David — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 22:27:25 +0000

None of the Cobasys top managers had any experience in their respective areas. In fact none of them had any battery industry experience. VP of Product Development was a Civil Engineer, did not have any clue on how a battery works. Their main qualification was knowing the top manager, who was from the oil industry, did not understand how a product development is done. Most of the Engineers had R&D background from ECD, did not understand the concept of real product development.

GM and Daimler missed these obvious things. Can the Government really save them?

By: Charles Peterson

Charles Peterson — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 04:09:47 +0000

Patents should be abolished. They were intended to promote progress but mostly have the reverse effect.

This is one thing that both the market fundamentalist Economist magazine and left progressive economist Dean Baker agree on.

Dean Baker's CEPR has published a plan to continue (and actually improve on) the development of drugs without patents. It is widely known that drug companies suppress information about natural remedies because they can't be patented. And they don't bother to investigate drugs to solve wordwide epidemics (no money in that) and do lifestyle drugs instead. And spend more money on advertising than research. Etc.

Most research is funded by government anyway. Corporations only get involved when the basic research has already been done and there is little risk but high profit to be made.

By: khooper

khooper — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 01:47:20 +0000

Auto Parts Lover have said they would expect many former Exide workers to knock on their doors for employment opportunities.

By: IL HCH II

IL HCH II — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 16:11:29 +0000

Another example of a domestic industrial failure–GM having to recall hybrids and Coby producing a sub-par product. The public won’t entirely be screwed, though. At least Toyota is ramping up hybrid production by up to 70% for 2009, and that’s before the new Prius plant opens in Alabama in late ’09/early ’10. The only good thing about this is the the knuckle dragging domestic automakers may finally be pushed out of the picture by the repeated failures of both equipment and failure to recognize marketing trends.
GM is a lost cause, always was. Birds of a feather flock together and GM and Coby are made for each other.

By: rpecora

rpecora — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 16:47:39 +0000

Same thing happened to the electric trolley in the 40's. But GM was the "bad guy" who bought up the old trolley companies nationwide and the converted them to rubber tires and oil burners (which they made), them sold the systems back to cities.

By: A.H.S.

A.H.S. — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 08:22:17 +0000

*GM sells the patent to Chevron, Chevron = Cobasys, GM contracts with Cobasys for batteries, they all fail. GM fails* . . .

Public is left with no desent hybrids so we get screwed as well.

And I agree that its completely ridiculous that three major car companies would buy bateries that would make their cars more fuel efficient from a company whos profit comes from selling fuel. Then they are amazed when the batteries along with the hybrid drives fail and cause the drivers to need more fuel! WTF did they expect?!

By: steved28

steved28 — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 03:21:39 +0000

It's kind of poetic justice if you ask me.
GM sells the patent to Chevron, Chevron = Cobasys, GM contracts with Cobasys for batteries, they all fail. GM fails. Screw em' all.

By: Mark Smith

Mark Smith — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 01:55:55 +0000

Well, Well, Well, we may all have hybrids today if Chevron did not stop the manufacturing of the NiMh battery in the first place, all years ago. Panasonic would still be making the excelent NiMh E-95 battery product that was used in the Toyota RAV 4, if it was not for Chevron stopping it. Thus stoped EV's use and development the world over.

Now Cobasys, partly oned by Chevron now gets the hammer... It is about time, to feel some pain, for messing up this whole EV battery development problem up in the first place. This is exactly why we are 10 years behind now.

You cant even call Cobasys to buy a replacment traction battery, whats up with that? Technology that "nobody" can buy!

The NiMh battery production should have never been stoped, the world suffered because of oil greed.

Now we skip the whole eara of NiMh and go on to Lithium. What a loss to us all.

By: Need2Change

Need2Change — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 01:07:10 +0000

The article states that Daimler is suing -- not GM.

Maybe GM is suing -- and it appears tha they should.

If they're not, I wonder why not?

By: sean

sean — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 22:12:23 +0000

Harakiri? No, they're not samurais.