by liammcglynn » Sat 19 Sep 2009, 13:29:02
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('mos6507', 'Z')enn is really nothing more than a shell IP company. The highway Zenn will (if it comes out) be nothing but a short-run proof of concept. The true rollout will happen if and when Zenn licenses its drive system to the big players. Zenn will then probably stop producing vehicles and be the dead-weight middle-men that they really are. As it is now, they have produced a tiny number of low speed vehicles.
This weird case of a marginal company being somehow at the right place at the right time to cut a sweetheart deal with EESTOR is what raises suspicions of a pump and dump. I mean, why did Zenn get there first to cut this deal instead of any other company?
But it is what it is.
Valid point. Zenn's founder actually got a call from EEStor's founder, Dick Weir. That does seem an odd route to travel for financing. Their original backers were Kleiner-Perkins who now hold about 20% of the company. They have gotten money from Lockheed Martin and have a contract with Light Electric Vehicles for two and three wheeled EVs.
There is a transcript of a conversation with Dick Weir that reveals more of his motivation.
http://theeestory.com/topics/2529EEStor seems fixated on developing manufacturing facilities. My understanding of their existing contracts is that they have limited exclusivity. Should EEStor and Zenn succeed, EEStor would be foolish to relinquish control of a company that will grow geometrically. They have figured out how to process Barium Titanate into an ultracapacitor. Others have attempted this for four decades without success. Dick Weir understands his competitive advantage and will use it.