Green Options

Green business practices are not limited to factories and buildings anymore. According to Yahoo Finance, soem insurance companies are offering clients who drive green cars or live in green homes a break on their premiums. Still others are offering to rebuild a green home that is lost due to fire or other catastrophes “greener” than it was before.

Ener1, profiled here, develops and manufactures lithium-ion batteries designed for use in next generation hybrid and electric vehicles. In recent news, Ener1 purchased South Korean battery maker Enertech. This purchase will take Ener1 one step closer to its goal of becoming the first company to mass-produce a cost-competitive lithium-ion battery for hybrid and electric vehicles.

Enertech is one of just a handful of companies that specializes in producing large format flat (or “prismatic”) cells, which Ener1 believes offer significant performance and manufacturing advantages over more common cylindrical designs. Enertech operates a 200,000-square-foot plant outside Seoul, South Korea capable of producing cells for 15,000 electric vehicle battery packs per year.