Notable startups that failed in 2011

Its very disappointing that all the technology we need for our future success has turned into a zest pool of the most corrupt scumbags on this planet ......

How does a company go bankrupt when they are given over $500 million. CROOKS!!!!

The company officials of Aptera Motors should have been destroyed rather than the 20 models. At least put one of the vehicles in a museum.

And What the Hell happened to Aptera..?? I made a down payment on one of their cars long ago. They had thousands of people waiting. Last I heard, they only needed another 33 million !!!! to complete the project. BULLCHITT.! It was all just a big scam by Steve Fambro..Aptera's founder.

A few years ago I visited the Studebaker Museum in South Bend, IN. There I learned that Studebaker was an 1800's farm trailer manufacturer that started making cars in 1902. They made only electric cars. Thomas Edison bought the second one and advised them not to waste their time with gasoline cars because as soon as there was an improvement in battery efficiency no one would want a gas powered car. They started hedging their bets in 1904 by making both, and decided in 1906 that the battery improvements were not going to happen and stopped making electric cars.
Some things never change – Over 100 years later and people with vested interests and people with little knowledge of science, engineering, technology or economics are promising electric car nirvana.
Some things have changed – We now have a huge infrastructure of pipe lines, refineries, tank trucks, filling stations, gas tank manufacturers, and gas tank disposal facilities. While we do not have adequate power plants, transmission lines, substations, distribution lines, charging facilities, charging billing systems, or battery disposal facilities to handle a significant number of electric cars.
In addition we have a highway and road system that is paid for by gasoline taxes. Not to mention other things like mass transportation that are highly subsidized by gasoline taxes.

The more money that the government has the more it will waste on failed businesses. It isn't the government's job to fund businesses in the first place. Let's stop letting the government spend and tax more than is needed for it to operate as Constitutionally limited. Lower taxes less government spending.

FACT... Solyndra was the ultimate con game of the century from the getgo.

The elephant in the room that none of the electric car companies are addressing is: How well does the electic car operate in cold temperature areas like say...The northern half of the USA during winter time? Ever see what a car's battery does on a cold day in a parking lot at work?

How can you mention flops without including the Chevy Volt?

As long as gas is still reasonably cheap, and as long as they're still going to try to charge you $40k+ for electric cars that barely perform 1/2 as well as a gas car, then electric cars won't take off much.

The government cannot be trusted to pick winners and losers;
it will typically pick whiners and losers.

While the government makes a big show of wanting better fuel economy it has MILLIONS of reasons why it doesn't. Where do you think all of the $$$$ come from for federal highway repairs? It comes mainly from taxes raised by the sale of gasoline. Yup... So what do you think happens when cars get too many MPG's? You guessed it, the government does not get as much money from taxes on gas. This is a HUGE issue going forward. Coming soon to a theater near you!!!

Common guys.... look at this electric yet ugly and unpractical cars. There is no way such cars would fly. Our liberals would never realize that those so call “green” technologies are not there yet. Obama and his liberal friends would spend a fortune on failing technologies because their green policies are based on Hollywood blockbusters instead of real science and common sense.

There are billions of gallons of methane gas seeping from under the polar ice caps waiting to be exploited. Why are we not taking advantage of this resorce instead of letting it disapate into the atmosphere adding to the problem of globel warming. It would be easier to recover than it is to drill for oil and if by chance some does leak oh well no big deal it cleans it's self up unlike messy crude oil. Besides this it burns so much cleaner than coal or oil. It's like the old addage if life gives you lemons you make lemonade but in this case nature has given us methane so we will have to make energy.

Well, boogers! Glad I didn't invest.

the e2 was not a bad idea it just that it looked like George jetson car... people should stop and think that the car of the future would need to look like a ufo...

I wish I had bought an Aptera Motors two-person 2e car, then I could give those #$%$ Shriners a run for their money in parades!

WHERE, did the $535 million dollars in loan money go, did a part of the money go into the Obama war chest to run for reelection.. I think the people in America would like to know, and, does the bankruptcy court ask for information like that, probably not. If I owe a few hundred dollars in back taxes the goverment will take my home, if a big company files for bankruptcy just a few months after getting millions in a sweetheart loan, I damm sure want to get a loan like that, if they would loan me that much money I could pay back the full loan and $535 million on top of that... in one year. how, I watch the stock market all the time, I can make that much with ease and turn a big profit for myself..

In the 80's a start up in Mnpls was making a three wheeled "Freeway Car" for about $ 3 K One seater with enough room for sack of Groc/briefcase Gas version got 60 MPH a 1 cly deisel got 80 " both were just capable of Freeway speeds I really wanted one but was just out of Tech school

SOLYNDRA rip-off to TAX PAYERS gee THANKS Mr. Obama !