Recent News: Battery-powered jobs, Haier, NBC Universal, Ecomagination, and Fed facility

GE stepping up push for battery-powered cars General Electric Co. is stepping up its investment in developing new battery technologies for autos as it looks to increase its role in electrifying cars -- one of the key strategies to boost fuel efficiency and reduce carbon dioxide emissions.....

China's Haier plays waiting game for GE unit
Haier, China's largest home appliance maker, plans not to bid for General Electric Co's appliances unit until it sees clear signs of a U.S. market recovery, said people with direct knowledge of the matter. A bid for GE's appliances business, which the U.S. giant put on the block in May, could be Haier's last opportunity to buy a household U.S. brand, part of its ambitions to reach global consumers rather than just Chinese....

NBC Universal Outlines 3% Budget Cut
NBC Universal is looking to shave $500 million from next year's budget, in a new sign that the broader economic crisis is likely to exact a stiff toll on the media sector. The General Electric Co. unit, which includes broadcast and cable-TV networks, local television stations and a movie studio, says the cuts will amount to 3% of its 2009 budget....

GE’s 2008 Ecomagination Revenues to Rise 21%, to $17 Billion
GE reports that, amidst global economic turbulence, revenues from its range of energy efficient and environmentally advantageous products and services will surge 21% to $17 billion in 2008, while GE’s annual investment in cleaner research and development will pass $1.4 billion....

GE plans to use Fed facility next week
General Electric Co. plans to use the Federal Reserve's new short-term funding facility when it is launched on Monday. The U.S. conglomerate and its finance arm, General Electric Capital Corp, have registered as users of the facility, the company told its commercial paper customers.....