By Marilyn Odendahl, Truth Staff
modendahl@etruth.com
ELKHART -- During the 1990s, gas was cheap, the economy was booming and everyone saw only prosperity.
In these heady times, General Motors and Ford launched projects to build road-worthy all-electric vehicles but, hampered by inadequate batteries and a small profit margin, the ventures were abandoned. The GM car, EV1, was developed in Indianapolis and when the research stopped, the engineers scattered across the state, some continuing to work on electric technology.
Now, the economy is limping into a recovery, gas is approaching $3 a gallon and few believe things will be as good again. Not surprisingly, a renaissance of electric and hybrid-electric cars and trucks has started with Indiana, and specifically Elkhart, becoming the hub of activity.
Think North America, Navistar International and the startup Electric Motors Corp. in Elkhart County -- along with Bright Automotive in Anderson -- have announced plans to manufacture such vehicles in the Hoosier state. In addition, Energy Systems Network, an Indianapolis-based consortium that promotes energy innovations, has been answering many questions from businesses that are not even investing in Indiana.
"They're global companies that are trying to figure out how to make batteries and they're coming here because they want to learn from us," said Paul Mitchell, president and chief executive officer of ESN. These are firms "who see Indiana and the companies here as having the right mix of leadership and technology."
Out of the lab
While the excitement in the labs may be growing, the success of electric and hybrid-electric vehicles will depend on consumers' desire to take the cars home. The buying public will have to have a good reason to change their behavior and purchase an alternative fuel car, explained Jay Pittas, president of Remy International, headquartered in Pendleton.
High prices at the pump will not be enough to attract consumers, said Tom Snyder, president of Ivy Tech Community College. Affordability will play a major role in boosting the car's popularity in the marketplace, which puts the focus on the main component of the vehicles, the lithium-ion batteries.
"We've got to make them low cost and highly durable for the car," Snyder said. "That's going to be the mission."
Charging
Of the new auto manufacturers in Elkhart County, Navistar is going to make the vehicle that will have the most appeal in the current market, Pittas said. The electric trucks will target firms like FedEx and Frito-Lay that make daily deliveries on set routes and can return to the company's garage every night to be recharged. Cost savings on fuel will be realized quickly because the trucks will be traveling 25,000 to 30,000 miles annually in stop-and-go traffic.
To ease consumers' fears that the electric vehicles will run out of power and leave them stranded, an emotional condition Pittas called "distance anxiety," plug-in stations will have to start appearing.
In Indianapolis, Energy Systems Network is leading a pilot project to install 100 charging sites around the metro area, allowing drivers to power their vehicles when they are away from home.
"I think you have to have some level of charging infrastructure available in order to make those early consumers make that leap of faith," Mitchell said. "And then after you have some critical mass, it becomes easier to understand the economics around charging infrastructure (and) what are the most efficient ways to install it to make sure you're not slowing down the penetration rate of these electric vehicles."
Slow acceptance
Yoabin Chen, professor and chair of the electrical and computer engineering department at IUPUI, worked on the EV1 and Ford's Think car. (Ford eventually sold its Think division to the Norwegian company which is now establishing operations in Elkhart.) Looking back, he believes the United States missed the opportunity to lead the world in electric vehicle technology and production.
Echoing the views of others, Chen pointed to the batteries propelling the electric vehicles as the key to future success. The EV1 relied on a pack of lead batteries weighing 1,000 to 2,000 pounds while the battery in the Ford's Think could power the car for only 30 miles before it needed a recharge.
Right now, lithium-ion batteries are the answer, Chen said, but they add significantly to the cost of the car and truck. Consequently, to prevent sticker shock, some of the auto makers bringing electric vehicles to dealers' lots will probably offer the cars under leasing agreements.
The Think car, introduced to Elkhart last week, is expected to retail for $30,000 and uses batteries made by EnerDel, based in Indianapolis, to give it a range of 100 miles.
For local residents hoping electric and hybrid-electric vehicle production will quickly revive Elkhart County's crippled economy, Pittas said significant employment will come only when the companies manufacture high volumes of these vehicles. Such levels of production could take 10 years to reach.
"Until you get volume, it is not going to be an answer to Elkhart's woes," Pittas said.
The future
Despite the young technology and the obstacles to overcome, many in the industry are confident electric vehicles will not become the eight-track tape player of the auto world.
"Electrication is the future," Mitchell said. "You're going to have part of your propulsion coming from electric in the vehicle whether it's 100 percent of it ... or whether part of your trip is going to be electric and then you move to gasoline, it's definitely the direction we're headed."