ANDERSON — Bright Automotive is asking that its Department of Energy loan application be swiftly processed so it can “heed President Obama’s call to create American jobs and spur the development of alternative energy technology.”
Anderson-based Bright has been waiting for word on a $450 million loan under DOE’s Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing (ATVM) Program that Congress authorized in 2007.
“These loans enable automotive companies (established and start-ups alike) to lead America forward — towards energy independence, better national security and an improved environment; creating thousands of American jobs in the process,” said Mike Donoughe, Bright Automotive chief operating officer. “This is exactly what the President is calling for (during the State of the Union) and Bright Automotive is ready, willing and able to answer that challenge for our country.”
Bright Automotive is developing the Bright IDEA vehicle — “a plug-in hybrid electric commercial van that delivers unprecedented fuel economy and utility while significantly lowering the total cost of ownership,” according to a release from Bright.
The company’s technology is on the road and is being tested by the Department of Defense and other fleets.
“Yes, we are about cleaner energy,” Donoughe said. “But our belief is that ‘you have to be green to be green’ — meaning it is not enough to be green environmentally, if you are not green economically. That is why it is crucially important that we are a smart play for businesses operating fleets of vehicles; from service professionals like Comcast and FedEx to your local plumber or florist.”
Bright reports that a typical business fleet spends about $5,000 to $7,000 annually on gasoline per vehicle. The Bright Idea PHEV saves $4,000 to $5,000 in fuel costs annually.
The Bright IDEA vehicle will be developed in Rochester Hills, Mich., while its hybrid electric powertrain will be engineered in Anderson. When production begins, it will be assembled in Mishawaka. The operations, Bright officials say, will create more than 2,500 direct and indirect jobs and will be 100 percent U.S.-based.
Consistent with President Obama’s call for action in his pre-State of the Union video, Donoughe argues these loans are exactly the type of investments the government should be making — supporting companies like Bright Automotive in advancing proven technologies and creating good jobs to help small business owners improve their operations.
If the loan program is canceled, U.S.-based private financing will likely not commit and companies like Bright will be forced to look at foreign sources — most likely China, Donoughe said, with jobs typically following the investment.
“If jobs aren’t important enough, let’s talk about our national and energy security,” he said. “Dealing with our nation’s security vulnerabilities requires sustained commitment and targeted involvement by the federal government, including leveraging programs already in place like the ATVM loan program. We mustn’t let volatility — in Washington or by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz — undermine our commitment to investments in modernizing our transportation technologies. One member of the Saudi royal family recently noted, OPEC doesn’t ‘want the West to find alternatives.’”
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