EV-Maker CT&T Says U.S. Production Starts This Year With Unique Regional System
By John O'Dell August 6, 2009
South Korean EV maker CT&T United
said ii will execute its recently announced plan
to build electric cars in the U.S. through a manufacturing, sales and service system that relies on small, regional factories located in demand centers rather than a single central factory ----------
CT&T's eZone passenger vehicle.
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The company is building its U.S. market entry around a line of small, low-speed, neighborhood and commercial electric vehicles, but said it wants to build full-service freeway-legal electric cars, electric buses and EV batteries as well.
It said its approach, called the Regional Assembly And Sales System, or RASS, would enable it to set up individual manufacturing facilities and sales and service networks at a cost of $8 to $10 million each.
"Owners of our cars can feel good about supporting a product that has a very low environmental impact and is being made close to home," Joseph J. White, CT&T's chief operating officer, said of the regional system.
"Just as just-in-time parts delivery from Toyota revolutionized the auto industry, we believe the RASS system from CT&T has the potential to do the same by regionalizing manufacturing and sales and allowing us to offer EVs at an incredibly reasonable price point," Young Gi Lee, chairman and company founder, said in a statement.
"RASS will also speed up our national rollout so that we can stay on the leading edge of the EV market," Lee added.
CT&T said its eZone low-speed NEVs are the only neighborhood electric vehicles that have met federal passenger car standards for front and side impact.
The vehicles range from $10,000 to $16,000 and could be in production in some U.S. facilities by the end of the year, according to a company statement.
CT&T, which is helping pioneer the use of in-wheel electric motors for lighter weight and more direct application of power with low loss of efficiency, said it plans to being marketing an electric bus next year.
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