GM-Linked Hybrid Van Start-Up Hires Ex-Tesla Exec
By Danny King August 12, 2010Bright Automotive this week hired ex-Tesla Motors executive Mike Donoughe to run the company's operations, as the Indiana-based company looks to speed up development of its IDEA plug-in hybrid-electric commercial van after General Motors Co. recently agreed to invest in the company.
As executive vice president for vehicle engineering and manufacturing, Donoughe helped Tesla develop its all-electric Roadster, a car that has become the poster vehicle for new-age automotive technology and development. He also worked on cars such as the 2004 Chrysler Pacifica and 2007 Jeep Wrangler as a former executive with Chrysler.
"Mike is a perfect fit for Bright because he understands the rigor required to bring a successful, high-volume truck to market," said Reuben Munger, chairman and CEO of Bright Automotive, in a statement. "And having served in a leadership role at Telsa, he knows how to lead in a young, advanced technology-focused enterprise."
Last week, GM said would invest $5 million in Bright and intends to begin sharing technology with the start-up company, which is awaiting word on its application last year for a $450-million federal advanced vehicles manufacturing loan guarantee. The companies expect to finalize their alliance later this year, at which point GM would become a minority stakeholder.
Bright Automotive, a spin-off of the famed Rocky Mountain Institute, is developing a plug-in hybrid commercial van - the IDEA - that is targeted to deliver 100-mpg fuel economy from a system that uses a four-cylinder internal-combustion engine to drive the front wheels and an electric motor to drive the rear wheels.
The company was started in 2008 by battery specialist John Waters, who developed the battery system for the Segway people mover and led the team that developed the EV1 battery pack for GM in 1999. A recent management shuffle moved Waters out of the CEO's office so he could concentrate on engineering while Munger took on the chief executive's job.
IDEA photo courtesy GM
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