Electric Car Startup Aims to Save NUMMI

11 March, 2010 01:30:00

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Aurica Motors, an electric car startup, has proposed a plan to keep open a NUMMI plant, a California joint venture between Toyota and GM, by building electric vehicles there.

Aurica wants to convert the New United Motor Manufacturing plant, to make its E-Car within two years, costing in the range of $40,000 to $50,000.

The company estimated it will need more than $1 billion in private and government financing to launch the factory and to retain the 4,700 NUMMI employees.

The company has built a prototype of the motor drive system that would be the core of the vehicle.
Aurica says it could make a planned car chassis with four different body styles. Their batteries could be charged by plugging them in, or they could be swapped out “in three minutes” at a service site.

NUMMI was born in 1984 as a joint venture making cars for GM and for Toyota. GM has since pulled out of the plant and Toyota plans to stop making cars there at the end of this month.

[source: Electric Cars Report]

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