WAKARUSA -- Nine months after it received $39 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act money, Navistar International revealed its new eStar electric vehicle to the world.
Navistar and state and federal representatives were on hand to showcase the electric vehicle to local officials at an open house Thursday at the Navistar EV plant in Wakarusa. Several speakers talked about the potential benefits the vehicle will have for the environment, as well as the local work force.
Patrick Davis, program manager of the vehicle technologies program with the U.S. Department of Energy, said that the Navistar project was one of 48 chosen from more than 250 electric vehicle deployment projects proposed after the ARRA was issued in February 2009.
Davis said it's exciting to see momentum building for electric vehicle production. Investments made by the federal government are being matched by industry recipients such as Navistar, he said, and added that the automotive, battery and advanced vehicle industry has the potential to create tens of thousands of jobs across the country.
"This is truly about establishing an entire industry," he said.
Shane Terblanche, general manager and president of the Navistar-Modec EV Alliance, spoke specifically about the role the eStar will play in that industry.
The eStar is a zero-tailpipe emission vehicle that will have zero carbon emissions and near-zero noise pollution, Terblanche said. Compared with an internal combustion vehicle that averages 10 miles per gallon, Terblanche said the eStar will produce up to 10 tons fewer carbon emissions per year in a delivery-type setting.
Terblanche believes production of the electric vehicle will benefit Elkhart County as well as the environment. He said there are plans to showcase the eStar in Oregon, California, Chicago and possibly Indianapolis.
"We're happy to take these skilled workers, put them back to work, with a technologically advanced product, using stimulus dollars and growing the economy of this area," he said.
It's too soon to tell the full potential of Navistar's production of the eStar, as well as how it will impact local employment. The company originally announced plans to build 400 electric vehicles, with the first four going to FedEx.
After the open house, Mark Aubry, vice president of sales and marketing for the Navistar-Modec EV alliance, said the company ultimately expects to have 700 people employed through Navistar and its supply chain as production increases. Some of those may include taking back people previously let go from Navistar, as well as new employees.