By Audrie Garrison, Truth Staff
agarrison@etruth.com
WAKARUSA -- Just because there was a tri-colored parachute covering the electric-hybrid truck in the middle of the room doesn't mean people had forgotten about it.
Hundreds turned out Saturday to the Electric Motors Corp. headquarters for the Green Jobs for America Entertainment and Education Expo. While the event featured displays from universities and other companies, as well as several concerts, most people at the Expo said they were waiting to see EMC CEO Wil Cashen unveil the prototype of the Flash, which is a Ford F150 pickup with an electric-gasoline hybrid engine that extends the truck's range when batteries run low.
Cashen has said the production of the truck -- which will remain local -- could bring 1,600 jobs to the Elkhart area.
The literal unveiling of the prototype was preceded by a significant amount of fanfare: Crowds gathered in a circle as music blasted and a light show played, and people lifted the parachute off the truck with ropes from balconies.
Every detail of the truck is crafted to make it more aerodynamic or energy efficient, from the smaller mirrors with panoramic video cameras to the 80-horsepower motor, Cashen said. The engine is small, he said, because an electric motor has about 90 percent efficiency, compared to a gas motor, which has about 30 percent efficiency. He said trains use this technology.
"That's what we're going to do here, guys. We're going to make trains," he said. "Only we're going to call them trucks. And then we're going to call them motor homes."
After Cashen's presentation, he was greeted with endless hugs, pats on the back, handshakes and thank-yous from attendees. The overall attitude he received was extremely positive, he said.
"They're really excited about jobs," Cashen said. "This is one of the first chances they've gotten to see a physical reality of building up jobs."
That's the sentiment Nappanee Mayor Larry Thompson expressed before the presentation when he presented Cashen with a key to the city.
"The hope you have brought us can never be expressed in any key to the city," he told Cashen.
Nappanee resident Wayne Bigler has worked in the RV manufacturing business for 37 years. He said he attended the expo because he had questions about the truck. Bigler said he was excited about the prospect of environmentally friendly manufacturing jobs in the area.
The next step, Cashen said, is to show the prototype in other parts of the country, along with a second utility vehicle that's in the works, called the Thunderbolt. He expects to have test vehicles produced in December and to begin manufacturing a small number of the vehicles for select people to drive and give feedback. They'll start taking orders in the spring. Then come the jobs.
Elkhart resident Monica Brooks said she was optimistic about the potential for green manufacturing jobs in Elkhart County, and said the green manufacturing industry could be a good solution to the high unemployment rate that has hit Elkhart County even harder than the rest of the country.
"I think the loss of the manufacturing jobs in the area leaves a huge hole, so this would be a great way to fill it," she said.