Developer of the GM EV1 Battery Pack Thinks He's Got Another Bright Idea

John Waters, the brains behind the battery pack system that powered the General Motors EV1 electric vehicle in 1999, thinks he's got another bright idea - design and manufacture a 100-mile-per-gallon plug-in electric hybrid light-duty truck, sell it exclusively to fleet operators and call it the Bright IDEA.

Indiana-based start-up Bright Automotive brought a working concept model of the IDEA to Washington, D.C. on Tuesday morning to show it off. The privately held company plans to introduce the IDEA truck late in 2012 and be producing 50,000 units annually by 2013.

The company did not state a base price for the vehicle or say where it would be manufactured. (Several locations in midwest states are being considered.) During a Tuesday morning teleconference, Waters also declined to identify Bright Automotive's investor base.

The Washington, D.C. introduction wasn't by accident. Bright Automotive is lobbying hard for $450 million of the $25 billion in economic stimulus funds that the Obama administration is making available to automobile companies. Waters today referred to the stimulus money as the "green car fund" - and voiced his opinion that entrepreneurs should get the lion's share of the cash.

Not surprisingly, the IDEA leans heavily on ideas that were incorporated into GM's EV1: lightweight materials, low-resistance tires, an aerodynamic shape and a highly efficient battery and drivetrain.

Here's how that technology adds up to a bright idea, according to Waters. Low-resistance tires can improve fuel economy by from six percent to nine percent. A ten percent weight reduction brings a seven percent improvement in fuel efficiency. Those savings, Waters said, will allow Bright to incorporate smaller, less-costly batteries, which will cut both vehicle weight and the retail cost.

Bright Automotive believes that its vehicle would save a vehicle operator ten cents per mile and $6,000 per year in fuel costs. Waters said his firm is targeting fleet operators, including the U.S. Postal Service, which operates 160,000 neighborhood delivery vehicles with an average fuel economy of about 10 miles per gallon.

(Apparently, some of the stuff that the proposed IDEA would haul around would be salty snacks, because Frito-Lay representatives were on hand during the Washington, D.C. unveiling.)

Waters played his cards close to the vest when it came to identifying which battery technology and supplier currently has the inside track for the production model. (The working prototype that was in Washington included batteries from a Korean supplier.)

Bright Automotive did drop a few names of suppliers and partners. Alcoa Inc. is working on structural materials and coatings. Bosch supplied the electric motor and Getrag made the gearbox. Johnson Controls is developing interior systems and Kuka is working on body design issues.

Waters (who also developed the Segway battery) and other company officials did share a bit about the proposed vehicle's powertrain.

Unlike the heavily publicized General Motors Volt, which is powered entirely by batteries, the IDEA would harness a four-cylinder, gas-powered internal combustion engine to drive the front wheels. The back wheels would be powered by an electric motor. "The only thing that connects them are lots of bits an bytes," Waters said of Bright Automotive's proprietary control systems.

The vehicle would have all-wheel drive capability and a 30-mile electric battery range. The electric motor also could be called upon for torque assist. A belt-alternator starter design would produce six kilowatts of power that could be routed back to the battery. The vehicles would be charged at night when electricity costs generally are at their lowest, Waters said.

If Bright Automotive can deliver what it is promising, the vehicle would hit the proposed 100 miles per gallon fuel economy mark if it's not driven much more than 30 miles. After that, fuel economy would decline as the initial battery charge is depleted and the vehicle relies on its gasoline-burning engine to continue generating power.

Try as they might, members of the media couldn't pry an estimated retail price out of Waters, who instead talked of "total cost of ownership" for fleet operators. On that score, Waters said, the Bright IDEA will pencil out for its intended audience - fleet operators.

Greg Johnson, Contributor

Posted by

Greg Johnson April 21, 2009, 12:39 PM

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Batteries, Emissions, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Green Vehicles, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric, Transportation Alternatives

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