Indiana-based Bright Automotive is improving on its IDEA
plug-in hybrid even as it expands into commercial production. Bright Automotive
announced last week that it improved the all-electric range of its IDEA hybrid
by 25%. The latest version of the IDEA tested out at 40 miles per charge using
a 13 kWh li-ion battery pack before kicking back to the gas engine. While these
latest figures may impress commercial clients, the creation of Bright
eSolutions may have a larger impact on the hybrid vehicle market.
The Bright eSolutions initiative will work with commercial
clients to pave the way for PHEV and EV operation throughout the United States. Bright Automotive’s eSolutions experts will deal with everything from specialized vehicle design and
conversion to electrical storage and infrastructure. The first client for
Bright eSolutions will be the U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command
(TACOM), which recently signed a $1.4 million contract with the automaker. The
first step in the eSolutions-TACOM partnership is the development of a plug-in
hybrid prototype to be built for non-combat military transportation.
The initial contract for Bright eSolutions will demonstrate
the automaker’s ability to turn the IDEA into a viable commercial vehicle. The
U.S. Army has one of the biggest non-military vehicle fleets in the world,
which could be a huge boon for not only Bright Automotive but also competing
manufacturers. The $1.4 million contract may seem like a mere pittance compared
to the overall military budget but it is a lifeline to this growing automaker. The
remainder of the U.S. Armed Forces, federal government agencies and major corporations may soon
follow if the TACOM contract is successful.
The long-term potential for greening the U.S. Army’s
non-military fleet seems limited by perceptions about hybrids and EVs. The
military is in the early stages of experimenting with electric, hydrogen and
biofuel vehicles but the slow slog of U.S. Army bureaucracy may delay the
eSolutions prototype. The U.S. Army uses non-military vehicles in difficult
terrain and weather throughout the world, which reduces the performance of
existing hybrid vehicles. Bright Automotive has to demonstrate that it can
deliver a more rugged version of its IDEA for the U.S. Army within the $1.4
million budget. The alternative is a massive set back for efforts by the
federal government to insert green vehicles into its fleets.
