South Korean EV manufacturer CT&T unveiled a bold move to gain ground in the EV market during a press conference at the recent Tokyo Motor Show. CT&T plans to spend $400 million on a 38,000-unit rollout in North America and Asia over the next six months. The first CT&T e-Zone EVs will be hitting showrooms throughout Japan on November 1st with plans to deliver the final unit by April 2010. After this initial rollout is complete, CT&T will implement its Regional Assembly and Sales System (RASS) for another rollout starting in 2011.
The CT&T e-Zone EV is available with a base lead-acid battery or an optional lithium polymer battery to power the 7.0kW electric motor. CT&T projects the maximum speed of the e-Zone EV at 44 miles per hour, making it a perfect vehicle for neighborhood and suburban excursions. The lead-acid version of the e-Zone can travel up to 41 miles per charge while the lithium polymer version can reach 68 miles per charge. CT&T is hoping to extend ranges up to 70 miles per charge and the maximum speed to 50 miles per hour through its development partnerships with SK Energy and LG Chem.
The United States will see the lion’s share of e-Zone units with 27,000 slated for delivery by next April. CT&T will deliver 5,000 units to Canada, 4,000 to Japan and 2,000 to Taiwan in the same period. With 38,000 e-Zone EVs on the road next spring, CT&T will open about 40 RASS facilities in North America and Asia for spring 2011. These facilities will allow CT&T to deliver partially assembled e-Zones into target regions where they can be assembled adjacent to sales floors. CT&T’s production quotas will be set at 10,000 units per month once the RASS plan is implemented.
North American cities are already seeing the benefits of CT&T’s rollout with Pennsylvania inking an agreement to host two of the RASS facilities. The regional production plan is familiar among traditional automakers but something that has been left untouched by EV manufacturers. The RASS model will be costly and require an international supply chain that other EV manufacturers have not achieved to present. CT&T’s fortunes as an international EV maker hinge on selling the initial run of 38,000 e-Zones. If the e-Zones fly out of showrooms worldwide, the RASS plan will have enough capital to survive in an increasingly competitive EV market.
