Bright Automotive Applies for Stimulus Package Grants to Accelerate Production of High Mileage Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle

Bright Automotive Anxious to Help America Achieve President's Goal of One Million Plug-In Hybrid Cars on the Road by 2015

ANDERSON, Ind., June 1 Bright Automotive today announced it has applied for $35 million in government grants in support of the President's goal to put one million plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) on the road by 2015. These grants will allow Bright Automotive (www.brightautomotive.com) to accelerate the production of its 100+MPG PHEV, the IDEA, and deliver highly advanced battery solutions to the industry through its engineering services arm.

"Bright Automotive has the expertise and passion to help make the President's goal a reality," said John Waters, CEO of Bright Automotive. "These grants will help ensure we are able to reach our goal of producing 50,000 vehicles annually while creating over 5,000 American jobs before 2015. With the most experienced team in the industry, Bright Automotive is ready to deliver technological leadership for the American auto industry."

The American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009 contains two provisions intended to support the President's goal of accelerating the production of advanced plug-in electric vehicles. Bright Automotive has applied for grants under both programs.

Bright Automotive has applied for approximately $18 million through the Electric Drive Vehicle Battery and Component Manufacturing Initiative (FOA DE-FOA-0000026) to create a technical center for the design, development and validation of advanced batteries for the Bright Automotive IDEA PHEV, and establish a state-of-the-art battery pack manufacturing facility capable of producing up to 75,000 battery packs annually. This grant program, overseen by the Department of Energy (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), provides funding to support the construction of U.S. based manufacturing plants to produce batteries and electric drive components.

Bright Automotive, as a partner in the Energy Systems Network (ESN) Project Plug-IN, has applied for approximately $17 million through the Transportation Electrification Program (FOA DE-FOA-0000028) to develop, deploy, demonstrate, market, and evaluate plug-in hybrid vehicles. This grant program, overseen by the DOE NETL provides funding to establish development, demonstration, evaluation, and education projects to accelerate the market introduction and penetration of advanced electric drive vehicles. Project Plug-IN is bringing together leading organizations including Bright Automotive, Nissan, Duke Energy, IPL, IBM, EnerDel, Delphi, Cummins, Purdue University, and the Simon Property Group to demonstrate and evaluate hundreds of electrified vehicles charging in real-world environments including homes, businesses, and parking facilities.

In addition to these grants, Bright Automotive has applied for $450 million in government loans under the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program. The company continues to work with the Department of Energy in support of its application.

"Arguably, no company in the U.S. has as much real-world automotive battery pack experience as the Bright Automotive team," said Michael Brylawski, Bright Automotive VP of Corporate Strategy. "We've taken numerous automotive battery packs into production, with decades of design, validation, and manufacturing experience on platforms including the EV1, Ford Fusion hybrid, Segway, and the GM two-mode hybrid. The grants will enable our team to not only advance our own vehicle program, but also allow us to deliver safe, reliable, and cost-effective battery solutions to move the entire industry forward."

Anderson, Indiana-based Bright Automotive has leveraged its veteran team to develop the 100 MPG IDEA -- a multi-purpose, plug-in hybrid electric vehicle in the light truck classification aimed at commercial and government fleets. The IDEA will be 5 to 10 times more efficient than current commercial fleet vehicles. The vehicle will save a typical fleet customer more than 1,500 gallons of gasoline and thousands of dollars in fuel costs annually. Bright Automotive provides engineering details, assumptions, and calculations at www.brightautomotive.com.

Bright Automotive is also drawing on its team of seasoned automotive executives -- engineers who pioneered hybrid and electric vehicles for major automotive companies -- to provide technical expertise to others. The three key areas in which Bright Automotive is providing services to automotive companies around the world include: battery pack design and development, hybrid and electric vehicle system controls, and EV/PHEV conversions of mass-production vehicles.