Published June 5, 2012
By Philippe Crowe
Green Automotive Company (Green) announced yesterday that it has entered into detailed discussions with Liberty Electric Cars Limited, a UK-based developer of electric drivetrains, unique battery management systems and provider of full support programs for all types of electric vehicles.
These discussions will lead to Liberty technology being used to convert conventional internal combustion engine driven vehicles into zero emission electric vehicles.
Liberty, formed in 2006, was the first company in the world to successfully convert the Range Rover into a high-speed pure electric 4x4 capable of 200 miles on a single charge and driven by four individual motors.
According to Green, the Liberty Electric Range Rover was hailed as the world’s best luxury EV in 2010 and provided the most telling example of the company’s capabilities. Liberty’s expertise will serve as Green Automotive’s foundation for its expansion into the European Electric Vehicle market as well as provide the technology for the conversion activities planned for the North American market.
Fred Luke, President of Green Automotive Company, declared: “we have elected to not make the company’s primary business that of importing, performing the homologation, and then competing against a host of others now entering the market of retailing electric passenger vehicles. Putting the last two years of import and homologation knowledge in the proper prospective, it is clear to us that our fastest and least expensive path to revenues from the electric vehicle (EV) will be to focus on the conversion of conventional internal combustion engine-driven vehicles of all types, particularly mass-transit and passenger vehicles which have already passed the U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) tests, to make them into zero emission vehicles.”
According to Luke, this move comes following disappointing test results during the homologation program and failing negotiations with Zotye for as to the Zotye Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV). “It was determined by management and our independent engineers, at Roush Industries,” said Luke, “that the Zotye SUV would struggle to pass the stringent crash tests required by the DOT, FMVSS and NIHSTA, without substantial expenditure and time.”
Ford’s announcement that it would be rolling out its own line of EVs, beginning with the Focus and Fusion made it very difficult for Green to justify going any further with the Green Automotive-Niyato joint venture. In the process of due diligence on Niyato, the Company’s management determined that it was not in its best interest to continue with Niyato.
Taking into consideration the costly and time consuming (24 to 36 months) efforts to move the Zotye Vehicles through the stringent import tests required by the DOT and NIHSTA, and the capital position of Niyato, negotiations with Niyato were put on hold and alternate solutions were sought.
Hence yesterday’s Green announcement of discussions with Liberty.
