Webster City's history of manufacturing is what drew EnVision Motor Company to the town, according to the company's president, Thomas Gleisner.
"Webster City has been involved in manufacturing for many, many years," Gleisner said. "We just cannot think of a better community than Webster City to do the final assembly and make accessories for the cars. They seem to have the know how, and anything we need made, we're confident the people of Webster City can make it."
Employees at the plant in Webster City will be responsible for placing the electric power train in the "gliders" - the car chassis that have no engine or transmission. The contract permits for finishing up to 2,500 per month.
The batteries that will be used in the all-electric vehicles are sodium-based, Gleisner said, which, he added, are safer and cheaper than lithium-based batteries.
"Basically, they're a salt battery," he said. "They're not expensive; they're not volatile. It's fairly easy to find sodium."
An on-board computer maintains the temperature of the battery because if it's too cold, the battery turns into a block of salt, Gleisner said. However, give them a quick charge, and the batteries will be ready to go.
"It needs to be babysat a little bit more by a computer, but it's not toxic. It's fully recyclable," he said. "The vehicles and batteries have been crash tested, and it's not a new technology. General Electric uses sodium-based batteries in their locomotives."
Gleisner said, even more importantly, there is a market out there for these niche products Webster City workers will help produce.
"We have a big demand for these," he said. "California alone wants more cars than we can produce. New York City passed an ordinance that all taxis need to be hybrid or electric. We're seeing these trends sprinkle through the Midwest. We're really going to put Webster City on the map for something this different."
Gleisner predicted soon residents would see electric cars zipping past on Iowa roadways.
However, he added the partnership isn't seeking the elimination of the internal combustion engine; instead it's looking to complement it.
The cars will travel 200 miles on one charge, which Gleisner said is enough for people's daily needs. For long road trips out of state, motorists may want to retain their traditional vehicles.
"I think that 36 miles a day is the average amount people travel in a day in the Midwest," Gleisner said. "Not many people drive beyond the 200 mile mark, so we can easily fill the driving need of 97 to 98 percent of our drivers."
Charging the vehicle at home takes anywhere from two to eight hours, he said, and the cost is around a dollar a day.
"Electricity isn't that expensive," Gleisner said. "I've never seen an increase from plugging the car into my house. If there is one, it's an insignificant jump."
The plant is expected to start production in August with gliders arriving in Webster City in the next few weeks, he said.
"Joe (Fleming) will get started with AMS Inc., and try to ramp up to 2,500 cars a month as soon as possible," Gleisner added. "I think we'll find a lot more people than we think are interested in buying our cars."
Contact Lindsey Mutchler at lindsey@messengernews.net or call (515) 573-2141.