July 6, 2010
Korean Company Forms Partnership for Electric Vehicle Facility in S.C.
CT&T and 2AM Group have formed a partnership to establish an electric vehicle production facility in Spartanburg County, S.C. CT&T, a Korean-based company, is a leader in the manufacturing of electric vehicles. The joint venture will be called CT&T Southeast LLC. Under the joint venture agreement, CT&T will manufacture its flagship e Zone and c Zone vehicles in South Carolina. The e Zone electric low speed vehicle offers a range of up to 70 miles on a single charge through its lithium polymer battery. The c Zone line consists of a range of low speed electric off-road vehicles. The $21 million project is expected to create 370 new jobs.
Duke Energy Planning Recharging Stations in Charlotte
This time next year, dozens of electric-vehicle charging stations will be operating in Duke Energy's Carolina territories. Most of the stations will be located in and around Charlotte. Duke expects about 100 in North Carolina and about 80 public stations to be ready in South Carolina when the first consumer electric vehicles are available in 2011. For more information on economic development in the South, go to www.SB-D.com.
VW Produces First Test Car in Chattanooga
In mid-June, Volkswagen produced its first car at its Chattanooga, Tenn. assembly plant, which won't officially produce automobiles until next year. The mid-sized sedan that was produced will be used for testing. VW continues construction activity on its $1 billion Tennessee plant that will house about 2,000 workers and produce about 150,000 vehicles a year.
Toshiba to Build Electric Motors in Texas
Toshiba announced in the summer it will begin building motors for electric and hybrid vehicles at its plants in Texas. The Japanese conglomerate made the announcement after Ford Motor Co. awarded Toshiba a contract to manufacture drive motors for Ford hybrid and plug-in vehicles. The company plans to expand its Houston plant in January 2011 to accommodate the new production, which is expected in 2012.
Hino Expanding in West Virginia
Hino Motors is expanding its work force in Williamstown, W.Va. as it increases its output of trucks from eight a day to 20 vehicles per day. The Japanese company that is affiliated with Toyota assembles medium duty class trucks in West Virginia. For more information on economic development in the rural South, go to www.SmallTownSouth.com.
Automotive Supplier Expands in Kentucky
Corvac Composites, a maker of plastic parts for the automotive industry, is investing $8.1 million to expand its operations in Butler County, Ky. The new 93,750-square-foot plant will assemble and ship parts currently produced in the company's existing plant to Toyota, Honda and GM. The company will hire 75 people as a result of the expansion.
Supplier Adding 200 Jobs in Alabama
SL Alabama, which currently employs 520 at its facilities in Alexander City, Ala., is adding 75,000 square feet in a $23 million expansion. The automotive parts supplier will add 200 employees in the deal.
Another Supplier Expanding in North Alabama
Ohio-based Sanoh America announced in the summer it will add 40 to 50 workers at its plant in Scottsboro, Ala. The $3.5 million expansion will increase production of brake and fuel tubing assemblies. Sanoh is a supplier to Honda, Nissan, Toyota, Hyundai and other automotive OEMs.
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