First Drive report: Bright IDEA plug-in hybrid van gets a B+ for now

Monday, August 3, 2009

First Drive report: Bright IDEA plug-in hybrid van gets a B+ for now

Posted by SharK at 10:17 AM

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, AutoblogGreen Exclusive

The IDEA all-electric van from Bright Automotive was unveiled earlier this year in Washington, D.C. and it's already time for the first test drives to start. Plug in vehicle advocate Paul Scott was recently given the opportunity to visit Bright's Indiana headquarters and see what moving the duck-like van is all about. His first impression: the van gets a B+ for building a PHEV van that works but still needs some upgrades to make the shift from pure electric drive to when the ICE kicks in more smooth. Scott writes:

All in all, I was very impressed that they've come this far this fast. I fully expect they'll have the vehicle in A+ shape in a matter of months.

Read Scott's full write-up after the jump.

The IDEA is a 100 mpge (see clarification here) van that weighs just 3,200 lbs. and can go 30 miles on battery power alone. With a slippery coefficient of drag of under .3, the van can use a small 10 kWh battery pack. The company wants to move to high-volume production (50,000 units a year) in late 2012. Bright Automotive came out of stealth mode in January and is made up of people who have a lot of experience with thinking about how to best build a tremendously efficient vehicle, including some who spent time at the Rocky Mountain Institute. For more on the thoughts churning at Bright Automotive, check out this recent editorial from Bright Automotive CEO John Waters calling for more DOE and government funding for automotive entrepreneurs. Like, for example, a little company called Bright Automotive.

Gallery: Bright IDEA test drive images