
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, April 13, 1991                   TAG: 9104130186
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: A-8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: GEORGE KEGLEY/ BUSINESS EDITOR
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

SALEM GE ON FORD TEAM FOR ELECTRIC CAR

General Electric Drive Systems in Salem confirmed Friday it will be a major subcontractor in the design of electric cars Ford Motor Co. is building. The project is under a $14.5 million grant from the federal Department of Energy.

The Salem plant has a three-year subcontract to design the car's electric subsystem, part of the power train.

GE would not disclose the dollar value of its contract. Ralph Benson, manager of the program, said a small team of development engineers has already started work.

Ford has received a research and development contract from the Department of Energy for work on the Modular Electric Vehicle Program, designed to enable manufacturers to build electric cars in greater volume at lower costs and sooner than in traditional operations.

The project is intended to product three sizes of power trains to operate a two-seat, small passenger car, a subcompact station wagon and a minivan.

These development vehicles will be designed for acceleration from 0 to 50 miles an hour in less than 18 seconds and reach top speed of 70 miles per hour. The program is aimed at developing an environmentally attractive alternative to gas-powered vehicles.

GE said it will design the motor and its electronic controls for the cars.

In an announcement this week, Ford said it will build a demonstration fleet of as many as 100 cars late next year in order to gain operating experience before going into large-scale production.

The Salem plant and a corporate research and development group in Schenectady, N.Y., have worked on several different electric car programs in the past.

Ford said some of the demonstration vehicles will have an expected range of at least 250 miles.

GE will deliver its part of the power train to Ford, he said. As market demand develops for the cars, GE said it will shift its contract from government business to commercial marketing and production.

by CNB