The success of Tesla Model S has encouraged many other startups to have a crack at making electric cars. GreenTech Automotive is an American electric car maker who is venturing into this market, and they are not going at it alone. They have teamed with the Chinese.
GreenTech has signed a strategic partnership with Chinese auto maker JAC Motors to develop a new all-electric sedan, to be assembled in the United States. JAC will be in charge of making the actual car, while GTA will supply the electric powertrain and assemble the vehicle in its Horn Lake, Miss., facility for distribution in North America.
Set for mass production in late 2013, the five-passenger electric sedan will feature a 19kwh battery with a range of over 100 miles on a single charge and a charge time of 6-8 hours. So it is fair to say Tesla has nothing to worry about yet. GTA will make 2,000 vehicles in the first phase of production, after which they will add a new facility and 200 new jobs to boost the production.
Making a family sedan is a big leap for GTA who’s biggest project is the two-passenger MyCar urban commuter, but with support of a giant like JAC, they can probably succeed. What’s more, based on the preliminary specs they have announced, the JAC-GTA electric sedan will probably be much more affordable than anything else electric in the market.