Green Automotive, Niyato to sell domestic EVs in US

Green Automotive (GACR), a US-based importer and distributor of Eco-friendly vehicles, has signed a letter of intent (LOI) with Niyato Industries to bring domestically manufactured all-electric vehicles to the US market in 2012.

The LOI also facilitates an exclusive license to Green Automotive to distribute the Niyato's EVs in Western US including Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada and Arizona in exchange for an unrevealed quantity of Green Automotive common stock.

The company expects that the new Niyato vehicle manufacturing center may be situated in California, US.

Niyato possesses the license to convert domestically produced Ford Fusion and Ford Escape models into all-EVs and to market them under the company's brand.

As per the recent directive issued by US President Obama to find ways to cut petroleum-based fuel usage, the General Services Administration (GSA) is seeking to convert the federal fleet of nearly 600,000 gas-powered vehicles to all-electric or alternative fuels by 2015.

Niyato Industries COO Kathi Hanley said the company is qualified to help meet this challenge by using their EV technology and special manufacturing license from the US Department of Transportation (US DOT).

Niyato plans to begin the manufacturing of the vehicles in July 2012.

The Niyato marketing plan intends to retail all-electric vehicles to consumers and to be sold to the US government to complete its quota of fleet conversions to all-electric/alternative fuels by 2015.

Green Automotive president Fred Luke said it is important to understand that Niyato is using Ford platforms that have already complied with all of the DOT Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS).

"This means that the Ford models converted by Niyato to all-electric drive are road ready, which places us in the market that much sooner with a very safe and reliable vehicle," Luke said.