Carbon Motors : News Releases

A Real Life Fantasy

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Carbon Motors was approached by Suzi Huntington in Denver, Colorado, at the 116th Annual International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference and Exposition and presented the team with an advanced copy of the November/December edition of American Cop Magazine. The magazine featured an article about Carbon Motors written by Suzi, a retired police officer from San Diego Police Department. Suzi understands all too well the needs of law enforcement officers, as well as the needs of the administrators and our friends in the budgeting departments. Read the full article in the PDF below.

Carbon Motors E7 Answers the Call: Country First

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0400

DENVER, CO — Today, Carbon Motors Corporation’s E7 purpose-built patrol vehicle makes its 42nd stop on its nationwide Pure Justice Tour at the 116th Annual International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference & Exposition in Denver, Colorado. The Carbon E7 has received overwhelming praise from law enforcement agencies at the local, state, and federal level represented by almost 300 agencies placing production slot reservations for over 11,000 vehicles.

“A retrofitted passenger vehicle posing as a real police car doesn’t even meet 20% of the law enforcement operating requirements. The E7 delivers more than 95% of the attributes law enforcement officers need to keep our communities safe and protect our homeland against threats, both foreign and domestic,” said William Santana Li, chairman and chief executive officer, Carbon Motors Corporation. These key requirements were established by the Carbon Council, a users group of over 3,500 law enforcement professionals from all 50 US States at every rank and level across the country.

“The 450,000 law enforcement patrol vehicles in operation today were not manufactured in the United States of America. The Carbon E7 was designed by law enforcement for law enforcement, and will be built here in the U.S., in Connersville, Indiana. Production of the E7 brings 1,550 new, good paying jobs to a state with nearly 10% unemployment, and to a county suffering from 16% unemployment,” remarked Li.

“Not only is the E7 an exceptional police vehicle built from the ground up – a world’s first,” said Li, “but it also delivers a dramatic 40% improvement in fuel economy over the nation’s fleet of law enforcement vehicles on the road today. Production of the E7 will create new American green jobs of national importance and will help reduce American dependence on foreign oil.”

In order to accelerate production of the E7, Carbon Motors Corporation on August 12th filed an application for a $310 million U.S. Department of Energy loan under the provisions of Section 136 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (the ATVMIP – the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Incentive Program).

The expedited production of the Carbon E7 is in the national homeland security, environmental, and economic interests of the United States of America and is supported by Democrats and Republicans alike, including Governor Mitch Daniels, U.S. Senator Richard Lugar, U.S. Senator Evan Bayh, U.S. Representative Mike Pence, U.S. Representative André Carson, U.S. Representative Dan Burton, U.S. Representative Brad Ellsworth, Fayette County Commissioner Richie Pflum, and Connersville Mayor Leonard Urban.

KEY FACTS
The Carbon E7 will provide a number of interagency solutions and will have material and positive effect on every town, city, county, state, airport, college campus, port, street, high value target, and highway across the country.

U.S. Department of Energy
• Energy – the nation’s law enforcement fleet consumes an estimated 1.5 billion gallons of gasoline and emits an estimated 14 million tons of CO2 annually; the Carbon E7 will cut that by up to 40% using clean diesel technology. Clean diesel is the technically correct short to medium-term solution for law enforcement operations due to its inherent performance, safety, operational, fuel efficiency, and durability characteristics.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security
• Homeland Security – over 8 years after 9-11 our country’s 840,000 law enforcement first responders continue to utilize inconsistently outfitted retail passenger vehicles meant for consumer use which do not provide the safety and performance capabilities appropriate to secure our homeland; over 3,500 law enforcement professionals across all 50 U.S. States at the local, state, and federal level helped design the Carbon E7 to specifically address their needs in the field.

U.S. Department of Justice
• Wasteful Government Spending – unlike the U.S. Department of Defense that oversees our military operations, the U.S. Department of Justice does not oversee the country’s over 19,000 law enforcement agencies which have very limited economies of scale in purchasing the equipment they need and are forced to utilize an outdated and wildly inefficient process to operate and service these vehicles in the field. Moreover, they experience unnecessarily high operating costs due to unacceptable fuel economy, poor durability, excessive service requirements, and critical safety concerns. The Carbon E7 will reduce the total life cycle costs as well as the overall taxpayer burden required to support our law enforcement operations, savings millions of dollars, and provide dramatic improvements in safety and effectiveness.

U.S. Department of Labor
• American Jobs – the over 450,000 law enforcement patrol vehicles that protect and secure our communities across America are not manufactured in the USA. The Carbon E7 will be produced in Connersville, Indiana in an economically depressed region and is projected to create 10,000 new direct and indirect American jobs and a $3 billion positive economic impact. Fayette County is presently experiencing a 16% unemployment rate.

U.S. Department of Transportation
• Safety – the 75,000 new vehicles purchased by law enforcement agencies annually begin as retail passenger cars never intended for law enforcement usage and are haphazardly retrofitted with a plethora of equipment installed on an aftermarket basis. These modified vehicles are never subjected to crash tests required to meet the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) – a level of safety our families enjoy but is not provided to our women and men in uniform. The Carbon E7 will not only meet or exceed all FMVSS requirements with all law enforcement equipment efficiently integrated into the vehicle from the factory, but is additionally designed to meet a 75-mph rear impact crash.

About Carbon Motors Corporation

Carbon Motors Corporation is a bold, new homeland security company on a critical mission to design, develop, manufacture, distribute, service, and recycle, the world’s first purpose-built law enforcement patrol vehicle. Learn more at www.carbonmotors.com.

Police Chase

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0400

This is a wonderfully written article about how two of Carnegie Mellon’s best and brightest came together to develop the world’s first purpose-built law enforcement patrol vehicle. Read the entire article here.

William Santana Li on "Connersville Speaks"

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0400

If you didn’t see the live interview with Bill Li on “Connersville Speaks”, be sure to catch it on webstream.

Open this link in a new window or tab, find the TV3 tab at the upper right, then click on “Video on Demand.” Scroll down the index below the …video screen and find Connersville Speaks September.

Watch This Space

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Carbon Motors officials are frequently asked about the site selection process – “What were the driving factors?”, and “Why Connersville?”. In this article, Adam Bruns of Site Selection Magazine explores those questions and more with Carbon’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, William Santana Li. – READ SITE SELECTION ARTICLE HERE.

Carbon Motors Visits Hastings, Nebraska

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0400

The Carbon Motors Pure Justice Tour and Service Summit landed in Hastings, Nebraska this week… and the City was certain to make an impact that the Carbon team would not soon forget. Chief Larry Thoren of the Hastings Police Department and George Anderson, President of Motorsports Park Hastings (MPH), organized the three-day event.

A VIP reception was held on the afternoon/evening of day one. Some of those in attendance were U.S. Senator Mike Johanns’ Office, Congressman Adrian Smith’s staff, Lieutenant Governor Rick Sheehy, several Mayors and countless city officials.

The following two days concentrated on Carbon’s Service Summit, focus groups examining world-class customer service for law enforcement, and the Pure Justice Tour. Law enforcement agencies were invited to ‘meet’ the E7 and members of the Carbon Motors team, and were allowed to practice emergency vehicle operations (using their own vehicles) on MPH’s state of the art road course.

Members of the local media attended the event and discussed it in the following article – Officers Get a Peek at Possible Police Car of the Future

We hope you enjoy it!

Carbon Motors Files for $310 Million Federal Loan

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0400

CONNERSVILLE, IN — Today, on the heels of announcing jointly with Governor Mitch Daniels, before thousands of Americans, law enforcement officials, and local, state, and federal authorities, that it would locate its operation in Connersville, Indiana at a shuttered automotive plant, Carbon Motors Corporation filed its application to secure a loan with U.S. Department of Energy under the provisions of Section 136 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (the “ATVMIP – Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Incentive Program”).

“Our nation’s law enforcement operations represent the largest, most visible government fleet and it is critical that our country lead by example. An average of 11 miles per gallon today for a fleet size of 450,000 vehicles is neither acceptable nor an efficient use of taxpayer dollars. Moreover, it is now almost 8 years after 9-11 and 4 years after Katrina, and it is critical that we provide our 840,000 law enforcement first responders the appropriate world-class equipment to secure our homeland against threats, both foreign and domestic,” said William Santana Li, chairman and chief executive officer, Carbon Motors Corporation.

The ATVMIP provides loans to new and established automakers to build more fuel-efficient vehicles. Created in 2007 and appropriated in September 2008, the $25 billion program aims to reduce America’s dangerous dependence on foreign oil and to create new American “green” jobs. The program is entirely unrelated to the stimulus package or the so-called “bailout” funds that legacy automakers have received in the past.

“Our application unequivocally meets or exceeds all technical, business, and legal requirements of the loan program and we believe the U.S. Department of Energy will quickly realize that it is in the national security and socioeconomic interests of the United States of America that the Carbon E7 vehicle be expedited to production; and given the significant cross-cabinet issues it addresses, it is only appropriate that it be backed by the federal authorities,” continued Li. This new game-changing homeland security technology platform will have a positive effect on every town, city, county, state, airport, railroad, college campus, high value target, border, and port of the United States of America – a social benefit nationwide.

The announcement that the Carbon E7 will be produced at a mothballed facility in Fayette County where unemployment levels have been hovering above 16% has not only reinvigorated thousands of workers that can trace back their regional industrial history to at least seven automakers of yesteryear, but has accelerated the environmental cleanup process for the brownfield facility.

“On behalf of Carbon Motors Corporation, I would like to publicly thank Governor Mitch Daniels, U.S. Senator Richard Lugar, U.S. Senator Evan Bayh, U.S. Representative Mike Pence, U.S. Representative André Carson, U.S. Representative Dan Burton, U.S. Representative Brad Ellsworth, and Mayor Leonard Urban for their unwavering bipartisan support of our efforts to create thousands of new American green jobs of national importance. We look forward to continuing to foster public/private sector collaboration at all levels. Expediting the approval of this loan is critical to (1) securing our homeland, (2) reducing our dependence on foreign oil and (3) creating long-term, sustainable jobs in every sense of the word. I believe President Obama had expressed a strong interest in ‘two-fers’ to drive efficiencies by tackling two major issues with a single resource. This one, Mr. President, is a ‘three-fer’ without a doubt sir,” remarked Li.

KEY FACTS

U.S. Department of Homeland Security
• Homeland Security – over 7 years after 9-11 our country’s 840,000 law enforcement first responders continue to utilize inconsistently outfitted retail passenger vehicles meant for consumer use which do not provide the safety and performance capabilities appropriate to secure our homeland; over 3,000 law enforcement professionals across all 50 U.S. States at the local, state, and federal level helped design the Carbon E7 to specifically address their needs in the field.

U.S. Department of Transportation
• Safety – the 75,000 new vehicles purchased by law enforcement agencies annually begin as retail passenger cars never intended for law enforcement usage and are haphazardly upfitted with a plethora of equipment installed on an aftermarket basis. These modified vehicles are never subjected to crash tests required to meet the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) – a level of safety our families enjoy but is not provided to our women and men in uniform. The Carbon E7 will not only meet or exceed all FMVSS requirements with all law enforcement equipment efficiently integrated into the vehicle from the factory, but is additionally designed to meet a 75-mph rear impact crash.

About Carbon Motors Corporation

The KITT of Connersville: How Carbon Motors Decided to Build Police Cars in Indiana

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Lydia Dishman (Fast Company Magazine) follows the site selection process from pre-“Carbon Motors Day” to selecting Connersville, Indiana, as the site for the entirety of Carbon Motors’ operation. Follow along in this fast paced story of Americana and innovation. Read the full story here and don’t forget to add your comments!

Carbon Motors Selects Indiana for New Headquarters

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0400

CONNERSVILLE, Ind. (July 29, 2009) – Indiana Economic Development Corporation officials have been formally notified that Carbon Motors has selected Connersville for its proposed headquarters and manufacturing operations. Carbon Motors, a startup maker of high-tech police cars, intends to invest $350 million to site its production headquarters in the 1.8 million square-foot-facility formerly occupied by Visteon. The company said it could create 1,500 jobs.

The IEDC must resolve outstanding contingencies with the company before agreements are finalized, including site acquisition complexity brought about by Visteon’s recent bankruptcy, latent environmental concerns at the vacant facility and finalizing terms of an agreement which will protect Hoosier taxpayers and give Carbon Motors the opportunity to effectively compete for federal funding.

Carbon Motors said it will apply for a federal loan through the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program. Final selection of a manufacturing site is a condition for Carbon Motors to make the loan application. Such an award could expedite the job creation in Fayette County. DOE’s program provides loans to automobile and parts manufacturers for the cost of re-equipping, expanding or establishing U.S. manufacturing facilities to produce advanced technology vehicles or qualified components.

Carbon Motors, established by former Ford Motor Company executives in 2003, has developed the Carbon E7, a law enforcement vehicle which incorporates bullet-proof door and dash panels, radiation and biological threat detectors, an automatic license plate recognition system, integrated emergency lights and a clean diesel engine. Carbon Motors estimates the E7’s 3.0 liter clean diesel engine could reduce law enforcement fleet fuel costs by up to 40 percent.

Once agreements are finalized, the IEDC will announce the state’s participation.

About Carbon Motors

Carbon Motors Corporation is a bold, new homeland security company on a critical mission to design, develop, manufacture, distribute, service, and recycle at end-of-life, the world’s first purpose-built law enforcement patrol vehicle. Learn more at www.carbonmotors.com.

About IEDC

Created by Governor Mitch Daniels in 2005 to replace the former Department of Commerce, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation is governed by a 12-member board chaired by Governor Daniels. Indiana Secretary of Commerce Mitch Roob serves as the chief executive officer of the state’s job creating agency. For more information about IEDC, visit www.iedc.in.gov.

IEDC Media Contact:

Blair West (IEDC) – 317.232.8873 or bwest@iedc.in.gov

Carbon Motors E7: Proudly Made in Indiana

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0400

CONNERSVILLE, IN — Today, Carbon Motors Corporation, a new homeland security company, announced at “A Rally for American Jobs” that the State of Indiana, Fayette County, and the City of Connersville would be its new home. Governor Mitch Daniels, Mayor Leonard Urban and thousands of Hoosiers were present for the unexpected announcement that had been in the works with the leadership and support of U.S. Senator Dick Lugar, U.S. Senator Evan Bayh, and Congressman Mike Pence. The jobs rally, held at a shuttered automotive facility, demonstrated the commitment of state, county and city officials, and clearly reflected the determination, spirit, and commitment of its workforce.

Carbon Motors will invest over $350 million in developing and producing the Carbon E7, which is slated for start of production in 2012. According to the Enterprise Innovation Institute, the Carbon Campus, which will house the entirety of its operation, is expected to bring 10,000 new direct and indirect American jobs to the region to support the production of the world’s first purpose-built law enforcement patrol vehicle. It is estimated that the Company will have a $3 billion positive economic impact over ten years.

“We are creating new American jobs of national importance and it was only appropriate to announce that at a very unique ‘Rally for American Jobs’. It is essential that the local, state, and federal authorities work in concert with the private sector to deliver on our country’s moral obligation to provide our 840,000 law enforcement responders the appropriate equipment to secure our homeland against threats, both foreign and domestic,” remarked William Santana Li, chairman and chief executive officer, Carbon Motors Corporation. “With the unanimous vote of the Board of Directors, we are pleased and honored to announce that the great State of Indiana will become the police car capital of the world,” continued Li.

“We are thrilled at the possibilities that Carbon Motors represents and, I’ll be honest, especially at their selection of Connersville for the factory they hope to build. This company, in this former capital of American manufacturing, would make a tremendous symbol of economic rebirth and Hoosier leadership in it,” said Governor Mitch Daniels.

KEY FACTS

Carbon Motors Corporation is a bold, new homeland security company on a critical mission to design, develop, manufacture, distribute, service, and recycle, the world’s first purpose-built patrol vehicle. The Carbon E7 vehicle was recently at the U.S. Capitol for review by the U.S. Senate and subsequently at the U.S. House of Representatives.

This new homeland security technology platform will have a positive effect on every town, city, county, state, airport, college campus, border, and port of the United States of America – a social benefit nationwide. The country’s law enforcement fleet is the most visible government fleet across the nation and it must lead by example. By creating thousands of new American jobs, providing our law enforcement first responders the appropriate level of equipment, and doing so in an environmentally responsible manner, we can establish a tangible new symbol for “America is Back”. It is in the national interest of the United States from all levels of the public and private sector that the Carbon E7 be expedited to full-scale production. The opportunities the Carbon E7 vehicle represents cut across several cabinet level positions:

U.S. Department of Energy

Energy – the nation’s law enforcement fleet consumes an estimated 1.5 billion gallons of gasoline and emits an estimated 14 million tons of CO2 annually; the Carbon E7 will cut that by up to 40% using clean diesel technology. Clean diesel is the technically correct short to medium-term solution for law enforcement operations due to its inherent performance, safety, operational, fuel efficiency, and durability characteristics.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Homeland Security – over 7 years after 9-11 our country’s 840,000 law enforcement first responders continue to utilize inconsistently outfitted retail passenger vehicles meant for consumer use which do not provide the safety and performance capabilities appropriate to secure our homeland; over 3,000 law enforcement professionals across all 50 U.S. States at the local, state, and federal level helped design the Carbon E7 to specifically address their needs in the field.

U.S. Department of Justice

Wasteful Government Spending – unlike the U.S. Department of Defense that oversees our military operations, the country’s over 19,000 law enforcement agencies have very limited economies of scale in purchasing the equipment they need and are forced to utilize an outdated and wildly inefficient process to operate and service these vehicles in the field. Moreover, they experience unnecessarily high operating costs due to unacceptable fuel economy, poor durability, excessive service requirements, and critical safety concerns. The Carbon E7 will reduce the total life cycle costs as well as the overall taxpayer burden required to support our law enforcement operations, savings millions of dollars, and provide dramatic improvements in safety and effectiveness at the same time.

U.S. Department of Labor

American Jobs – the over 450,000 law enforcement patrol vehicles that protect and secure our communities across America are not manufactured in the USA. The Carbon E7 will be produced in one of five U.S. States presently under consideration and is projected to create 10,000 new direct and indirect American jobs and a $3 billion positive economic impact on the selected region.

U.S. Department of Transportation

Safety – the 75,000 new vehicles purchased by law enforcement agencies annually begin as retail passenger cars never intended for law enforcement usage and are haphazardly upfitted with a plethora of equipment installed on an aftermarket basis. These modified vehicles are never subjected to crash tests required to meet the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) – a level of safety our families enjoy but is not provided to our women and men in uniform. The Carbon E7 will not only meet or exceed all FMVSS requirements with all law enforcement equipment efficiently integrated into the vehicle from the factory, but is additionally designed to meet a 75-mph rear impact crash.

About Carbon Motors Corporation

Carbon Motors Corporation is a bold, new homeland security company on a critical mission to design, develop, manufacture, distribute, service, and recycle, the world’s first purpose-built patrol vehicle. Learn more at www.carbonmotors.com.

Contact: Stacy Dean Stephens, 404-806-9906 ext. 712