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WEST VALLEY CITY -- The company behind an electric car is showing it off at Rocky Mountain Raceway in Utah as it considers opening a production plant here.
Green Star Products is on a country-wide tour, showing off the Geo Metro it turned into an electric car.
The motor, or rather the battery, is so quiet that it's hard to tell if the car is on. The battery takes up space where the back seat used to be; a regular plug will recharge it after about 100 miles.
"So if you're rolling down the road and you feel it's getting slow, just pull into a gas station, unplug the Coke machine, plug this in for about 15 minutes and you're good to go," said Brooks Agnew, vice president of Green Star Products.
A full charge for this vehicle takes about eight hours. You just plug it into the socket at home. At the current utility rates, that will cost you about $30 or $40 a month to run.
In addition, Agnew says the car will outlast any gas-powered vehicle, it's easy to use and can go up to 60 miles per hour.
"There's no special training. You just get in it, turn the key, flip the switch to ‘on' and drive," he said.
Agnew says Green Star wants to build its own model, an extended cab small-pickup truck with the same weight and performance of this vehicle.
He says the company has applied for a $200 million grant from the federal government, and now is looking for a place to build a production plant and supply 30,000 cars a year to car dealers.
"We are looking at Utah, Kentucky and some other states. It's not like the highest bidder gets it; it's what makes the most economic sense and who needs 500 jobs the most," Agnew said.
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Story compiled with contributions from Mary Richards and John Daley.
