Carbon Motors picks Connersville, IN for new HQ, E7 police car production
Carbon Motors E7 - Click above for high-res image gallery
Carbon Motors, soon-to-be makers of a dedicated police cruiser known as the E7, has finally chosen a new place to call home: Connersville, Indiana. Taking up residence in an abandoned plant from auto parts supplier Visteon, Carbon intends on investing $350 million to renovate the 1.8 million square-foot facility that it plans to use for production of the E7. The company could bring 1,500 new jobs to the area and plans to have the E7 into production by 2012.
Now that a production plant has been procured – and assuming there aren't any major snags along the way – it's expected that Carbon Motors will make an application to the Department of Energy's Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program, which is intended to help spur the development of new fuel efficient vehicles. Carbon Motors' E7 was developed from the ground-up for police duty and features a 3.0-liter diesel that the company claims could cut police fleet fuel usage by 40% along with a barrage of other high-tech goodies perfect for fighting crime. Click past the break for the official press release.
Gallery: Carbon Motors E7 police car
[Source: Carbon Motors]
PRESS RELEASE:
Carbon Motors Selects Indiana
Site Selection Announcement Made at "A Rally for American Jobs"
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.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Gardiner Westbound 8:40AM (7/30/2009)
Good for Carbon Motors! Seize the opportunity while GM fumbles the RWD Chevy Impala (former Pontiac G8) police special.
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Jared 1:31PM (7/30/2009)
This car will be a failure. Their marketing scheme is to pay more upfront for a "better" car and pay less over the life with fuel costs...
However, no one seems to think about repairs to the car.... Police wreck, all the time. And with one small manufacture making all the cars, parts will likely be very expensive compared to a crown vic. This car won't get to a crime scene faster nor will it hunt down a fast car (it's slower then the charger cop cars). It seems the departments will end up paying more money in the long run for a car that's "designed" for police work. However, in my eyes, the only department that needs specialized vehicles is the US Military. Especially when it's being paid for with MY tax dollars.
arinze 2:29PM (7/30/2009)
As long as the maintenance costs of these cars can be kept down and the reliability is top notch , I think this is a great idea to have a dedicated police vehicle with good performance and good gas mileage. I think all the unmarked crown vics/chevy impalas/dodge magnums/dodge chargers rolling around have gone too far.
For those arguing performance, this cruiser has plenty of power to handle every day situations in addition to the occasional police chase.
For those arguing price, the buying price of a crown vic or impala might be less than this, but keep in mind those cars have to be heavily modified for police duty costing thousands and this one would be ready straight from the factory.
TigerMil 6:24PM (7/30/2009)
Cops WILL put gasoline into the tank. It's already happening in England...and they do diesels all the time.
Kitko 8:42AM (7/30/2009)
I wonder how that brand logo will go down at Renaults headquarters.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renault
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Alex 8:43AM (7/30/2009)
Best of luck Carbon!
I think these guys have a truly innovative and long over-due product to offer the police.
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Visnick 8:45AM (7/30/2009)
How much is this thing going to cost?
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Dave 9:39AM (7/30/2009)
Too much.
Cop cars are disposable for a good reason.
Paul 9:43AM (7/30/2009)
with a diesel motor it can cost 30% more than a standard police car and the ROI will be extremely quick for departments investing. Additionally, it will last significantly longer.
Jared 10:21AM (7/30/2009)
That's the big problem. From what I read, it will cost at least twice what a new Crown Vic or Dodge Charger costs. Running costs may be less, but it will be awfully hard to save enough fuel to offset that higher purchase price.
Given the current state of most law enforcement budgets, I don't see many chiefs likely to sign an invoice for one of these.
Matt K 10:50AM (7/30/2009)
The thing with how much it costs is that it will come from the factory with all the gear the police forces now must pay for seperately from the car's cost.
The Ford to Police cost of a Crown Vic may be low, but the Police then spend a ton of money putting all of their gear in.
tifosiotaku 9:00AM (7/30/2009)
Am I the only one that wants to buy a civilian version of this car?
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Alex 9:27AM (7/30/2009)
No, no you are not. I was just trying to figure out how long these cars would see service on the force before being auctioned off.
wildwood 10:03AM (7/30/2009)
According to Carbon Motors, old cars will not be sold to the public. The cars will be resold / returned to Carbon for refurbishing or destroyed.
Chet 11:55AM (7/30/2009)
Interesting -- perhaps the car is not designed to be legal for sale to the public... are there some regulatory exemptions for law enforcement vehicles?
Dude 9:06AM (7/30/2009)
Better hope the plant is non-union. If not, they will fail.
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richard 10:25AM (7/30/2009)
The cops who will drive them are union. Unions aren't responsible for the car companies' problems all by themselves. Pathetic management, greedy boards, short-sighted product planning, and a ridiculously expensive healthcare system unlike any other industrialized country are bigger factors.
Paxx 9:25AM (7/30/2009)
How much will it cost to repair when they do a PIT maneuver?
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tyhous 9:36AM (7/30/2009)
I was thinking the same thing - it definitely needs bigger bumper guards.
Sean 1:00PM (7/30/2009)
Did you mean THE PRECISION IMMOBILIZATION TECHNIQUE, or PIT MANEUVER?
...sorry, that damn show on Spike was on.