Congressman Donnelly Hails Start Of Electric Truck Production

Statement

Today, Congressman Joe Donnelly released the following statement in regards to Navistar, Inc.'s announcement of the beginning of electric vehicle production in Elkhart County. Donnelly was unable to attend the open house due to votes scheduled in the U.S. House of Representatives.

"This is a perfect example of the private-public partnerships that will grow our economy," said Donnelly. "With the talented workforce in Elkhart County, the ingenuity of Navistar, and funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, we're celebrating this vehicle of the future today. The research and development of groundbreaking technologies, such as electric vehicles, is vital to creating jobs at home, reducing our dependence on foreign oil, and establishing America as the leader in clean vehicle technologies. I'm proud that Hoosier companies are putting cleaner, greener technologies to work on our roads today."

On April 22, 2010, Congressman Donnelly greeted representatives from Navistar to Washington, D.C. They were in town on Earth Day to unveil their all-electric commercial truck on Capitol Hill. The vehicle was developed with the assistance of an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant issued through the U.S. Department of Energy that was announced in Elkhart in August 2009. Navistar intends to build 400 all-electric delivery trucks at its facility in Elkhart this year, and expects within a few years to be producing several thousand vehicles annually as the market grows.

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