Electric Car Makers: Oregon Wants You

In a flurry of electric vehicle activity, three back-to-back announcements this week have placed a spotlight on Oregon’s plans to be the friendliest state in the nation in which to build, sell and buy electric cars.

At a press event on Monday, Oregon’s governor, Ted Kulongoski, was talking up Nissan’s previously announced partnership with the state. According to Nissan, the company plans to introduce its upcoming electric car in Oregon in late 2010.

Not to be outdone, on Tuesday the Norwegian electric car startup, Think, was in Portland being wooed by the state as one of 8 potential places to site their first car manufacturing facility in the United States.

Although Think has been plagued by bad financial news recently, the company’s North American C.E.O., Richard Canny, said he was confident that Think would find the funding to pull through its current financial situation and added, “We believe Oregon could be a really good place for Think to do business.”

Finally, in a first-of-its-kind partnership in the United States, Mitsubishi announced a strategic alliance with Oregon to develop an electric car charging infrastructure in the state. And in a deal similar to the one already in place between Oregon and Nissan, Mitsubishi said it also plans to release its upcoming electric vehicle models the state.

(Last year Oregon had also aggressively negotiated with the Chinese carmaker, BYD, to manufacture its line of plug-in hybrids in the state for sale in the U.S.)

So why has Oregon become a hotbed of activity for electric vehicles all of a sudden? Governor Kulongoski is currently pushing a plan before the state legislature to cut some hefty tax breaks for electric vehicle manufacturers who choose to come to Oregon, as well as provide huge tax credits to purchasers of electric cars.

“My vision has always been for Oregonians to be able to drive from Astoria to Ontario and from Portland to Ashland emission free,” Mr. Kulongoski said. “Families could be making that drive in an emission-free vehicle manufactured in Oregon by Oregonians.”

Sourced via nytimes.com