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Print Edition StoriesTuesday, December 15, 2009
Boston-Power joins Swedish coalition to make Saab-derived electric car
By Jackie Noblett
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Lithium-ion battery maker Boston-Power Inc. has joined a coalition of Swedish automotive and technology organizations to commercialize high performance electric cars based on Saab Automobile AB designs.
The group has received the equivalent of $12 million in funding from the Swedish Energy Agency to advance the development of the ZE Saab 9-3, an electric version of the carmaker’s sedan. Plans are to build more than 100 cars next year.
It is unclear, however, how the development of the Saab electric vehicle could be influenced by the carmaker’s financial troubles. News service Reuters reported Tuesday that Chinese car company Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Co. paid roughly $197 million for the intellectual property rights and equipment to make the 9-3, as well as its sister sedan, the 9-5. Saab’s parent company, General Motors, had said it would wind down the brand if a buyer was not found by the end of this month.
In addition to Westborough-based Boston-Power and Saab, the group includes drivetrain maker Electroengine AB, the Innovatum Technology Park in the west of Sweden, and Power Circle, Sweden’s electric power industry trade organization.
Boston-Power founder and CEO Christina Lampe-Onnerud is a native of Sweden.
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