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Electric Vehicles Conference

March 29, 2012 by · Comments Off on Electric Vehicles Conference 

Electric Vehicles Conference, Center for Automotive Research unplugs electric-vehicle conference after 3 years, The Ann Arbor-based Center for Automotive Research has pulled the plug on its electric-vehicle event, “The Business of Plugging In,” after three years.

The viability of the electric- and hybrid-vehicle industry looks less green with each grim news cycle. Rochester Hills-based Bright Automotive threw in the towel after its inability to secure a federal loan this month, and Oak Park-based Azure Dynamics filed for bankruptcy protection this week.

A123 Systems Inc. is also under fire after the delivery of defective batteries to several customers out of its Livonia plant.

“We see the hype and the activity, but there continues to be no real business case,” said Brett Smith, co-director of the research organization’s manufacturing, engineering and technology department and co-director of the conference. “If it’s going to work, there has to be a way to develop a valid business case, and that hasn’t happened.”

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