Organization & Structure

In the current organization phase the consortium is governed by agreement by its founding members and by its Charter. Once adequate membership in the consortium is achieved, the consortium membership will elect its leadership and retify or revise its goals and design specifications.

Consumer Support
A very important component of the Consortiums activities is effective public communication and education on the benefits and near-term availability of PHEVs. Towards this end,

Points of Consideration

  1. Joining the Consortium
    Members agree to participate in the advancement of the consortium through written press announcements, open discussion and promotion and the solicitation and selection of other members. When the Consortium accumulates sufficient membership and the participation of an automobile manufacturer, the Consortium will advance to Phase 2 to develop a demonstration Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) that can meet both performance and manufacturing goals for early adoption and competitive pricing.
     

  2. Contribution and Support.
    In Phase 1 above, Consortium founding members will contribute the resources required to achieve the objectives of Phase 1 in building Consortium membership. Upon successful completion of the goals of Phase 1, PG&E and Raser may elect to participate in Phase 2 under an agreement to be determined at that time, to build and demonstrate an advanced plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. In Phase 2 the Consortium together with participating OEMs will contribute matching funds and or in-kind resources in the amount of $300,000 each while jointly seeking any additional required funding and support from FreedomCar, the DOT and other organizations.
     

  3. Demonstration Vehicle Development Project
    In demonstrating that advanced hybrid features and benefits can be achieved today through “off-the-shelf” components and the latest breakthrough technologies, the Consortium hopes to accelerate the adoption of hybrid vehicles and new technology. With the participation of major OEMs in the development of this proof-of-concept PHEV, the Consortium intends to demonstrate the immediate availability of the necessary components required to build the “next generation” hybrid vehicle that will demonstrate the attainability of advanced hybrid benefits. These benefits include: 20-50 mile electric only range with zero emissions (ZEV), 100 to 200 mpg or more total gas mileage, an affordable manufacturing approach, reduction in fuel costs and more convenient refueling for the consumer through supplemental plug-in electric power for as low as .50 cents per equivalent gallon, and an advanced energy storage system that meets performance and price objectives.
     

  4. Television Documentary to Educate Public and Stimulate Demand
    Phase 2 above, the Consortium will seek, participate with and provide seed funding for a television documentary for national broadcast that will follow the challenges and success in developing the “next generation hybrid vehicle” and look into the growing global demand for petroleum, increasing level of foreign oil imports, environmental impact, and the effects advanced hybrids will have on these issues. It will also address how automakers have had to adapt to meet the challenges of developing and incorporating hybrid technologies into new products, and their place in the proposed hydrogen economy.
     

  5. Intellectual Property
    Each participating company in the Consortium will retain full rights to their respective technologies and intellectual property. Successful participation in the resulting demonstration vehicle design will benefit each member through potential manufacturing and supply opportunities.
     

  6. Funding and Miscellaneous
    Members of the Consortium will determine the amount and source of funding for the Consortium. Additional administrative issues will be addressed as necessary.

Conclusion
The Consortium will provide hybrid vehicle component suppliers with a strong unified voice with which to better approach and work with OEMs in accelerating the adoption of new technology and the development of the “next generation” hybrid vehicle. The Consortium will also serve to help increase public awareness and demand for PHEVs that will help stimulate OEM commitment and production.

Background on Raser Technologies and their role.
Raser Technologies, Inc. has developed proprietary electric drive technologies with the potential to provide significantly more power for electric motor dominant hybrids such as Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles (“PHEVs”) that require 20 - 50 miles of high performance all-electric operation. Raser has also been active in lobbying for political support and tax incentives for PHEVs with Senator Hatch and the CLEAR ACT.