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British company to assemble electric cars in Stara Zagora

Friday, Feb 11, 2011

UK electric car specialist Zero Carbon 2020 will launch an assembly line for electric cars in Bulgaria’s city of Stara Zagora, the company’s founder and CEO, Jamie Roberts, said on February 10 at an electric vehicle forum in Sofia.

The first cars will be rolled out in the second or third quarter of 2011, Roberts said. Initially, the line will have a capacity of some 100 cars, but its output will reach about 5000 vehicles by 2015, creating more than 350 jobs. Roberts said his Bulgarian project had the backing of Prime Minister Boiko Borissov.

"We are a company offering niche products and have no ambitions for mass production," Roberts noted, adding that his plans for Bulgaria envisaged assembling an urban model, developed jointly with Swiss electric car maker Rinspeed, and a sports car. Zero Carbon 2020, founded in 2006, has so far launched two models with an annual production of not more than 20 units.

Jamie Roberts has inspired Barry Shrier, chief executive of UK-based Liberty Electric Cars, specialised in converting conventional vehicles into electric cars, to study opportunities for setting up shop in Bulgaria. His company re-engineers existing brands by outfitting them with electric motors, batteries and all the necessary components.

Source: thesofiaecho.com