Washington D.C. is the place to be. Bright Automotive just announced the launch of the “Idea”, a new plug-in hybrid car. The vehicle is expected to get 100 miles per gallon and was developed at Bright’s headquarters at the Flagship Enterprise Center.

“We founded the company based on doing the right thing for the transportation sector,” said Bright President and CEO John Waters. “We’ve leveraged some of our expertise of our team’s abilities, which is strongly experienced in advanced automotive technology, electrification of vehicles and sustainability.”

The Bright team hopes to find capital in the capitol city. The company will lobby to receive $55 million in government funding to produce 50,000 vehicles by the end of 2012. On Tuesday morning the company will hold a briefing before members of the House of Representatives, including Rep. Mike Pence, and perform a vehicle preview on the streets of Washington. Carol Browner, chief energy counselor to President Barack Obama, is expected to attend along with companies interested in fuel-efficient transportation. This includes Duke Energy and Frito-Lay North America.

Waters said the vehicle has undergone “stealth tests” on public streets but, for all practical purposes, Tuesday will mark the Idea’s world premiere.

Bright plans to create 550 new jobs through 2010 and more than 5,000 by 2013. That may sound ambitious for 15-month-old startup company, but Bright has the pedigree to pull it off.

(Source) The Herald Bulletin