A car boasting double the fuel-efficiency of hybrids is on the drawing boards of a Rockledge, Fla.-based company.
Avera Motors, launched by 27-year-old RJ Scaringe, said the company's team of engineers is developing an "ultra-efficient platform that will be used for a range of affordable, green performance vehicles."
The venture is a spinoff of Mainstream Engineering Corp., which manufactures equipment and performs research and development for several U.S. government agencies and contractors.
Scaringe, son of Mainstream founder Robert J. Scaringe, said, Averas vehicles are being developed to focus on car enthusiasts. This is someone who wants an extremely fun sports car but cant spend the money, needs more than two seats, or wants better efficiency.
"Averas vehicles will handle better than some of the worlds best known sports cars, seat four people, and cost about the same as a Toyota Prius, all while achieving outstanding efficiency on the existing fueling infrastructure.
According to a company press release, Avera is itself a hybrid of three words: American, verde, meaning green, and terra meaning earth.
The combination of the three words holds significance to the team at Avera because the focus of vehicle development is not only on creating a car with a small carbon footprint, but on ensuring the process behind the vehicle is equally green,the company stated.
According to the company's website, Avera's diesel-hybrid sports car will achieve twice the mpg rating of current hybrids, seat four passengers, receive a five-star safety rating, use existing fueling infrastructure, produce ultra-low emissions, be affordable in price, and be engineered and built in the United States.
No renderings of the new vehicle or performance projections were available.
The claim of doubling existing hybrid mileage could put the vehicle near 100 mpg. The Prius and Honda Civic hybrids range between 45-50 mpg. The U.K. Ford Fiesta achieves 76 mpg on diesel (compared with 35 mpg for its gasoline-fueled twin in America).
Avera and Mainstream are on the cusp of becoming a leader in breakthrough technologies for high-mileage vehicles, said U.S. Rep. Bill Posey, R-Rockledge.
This has the potential to be a real boon for our community and I hope their efforts are successful. Avera is breaking the mold on how automobiles are built and are doing so in a way that is good for consumers, our local economy and the environment. Their work could generate a significant number of new direct and indirect jobs in our community, Posey said.
Avera currently employs 15 engineers and designers. The company says it expects to hire up to 1,000 workers over the next five years.
Neither Avera nor Mainstream executives were available to confirm if the vehicles would be manufactured in Florida.
Mainstream, the parent company, is housed in an 80,000-square-foot R&D/manufacturing facility on eight acres in Brevard County.
According to press reports, Avera Motors has secured $2 million from the state to assist it in obtaining low-interest loans.
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Contact Kenric Ward at kward@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 801-5341.
