Success Stories

Green Lite Motors awarded Oregon BEST grant

January 20th, 2011

The Oregon Built Environment & Sustainable Technologies Center (Oregon BEST) awarded funding aimed at fast-tracking development of some of the state’s most promising renewable energy and sustainable built environment products and technologies so that companies can move them to market more rapidly, creating new clean-tech jobs for Oregonians while making available some of the latest solutions to global energy and natural resource issues.The selected businesses will work closely with Oregon BEST researchers at university labs to test and further develop technologies ranging from low-cost thermal window inserts and poplar wood processed to attain the strength of old growth fir to an enzyme that could dramatically lower the cost of biofuel production and a control system for a hybrid gas-electric urban commuter vehicle.
 
“Oftentimes a modest investment that boosts R&D at the right time can help a company move a great idea from lab to market much faster,” said David Kenney, president and executive director of Oregon BEST. “These grants target technologies developed in Oregon, and will help companies–through collaboration with Oregon university research labs–to more quickly succeed and hire additional employees.”
 
The grant will enable one of the selected companies, Green Lite Motors, to work with Oregon Institute of Technology to develop hybrid-electric technology.

See Oregon BEST for more information on commercialization grants to support small businesses and university researchers to commercialize new products.

GREEN LITE MOTORS
The Portland, Ore. company has developed a two-seat, hybrid gas-electric, three-wheeled vehicle that delivers ultra-high efficiency (attaining 100 miles-per-gallon) but offers the safety features and comfort of a standard passenger car. Green Lite Motors was selected as one of the three most promising clean-tech start-ups in the Pacific Northwest through the Clean Tech Open competition in 2009. The company will be working with Oregon BEST researchers James Long, Hugh Currin, and James Zipay at the Oregon Institute of Technology to research and develop the electronics, software, and hardware that will enable the vehicle’s existing electric motor and gas engine to work in combination off a single throttle to optimize efficiency and performance. This is the last critical element in creating a fully functional prototype, and will position the company to obtain private investment capital for commercialization.
 
“Our team is excited to work with OIT to apply their control systems and hybrid drive experience,” said Tim Miller, President and CEO of Green Lite Motors. “With Oregon BEST’s support, we’ll develop this key piece of our innovative vehicle and be on the path toward job creation here in Oregon.”

“This project with Green Lite Motors will realize a commercialization opportunity resulting from five years of applied research,” said professor James Long of OIT. “With help from Oregon BEST and Tom Chester of the Oregon Renewable Energy Center, we will move into the electric vehicle arena with a positive contribution to the Oregon Economy.”