Detroit Electric moves production to Holland

Detroit Electric is going ahead with production of its Lotus-based sports car in the lovely Detroit suburb of…Holland. Unfortunately it's not the coastal city in the western part of Michigan, but the one in northern Europe. The facility will begin production in the fourth quarter of this year, according to the Detroit News.

Detroit Electric and its first planned product, the all-electric SP:01, made a decent ripple in March when it announced that it would be producing a home-grown electric sports car. The company said it was looking for a production location in Metro Detroit with plans to produce 2,500 cars per year using 100 local workers.

In April the company announced it would partner with Chinese automaker Geely to help develop a fleet for that country. June marked the company's first delay, saying it couldn't find a suitable manufacturing location in Wayne County. At that time the schedule for production was moved from August to September.

The company told the News it was trying to secure Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard Certification to start production in the United States.

“We are Detroit Electric, not London Electric,” said CEO Albert Lam in a statement. “Our commitment to the city of Detroit, the state of Michigan and the United States is as strong as it ever was. While there have been some delays in our plan to start production in Detroit, many vehicle programs experience some form of delay.”

The SP:01 boasted good numbers when it was first announced. The car was slated for a 2,403-pound curb weight with an electric motor delivering 201 hp and 166 lb-ft of torque. Its battery pack was rated at 37 kWh with a charge time on a 240-volt outlet pegged at about four hours. A four-speed manual sent power to the rear wheels. Production was set for 999 units while the base price would be a hefty $135,000.

By Jake Lingeman