Navistar could see an infusion of up to 700 new jobs, including employees and suppliers, with the help of federal grants to boost development and production of hybrid and electric vehicles. President Obama spoke at the engine and truck manufacturer, announcing a $39 million plan to help jump-start production of alternative energy vehicles. As volume increases, Navistar said it anticipated hiring several hundred more jobs at its Indiana facility to help meet the demand.

The Obama administration said Wednesday that 48 projects will share $2.4 billion in federal grants to encourage development and use of hybrid and electric vehicles, Bloomberg reported.

Grants went to companies in more than 20 states, including projects in Michigan and Oregon. General Motors Co., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler Group LLC will get parts of more than $400 million in grants to Michigan-based automakers, Bloomberg reported.

President Obama spoke at a Navistar International Corp. plant in Indiana on Wednesday, outlining a $39 million plan for the company to build electric delivery vehicles, the company said.

In a statement following the president’s visit to its Wakarusa, Ind., plant, the truck and engine maker said it “anticipates hiring additional workers immediately as it ramps up production of the all-electric delivery vehicle.”

As volumes increase, Navistar said it estimates opportunities for several hundred more jobs in the Elkhart, Ind., area, as the program’s grant application calls for the creation of up to 700 jobs, including Navistar employees and suppliers.

Obama has made several visits to the Elkhart area, which calls itself the recreational-vehicle capital of the U.S. and lost more than 15,000 jobs in the past year as sales slumped, Bloomberg reported.

[source - ttnews.com]