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Phoenix Motorcars Inc. hopes to produce 20,000 electric vehicles a year some day.

But for now, the Ontario vehicle manufacturer plans to sell 500 cars by the end of the year, lease a 150,000 square-foot building in Ontario by March and hire more than 100 people.

Phoenix shares space with Boshart Engineering in Ontario. Boshart handles engineering and vehicle certification for Phoenix Motorcars.

Phoenix will need to "hire like crazy," Chief Executive Officer Daniel J. Elliott said. "We're not just looking for people to sweep the floors. We need electrical and mechanical engineers. We need the right people."

Elliott looks for entry-level workers, including office workers and engineers, graduating UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara and other local schools, he said.

"It's been a challenge finding people. We've started relocating people from Michigan, where the big three -- General Motors, Ford and Chrysler -- have been laying people off," Elliott said. "We've brought over four so far. We'd prefer to find people locally, but we've had a hard time finding the right people."

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Photo By Dan Elliott

The battery for the new line sets Phoenix Motorcars apart.

Phoenix offers competitive pay for entry-level and experienced workers, Bliss said.

Phoenix produces battery-operated electric sport utility vehicles and trucks. Phoenix partnered with Altairnano in Reno, Nev., for lithium titanate batteries, Boshart for engineering and UQM Technologies in Frederick, Colo. for electric vehicle motor drive systems.

Phoenix assembles cars in Ontario and plans to sell fleets of vehicles to school districts and businesses, said Bryon Bliss, vice president of sales. The cars will sell for about $45,000 each.

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Photo By Dan Elliott

Bryon Bliss, left, Daniel Elliott and Corey Franks operate Phoenix Motorcars in Ontario.

Phoenix electric vehicles can travel up to 130 miles on a single battery charge. Phoenix is working on an upgrade extending the range of the car to 250 miles. Phoenix will release that version sometime this year.

"It costs about $3 to charge the battery; compare that with a $40 tank of gas," Bliss said. The zero-emission cars travel at speeds of up to 95 mph, are equipped with air conditioning and have 480 foot-pounds of torque. The cars can accelerate from zero to 60 mph in 10 seconds, Bliss said.

Public entities have to comply with environmental laws including EPACT to reduce emissions. Phoenix electric cars have zero emissions. Hybrid cars still produce emissions, Bliss said.

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Photo By Dan Elliott

Bryon Bliss, vice president of sales for Phoenix Motorcars in Ontario, with the SUV model for the car line.

Phoenix cars charge with an on-board 6.6-kilowatt charger that plugs into a 220V outlet, the same as an electric dryer. Cars take about six hours to charge but off-board charging can be accomplished with a special charger in as little as 10 minutes, Elliott said.

"The car is useful for everyday commuting, but if you want to go to Las Vegas, you'll need to rent a car," Elliott said. "We're not trying to put everyone into an electric vehicle, but if you drive between Los Angeles and the Inland Empire or do a lot of inner- city driving, this is the perfect product."

Phoenix plans to discuss selling the cars at auto dealerships in 2008, Bliss said.

Founded in Ojai in July 2001 by Dan Riegert and Dana Muscato, the car manufacturer moved to Ontario in November to be closer to Boshart, Bliss said.

Riegert and Muscato are entrepreneurs with most recent businesses including a broadband wireless firm and an investment-banking firm, Elliott said.

Currently, Muscato is a shareholder in the company and Riegert is chief technology officer. They are two of 130 shareholders in the company, Elliott said.

Phoenix Motorcars started out as an alternative fuel research company that planned to design commercial products. But after a lithium ion battery exploded in Phoenix's lab, the manufacturer opted to partner with Altairnano for lithium titanate batteries, Bliss said.

"Altairnano solved a lot of problems with the lithium battery. They removed the graphite and replaced it," Elliott said. "By doing that they eliminated the chemical possibility for thermal runaway -- basically, for fire."

Altairnano develops and supplies nanomaterials for the alternative energy, life sciences and performance materials markets. Altairnano is the exclusive developer and manufacturer of the NanoSafe Battery used in Phoenix electric vehicles.

Phoenix plans to sell a limited number of the electric vehicles to consumers in California later this year.