BURBANK : Funding to Be Sought for Electric Car Project

Federal, state and Burbank officials said Friday they intend to seek funding for an ambitious proposal to use idled aerospace workers and plants to turn Burbank into the hub of an electric car industry.

The center--which could be on property that Lockheed announced Friday that it will make available for the project--could involve 20 or more companies, officials said. Officials said the project would create jobs and provide a significant economic boost to Burbank, which has lost about 15,000 jobs in the past few years.

Under the plan discussed Friday, Lockheed, which is relocating much of its operation, would loan rent-free for two years a 65,000-square-foot building to Amerigon, a Monrovia electric vehicle firm that is coordinating an effort by several firms to build a prototype electric car.