BURBANK : Electric Vehicle Group Gets Grant

CALSTART, the electric vehicle and advanced transit consortium, has been awarded a $4-million grant from an agency that oversees the nation’s high-tech defense conversion program, CALSTART officials said Monday.

The grant will be matched by $6 million in public funds and donations from CALSTART participants to fund several programs to develop electric vehicle technology and related infrastructure improvements.

CALSTART, based in Burbank, was one of four national consortiums selected Friday from 14 applicants to receive a grant from the Advanced Research Projects Agency.

The grant will go toward development of electric “station cars” that mass transit riders can use to get to and from transit stations, and of a prototype chassis that can be used in electric vehicles, such as buses and cars. The grant will also be used to develop electric car charging stations.

CALSTART, which opened its doors at a vacant Lockheed building last year, has more than 40 public and private members and has raised at least $20 million from public grants and private contributions to fund its electric vehicle and advanced transit development projects.