Indiana has a rich heritage and major assets in engineering and manufacturing advanced energy solutions. The first electric car (GM's EV1) was designed in Indianapolis in the 1980s, and today the region is home to the largest U.S. manufacturer of hybrid motors (Remy), the only U.S. large-scale manufacturer of advanced lithium-ion batteries (EnerDel), and a host of other advanced technology vehicle players like Cummins, Delphi, Allison Transmission, Bright Automotive, Light Engineering, Franklin Electric, Dart Controls, Navistar, AM and more.

These assets and a willingness to collaborate among industry partners led to the creation of the Energy Systems Network ("ESN") under the auspices of CICP. Along with non-profit research and educational activities, ESN manages joint ventures among Indiana companies and research institutions to commercialize promising opportunities in the cleantech sector - three projects are already underway:

• The Hoosier Heavy Hybrid Partnership, focused on bringing more cost effective light, medium, and heavy duty hybrid trucks to market;
• Project Plug-IN, which will integrate plug-in electric vehicles and ‘smart grid' technologies providing a green transportation solution to Central Indiana commuters in one of the nation's first large-scale pilot projects; and
• MicroGreen, commercializing a microgrid system delivering renewable energy to military bases and commercial energy users.