Elkhart Indiana has been devastated by the national recession, a result of their steady reliance on the RV industry.  If there is a silver lining to come out of the tough times facing Hoosiers in Elkhart, it is that they are positioning themselves to emerge from this recession stronger, and with a laser focus on becoming the nation’s producer of electric cars.

The so-called “RV Capital of the World” may soon be able to bill itself the “EV Capital of the World.” What a difference a letter makes.

Elkhart, Ind., about 155 miles southwest of Detroit, will soon be the new U.S. production center for Think, the Norwegian-based manufacturer that hopes to charge into the emerging market for battery-electric vehicles. The first of the maker’s two-seat City, an urban commuter car, will begin rolling off the new assembly line a year from now. If demand meets Think’s expectation, the company hopes to be turning out as many as 20,000 battery-electric vehicles, or BEVs, annually by 2013.

The announcement, earlier this year, that Think would settle in Indiana puts the spotlight on the Midwestern state’s broader effort to position itself as a leader in a technology that many believe to be the future of the auto industry. Indeed, Gov. Mitch Daniels has declared it one of his goals to turn Indiana into “the electric vehicle state.” — MSNBC