Lightning Hybrids retrofits for growth

LOVELAND – Loveland startup Lightning Hybrid Inc.’s employment projections could jump from a dozen to 300 and, with some pending partnerships, possibly many more, with a little tweaking of its original business plan.

Lightning Hybrids was incorporated in October, focused on creating a hybrid vehicle that was “something a car guy would buy,” according to co-founder Dan Johnson. The firm has been working fast and furiously to engineer and build such a hybrid, combining hydraulic motor technology with advanced body design to create an automobile capable of getting 100 miles per gallon. A prototype was on display at the Denver Auto…