DETROIT — Remember the name Detroit Electric? It was a very popular brand of electric cars sold in the early 1900s, before the Model T made the internal-combustion engine the dominant power plant and electric cars died away. The Detroit Electric brand has been under new ownership since 2007. The owners have an electric powertrain in hand and are trying to close a deal with a carmaker somewhere in the world so that the brand may live again. Atop the list is Proton of Malaysia.Detroit Electric has R&D facilities in Holland and has spent $5 million in the past two-and-a-half years to develop its electric powertrain, which uses lithium-ion batteries. Now the company pronounces it ready for commercialization. Detroit Electric has revealed that it is talking to Proton about the idea of having its electric powertrain installed in at least two of Proton's present models (a midsize sedan and a small hatchback) as well as the Elise sports car from Lotus, also a unit of Proton.A Malaysia deal makes sense because of the government's current policies, which favor environment-friendly vehicles. Recently, Malaysia exempted hybrid vehicles from import duties for a period of two years and wants the country to become a regional hub for the manufacture of environment-friendly vehicles.Detroit Electric intends to have electric cars in production by 2010 — it won't build them itself, though. The company is targeting first-year volume of 30,000 units, rising to 270,000 units by the third year. No prices have been finalized, but Detroit Electric CEO Albert Lam has suggested that an electric version of a Proton midsize sedan could cost about 25-30 percent more than the conventional version with a 1.6-liter gasoline engine.Apart from passenger cars, Detroit Electric also has plans to roll out electrically powered buses in Europe and Asia by the end of 2009.What this means to you: The return of a fine old name, but to a world far from the city of Detroit. — Chips Yap, Correspondent