KANSAS CITY, MO-Kansas City got a jolt of good economic news Wednesday when a top federal official distributed millions of dollars in grants to boost the area’s fledgling electric-vehicle industry. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke announced a $10 million grant to Smith Electric Vehicles, which is about to begin assembling battery-powered delivery vans locally, and a $30 million grant to Ford Motor Co. to develop and build plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles in Kansas City and Michigan.MORE

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