So, you want to start an electric car company? Read this Top 10 list first
Starting an electric car company is the newest hobby of the super rich. Just ask Miles Rubin or Elon Musk what they do on the weekends and they will tell you it's electric. But what about cost, you say? I can only scrounge together tens or a couple hundred million dollars. Your billionaire friends will laugh at you saying millions won't even pay for crash tests but they are wrong. I have the top 10 secret, insider, loop holes - I mean, opportunities, to get you started. Go below the fold to begin your trip into the exciting world of starting an electric car company on the cheap.
1. Three Wheelers - Legally, a three wheel vehicle, even if it looks like a car, is a bike. In America, bikes don't have to be crashtested which is a major cost of getting a car to market. You can still try to make a safe car and do your own crash tests. See: Aptera.
2. Go to China - The car industry is developing very quickly in China. Everyone will tell you, China will be very important to the future of car production. Chinese cars have had a few problems with safety but you can fix that by promising to be the first crashtested electric car. See: Miles.
3. Go to India - India is quickly developing a very good car industry. Tata Motors promises to make a car for a few thousand dollars. Tata is also reaching out to green companies and you could be one of them. There are still few details about the several thousand "people's car" though. See: Tata.
4. Go to Thailand - No, the entire top 10 list is not a travel guide. This is the last country, I promise. Thailand has a massive tax saving program in place if you want to make a green car plant in their country. America has tax credits for hybrids and plug-ins but other countries are doing much more. See: Air Car.
5. Top speed: 40 MPH - Another way to get your car on the roads with the least amount of legal hurdles (except for Canada) is to make a low speed vehicle. So called city cars or NEVs (neighborhood electric vehicles) are not allowed on highways and cannot go more than 40 MPH (or lower, depending on the State). See: Flybo.
6. Get the major auto-makers to make the car for you - This is a hat-trick only one company is attempting: Project Better Place, which plans to develop a network of battery replacement stations. Cities like Paris may also create an instant market for electric cars with 2,000 car rentals. See: Project Better Place.
7. Win the Auto X-Prize - If you won the Auto X-Prize, you would get a cash prize, media attention and you can go around saying you beat a lot of very good green cars. The only problem with this one is you have to win. A lot of very good electric car companies already confirmed they'll be your competitors, like Loremo. See: Loremo.
8. Make a high end sports car - Tesla has hit a few bumps recently, but their model of taking on the $100,000 car market with a Ferrari-like electric roadster just might work. They plan to make the Whitestar, a $50,000 electric car in several years. This is a model you might mistake for an electronic gadget. See: Tesla.
9. Buy an electric car company - You are not the first person that tried to make an electric car company. Plenty have tried in the past and are ready to hang up their hats. Sure, you might have to put up with technology and styling that's a little dated but you would have an electric car up and running instantly. See: Sparrow.
10. Take the engine out of a regular car - I am not a big fan of this one because you have to re-brand an already existing car brand but you can become a converter. Also, if you can't find something to do with the gas engine you replaced with your electric one, you have that added cost. Some companies have pulled if off though. See: Ebox.
OK, no excuses. Get out there and do it. :)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Phil L. 9:09AM (1/08/2008)
I don't know of any state in the US that allows NEVs to go 40 (which might make them more popular). IIRC, most states allow NEVs to go 25 mph (only on roads with 35 mph limits or less); a few allow 35.
Sadly, the lesson that the big OEMs learn from this list is that no one has managed to make real money building EVs yet - so they steer clear of the market. Hopefully, this will change soon.
Meanwhile, I'm still waiting - and hoping - for the EV market to make it to me.
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Lascelles Linton 10:10AM (1/08/2008)
Phil L., You are correct and I guess I did round up a little but the cars do go 40 MPH. The dealer that sells Flybo NEV says it does 42 MPH. I have heard other NEV that get similar speeds even though the state law is lower. I would guess the state allows some leeway because of things like hills or it's just very easy to tweak. There are plenty of gas cars that go faster than 55 MPH :D
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GoodCheer 9:43AM (1/08/2008)
While you may not be a fan, I think it's a good thing that you included your #10 on the list. Solectria has produced more EVs than any other company in America (most of which are still on the road), and ACPropulsion is the only "real" EV that you can buy TODAY, street legal, highway speed, fully functional, 120 mile range, seating for 5, 4 doors, no compromises.
While they are still just about at prototype pricing and so beyond the means of most, I think they should be getting a bit more hype on this site than they are. If you have the scratch and want to be an early adopter (and an ambassador for EVs) they are just about your only choice.
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Mort 10:25AM (1/08/2008)
The NEVs have controls that limit them to 25 mph. The law only lets them on roads w/ speed limits up to 35 mph. I need a car that can go 50 mph for 50 miles. 40 mph for 40 miles minimum. That doesn't seem too difficult to me, but apparently it is.
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steven 10:57AM (1/08/2008)
@2: How many would "more EVs than any other company in America" actually be? As in a number?
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rgseidl 11:03AM (1/08/2008)
#11 -
focus on getting the most modern batteries married to ultralight (magnesium, carbon fiber) bicycles, possibly folding ones that can be stowed in the trunk of a car and plugged into the on-board electricity grid. When in use, a little computer on the bike can continually adjust electric torque and the mechanical gear ratio (cp. NiVinci CVT) to make sure you can move along at 25mph or more without braking a sweat, even in hilly terrain. In a crowded city during rush hour, you'll be slower in a car.
Given the high cost of batteries, driving fewer miles with a conventional car and using a bicycle for short trips (
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rgseidl 11:05AM (1/08/2008)
<10 miles) whenever the weather permits is by far the most cost-effective way for Joe Average to start weaning himself off OPEC oil. Plus, you and your kids have the option of getting a little exercise. The design should permit owners to run a cable lock through both wheels and the battery casing to prevent theft.
Admittedly, an electric bicycle is hardly a full-fledged replacement for a car. But as a complement to one, it makes perfect sense. Spend what you have left over on lobbying for networks of bicycle lanes and parking spots in your target markets, plus additional driver awareness training on how to share the road.
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kert 11:48AM (1/08/2008)
This leaves out things like Nissan Mixim, Mitsubishi MiEV, Subaru R1e, all fairly solid concepts with production plans and dates.
I guess this should be under heading:
Be an existing Jappanese car manufacturer under market pressure from giants and be forced to innovate.
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Phil L. 1:38PM (1/08/2008)
Lascelles Linton -
Yes, many of the NEV designs are capable of 35+ - but in many areas, local authorities are making sure they can't be sold unless a speed limiter is installed that enforces whatever the ordinance happens to be. I've seen NEV listings on eBay that claim to have bypassed such devices. It's neat for the first person who does it - but if a bunch of NEVs show up scooting along at 20+ MPH over their supposed limit, it will simply invite a big crackdown. No doubt accompanied by yet more legislation we don't need.
I point this out because my commute just might just be doable in an NEV-type vehicle if it could really do a confident 40 mph up hills, etc. But 25 mph (the NEV limit in my state) means I'd be an accident waiting to happen.
So I've sadly stopped looking at NEVs for my own situation. Hmmmm - A clean used Corbin Sparrow (sorry, the NmG is just too pricey) would be nice...
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Phil L. 1:47PM (1/08/2008)
steven and GoodCheer -
Actually, most sources I've seen claim that the Citicar (later redesigned as the Commutacar and related variants) is the most produced electric car in the US. Though Solectria may have produced more EVs in total if different models are included (Force, pickup models, etc).
Reliable numbers are hard to come by, but I've heard that something over 2000 Citicar/Commutcar models were produced. I think there were only about 400 Solectria Force conversions done; I'm not sure about the pickups.
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zaedrus 1:55PM (1/08/2008)
What's the vehicle pictured at the very top? I haven't seen that one yet. Looks dangerously fun.
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GoodCheer 2:40PM (1/08/2008)
Oops, yeah... I forgot about CitiCar. Good call Phil L.
I think there were just over 400 Forces and about 75 E10 pickup conversions done, though those were before my time. Pitifully few, to be sure, but certainly enough to show that the process can work.
It seems like a simple step to get from there to buying rolling chassis from the factory (or their old tooling when the next model comes out). I believe the former is what AC Propulsion is trying to do since the Scion Xb's redesign.
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Kent Beuchert 3:15PM (1/08/2008)
The only reason these companies are building battery-only EVs is because that is the extent of their capabilities, not because an EV is any more viable an alternative of the gasoline engine than it ever was. The good news is that the plug-in is superior to the battery-only EV in every way. If you do the math, you'll find that a fleet of 40 mile range plug-ins, such as the Volt, the BYD and the Fisker sedan only requires less than 10 billion gallons of liquid fuel to perform all the functions of the current gasoline powered vehicles.
We can easily produce 10 billion gallons of ethanol per year by the end of the next 5 years.
Assume a plug-in ability at the workplace for 30% of the commuters and the liquid fuel requirements drop to less than 5 billion gallons, or less than we actually produce today. I see absolutely no valid argument in favor of expecting drivers to suffer the inconveniences, and extra expense of maintaining two cars, all the while paying a
whole lot extra for an EV. EV-s are not the answer - plug-ins are, and everyone will soon realize this if some start trying to live with the impotence, expenses and headaches of all-battery EVs.
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Lascelles Linton 5:41PM (1/08/2008)
zaedrus,
http://spluch.blogspot.com/2006/11/japanese-do-it-yourself-cars.html
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Phil L. 4:46PM (1/08/2008)
GoodCheer -
A post over at Jalopnik today reminded me that we should probably preface these numbers with the qualifier "modern EV": Detroit Electric EV production peaked at 1000-2000 per year during their 1907-1939 existence, dwarfing any EV production quantities I've see in the past 30 years.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detroit_Electric
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Lascelles Linton 8:21PM (1/08/2008)
Ken,
Mitsuoka Motor's K-4. See comment 15 for a link.
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Blaine Decker 9:49AM (1/09/2008)
Under legal DOT, a car has a steering wheel, and a motorcycle has handlebars, so for those looking at building a 3wheeler, you need to put two wheels up front to be a car, otherwise the one wheel up front will be classified as a motorcycle.
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andy 11:20AM (1/11/2008)
If EV's go faster than supposed to, there will be a crackdown ?? hmm, you mean like the crackdown on all the souped up, overpowered gas cars now ?
I dont think so
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falconev 11:23AM (1/11/2008)
there is no "crackdown" now on souped-up, overpowered, owner-modified cars now, why would NEV's be any different ?
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Lascelles Linton 10:44AM (1/09/2008)
Blaine Decker, I don't think that's right. I have seen several 3 wheelers that classify as bikes with wheels in back like the Aptera.
Also, this is just for the US. Around the world, the laws vary a lot. That's also something to consider, I guess. Maybe the unofficial #11, find a country with hardly any regulations on cars...
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