Promotional Electric Vehicle Manufacturers Overseas Part 1

Rise of emerging manufacturers due to accelerated electrification

As the entire automotive industry undergoes a rapid shift toward electrification, new electric vehicle manufacturers are emerging in the international marketplace. These up-and-coming manufacturers are taking advantage of the relatively simple structure of EVs, which consist of three main components: motor, inverter, and battery, and are attracting attention with their unique features and innovative approaches. Here, we pick out some of the most notable up-and-coming electric vehicle manufacturers and explore their features.

CANOO｜Canoe

Company Information
Company Name : Canoo
Headquarters : Arkansas, U.S.
Established : 2018
CEO : Tony Aquila
Japan Subsidiary : None (as of August 2022)
＜Source : Canoo Official Website ＞

♦ Purpose-built attachable platform

Canoo is a commercial vehicle manufacturer based in the United States that produces electric vehicles. Notably, the company has developed its own skateboard-like base that serves as the foundation for the powertrain, which can be modified into a pickup truck or various other styles by attaching the upper part according to the purpose.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has selected Canoo to provide zero-emission EVs to transport the crew to the launch pad for NASA’s Artemis lunar exploration program.

<Reference: Canoo Website>.

∗ THE MULTI-PURPOSE PLATFORM | ELECTRIC VEHICLES | CANOO

TESLA

Company Information
Company Name : TESLA, Inc.
Headquarters : Austin, Texas, U.S.
Founded : July 2003
CEO : Elon Mask
Japan Corporation : Yes
＜Source : Tesla Official Website ＞

♦ Game-Changer in the Automotive Industry

Although TESLA can no longer be called a start-up manufacturer, it must be mentioned as a company that has made a significant impact in the automotive industry as a manufacturer specializing in EVs. The charisma of its founder, Elon Musk, is widely known, and rather than focus on that aspect of the company, we will try to highlight a few key points about how TESLA is unique in terms of business and why it has become such a global company.

Mission

“To accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy” “To accelerate the emergence of sustainable modes of transportation.”

1. direct sales without dealers

We sell directly to consumers, unlike other automakers who sell through franchised dealers. We believe that having our own sales channels gives us an advantage in the speed of product development.

Also, to create a better customer buying experience, unlike car dealerships, Tesla showrooms are free of potential conflicts of interest.

2. charging facilities and superchargers

While the number of facilities in the Japanese market is still small, Tesla has built a network of more than 30,000 Superchargers globally, allowing drivers to charge their Tesla vehicles in about 15 minutes for a fraction of the price of gasoline. The goal, of course, is to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles by making them cheaper and easier to run.

3. automatic driving technology

Just as smartphones undergo software updates when new features are added, TESLA has been the first in the industry to introduce automotive software updates using OTA technology since the launch of the Model S sedan in 2012. Therefore, for automated driving technology, too, TESLA is designed to continually improve functionality through software updates.

<Reference: TESLA>.

∗ VoiceCommands

Faraday Future

Company Information
Company Name: Faraday Future
Global Headquarters: California, U. S.
Established: 2014
CEO: Carsten Breitfeld
Japan Subsidiary: None (as of August 2022)
＜Source: Faraday Future Official Website ＞

♦ User-focused FF intelligent apps

FF Intelligent APP users can create an ID and book exclusive test drives and tours of FF’s global headquarters in Los Angeles The FF Intelligent APP is a very important platform for co-creating and sharing ecosystem value with FF owners. It is also a very important social community platform.

Part of what makes FF unique is that users (owners) can learn more about the product and listen directly to customer feedback. In addition to the social community aspect of sharing ideas and thoughts, users and fans can also sign up for the unique Futurist Product Officer (FPO) program to interact directly with FF executives and employees to share ideas.

<Reference: Faraday Future ＞

∗ FF Intelligent App

Polestar

Company Information
Company Name: Polestar
Global Headquarters: Gothenberg, Sweden
Founded: 1996
CEO: Thomas Ingenlath
Japan Subsidiary: None (as of August 2022)
＜Source: Polestar Official Website ＞

♦ Background of Establishment

Polestar was founded in 1996 as “Flash Engineering” and was initially intended to build race cars to help Volvo teams win the Swedish Touring Car Championship (STCC). Success led to the release of the first public production model, the Volvo S60 Polestar, in 2013, which was introduced to the market in a limited edition of just 100 units.

This was followed by a major global debut in 2014, when the Volvo S60 and V60 Polestar were launched in eight markets around the world. Volvo acquired the performance division of Polestar in 2015, and Polestar continued to exist as an independent racing division, Sian Racing.

Under the Volvo umbrella, Polestar sought to strike a balance between performance and control to deliver flawless drivability; since 2017, the company has transformed into an electric performance car brand, focused on innovation in emerging markets, and focused on creating visually and performance impressive and We are focused on building increasingly efficient performance cars that are both visually and performance impressive. The company is expected to enter the Japanese market in the near future.

<Reference: Volvo ｜What is Polestar ? > > What is Polestar?

∗ Rapid Growth of Polestar: What to Expect

RIVIAN

Company Information
Company Name : RIVIAN
Global Headquarters : Irvine California, U.S.
Founded : June 2009
CEO : RJ Scaringe
Japan Subsidiary : None (as of August 2022)
＜Source : Official RIVIAN Website ＞

♦ Background of Establishment

RIVIAN was originally founded in 2009 as Mainstream Motors by CEO RJ Scalinge, an MIT graduate who studied engineering and lean manufacturing methods. Scalinge grew up near Melbourne, Florida, where he spent much of his time outdoors working on cars with neighbors, hiking, and exploring.

As he grew older, he found himself running many miles through nature to hike and realized that he was contributing to the pollution of the environment he wanted to protect, so he started this company.

By 2015, Rivian had acquired enough funding to operate research facilities in the California Bay Area and Michigan, and the facilities became home to Rivian headquarters, located near suppliers in the Midwest. The automaker then shifted its manufacturing focus to an entire ecosystem of electric vehicles built for the outdoors.

By early 2017, the company had purchased the former Mitsubishi facility in Normal, Illinois, and turned it into its North American manufacturing hub. As a result, although the company had fewer than 200 total employees at the time, it also received grants and tax incentives from the state government for bringing jobs to southern Illinois.

In late 2017, Rivian announced that two Alfa prototypes had been completed, and less than a year later, the R1T pickup and R1S SUV debuted at the LA Auto Show, with production beginning in 2020.

<Reference: electrek

♦ Unique specifications for outdoor use

Founded by a president who loves hiking, exploring, and other outdoor activities, Rivian has been the talk of the town for its vehicle specifications and characteristics. The vehicle is designed with the outdoors in mind, with a detachable Bluetooth speaker cum lantern cum charger, and a bracelet-type key that can be wetted by water, as shown in the video below.

∗ Keys | The durable, shareable, submersible gear to access

【最新版】基礎からわかるEV市場｜世界と日本の現状動向

Lucid Motors

Company Information
Company Name : Lucid Motors
Head Quarter : Newark, California, U.S.
Founded : 2007
CEO : Peter Rawlinson
Japan Corporation : None (as of August 2022)
＜Source: Lucid Motor Official Website ＞

♦ Background of Establishment

Lucid Motors was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Newark, California, near Silicon Valley. Originally, as Atieva, the company focused on developing batteries and electric powertrains for other automakers, eventually accumulating more than 50 patents on its core battery system in the U.S. alone. Eventually, the company accumulated more than 50 patents on its core battery systems in the U.S. alone.

In 2013, the company became highly capable in the production of connected battery packs and electric powertrains, and began to flirt with the idea of developing its own vehicles. So Peter Rawlinson, previously Tesla’s vice president of vehicle engineering and chief engineer of the Model S, joined the team as chief technology officer (CTO).

In 2014, Lucid raised a nine-figure fund to develop its own complete vehicle. Companies such as Venrock, Mitsui, and Jafco, which are still investors today, contributed to the project. According to Lucid’s website, the Atieva team then built a custom test vehicle with a 900-horsepower powertrain. Though outwardly the car looks ordinary, it can reach 60 mph in about three seconds and has a range “well beyond current range limits.”

<Reference: erektrek link>

♦ After-sales service

Roadside assistance with live support appears to be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and includes carpooling to destinations and providing loaner vehicles. For scheduled maintenance, Mobile Service is also offered, which rushes to wherever it is needed.

Lucid Studio Retail Experience | Lucid Motors

Zoox

Company Information
Company Name : Zoox, Inc
Global Headquarters : Foster City, California, U. S.
Founded : 2014
CEO : Aicha Evans
Japan Subsidiary : None (as of August 2022)
＜Source: Official Zoox Website ＞

♦ Company Profile

Zoox is a subsidiary of Amazon, which is developing autonomous mobility. It can be described as an autonomous EV cab manufacturer that provides self-driving electric vehicles and the ecosystem to support them. It designs zero-emission vehicles and creates Mobility-as-a-Service in complex environments. There is no driver’s seat, but a fully automated vehicle to support people’s mobility.

The CEO, Aicha Evans, is a Senegalese woman who previously spent 12 years at Intel, where she specialized in leading wireless engineering projects utilizing technologies such as Bluetooth, wireless LAN, XMM register, and 5G, before landing at Zoox as CEO. She is the first African-American female CEO of an autonomous vehicle technology company, and it will be interesting to see if she can enter the Japanese market as a MaaS robo-taxi.

♦ Adopted AWS to reduce time-to-market

To verify the safety of vehicle development and production in automated driving, it is essential to simulate a vast number of different driving scenarios. simulation is accelerated.

We have built a hybrid infrastructure on AWS that captures large amounts of data quickly and cost-effectively and runs large-scale simulations to accelerate the testing and development of self-driving vehicles.

<Reference: AWS ZOOX>

∗ Zoox Life

♦ Finally

We have taken a look at some of the emerging manufacturers of electric vehicles. All of the emerging manufacturers have various characteristics and their own strengths. Which company will gain more global market share in the future? It will be interesting to see which companies will gain more global market share and whether any of them will expand into the Japanese market.

【最新データで探る】外資系自動車メーカーの市場状況｜国別シェアとランキング