It looks like there is something brewing in the sphere of electric vehicle manufacturing. According to Reuters, the former chief operating officer at Ford Europe, Martin Leach, is on a mission to recruit staff for a new electric car manufacturer that would be based mainly in China and California.
“It is not a company with a background in the car industry,” said Leach to the news agency, as he declined to reveal which company will be backing the new venture. Leach also reassured the news portal that Cupertino-based Apple Inc. is not in any way involved in the venture too.
He went on to say that the venture will definitely be building electric cars, and that the venture had been steadily advancing “under the radar” and apparently, not all the stakeholders are willing to “go public with their plans.”
Speaking to the news agency, Leach explains that since large automotive suppliers like Bosch and Continental have developed expertise in electric vehicle design, new ventures like his one can engage freely with these suppliers, which is a real turn up for the books, unlike the days when established manufacturers ruled the roost.
Leach is apparently a big fan of self-driving cars, but he is clear that it might be the end point, but not the starting point for the venture that he is overseeing. Leach explained to the news agency that the only reason why electric cars only command a slice of the automotive market is because of the shorter operating range of full EV cars.
Nonetheless, he believes that great advancements in battery technology will bridge this gap, and government incentives for low-emission vehicles in China, especially, will be a great catalyst towards the future of this burgeoning paradigm for motoring as a whole.
It should be noted that Reuters did reveal back in February 2014, that Hybrid Tech Holding LLC, backed by the iconic Hong Kong investor, Richard Li, hired Martin Leach.
Hybrid Tech Holding LLC had also tried to bid for the assets of Fisker Automotive, an electric car manufacturer that had filed for bankruptcy; but Wanxiang Group got the upper hand to secure this prized company.
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