ITALIAN EV STARTUP TAKES ON US, CHINESE RIVALS WITH DESIGN

Elon Musk’s Tesla paved the way nearly two decades ago. Now, the global transition to fully electric vehicles is littered with startups, inspired by a new era in mobility and drawn by the lower cost of building EVs compared with their fossil-fuel-guzzling forebears.

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Gone are the billion-dollar investments that have made legacy auto-making into such a cash cow. Suppliers offer ready-made generic electric platforms and manufacturers can take on contracts for assembly approaches that translate into savings on jobs and infrastructure.

What has been missing in the new EV formula, according to a Milan-based startup, AEHRA, is a fresh design concept.

"Electric vehicles are looked at as being boring by the general public," AEHRA CEO Hazim Nada said. "It is very easy to build an extremely powerful electric vehicle. It is not so easy to build an electric vehicle that has character. And I think that's one of the elements that Italian-ness has to express.” Nada has hired a former Lamborghini designer to help infuse his vehicles with Italian emotion and is emphasizing aerodynamics over performance.

But the company wants to enter an increasingly crowded market of EV startups and traditional carmakers that are being pushed to tackle car emissions that contribute to climate change. Some startups have had little success.

AEHRA doesn't plan to launch its first vehicles an SUV and a sedan - until mid-2025, with annual production starting at 20,000 to 25,000 vehicles. The ultra-premium cars also plan to come with a price tag to match $160,000 to $180,000.

They are expected to roll out first in the United States and key European markets before expanding to China. That would follow an initial production investment of 700 million euros (dollars).