A New Electric that Might take Down Tesla

Tesla gains a lot of angst as the deplorable company that challenges the status quo. This is the company that built electric vehicles with no gasoline engine and offered them with generous ranges for us to buy. Not only did they give us these cars, they did so in such a way that not only automakers, but dealer networks have had their fill of the Tesla way and long to see this automaker dropped down a few pegs. It appears those automakers may very soon get their wish and see Tesla brought down to Earth by another EV model and company.

By 2018 we may see the first of the many Chinese electric vehicles on our market and it may be the one that comes from Atieva that leads the way. Recently we know that Atieva filed a public records request with a rendering of their latest project the Atvus which is reportedly going to be an electric vehicle that’s built by a bicycle company in rural China. In reality, Atieva is a California based company that has the backing of BAIC and LeEco, both Chinese companies and both actively able to lend their expertise to Atieva help bring the next great EV to life.

Why would this company be one of interest? So far the Chinese built vehicles haven’t been able to impress anyone at any point in their existence, but BAIC are a former state run automaker and LeEco is a technology giant. In addition it this fact, the latest electric van that showed off for us was Edna, which was made by Atieva. Actually, saying it was made by Atieva is a stretch, Edna is a Mercedes Metris work van that has a drivetrain developed by Atieva which is all electric and offers up 900 horsepower to rocket this van.

Edna was so quick it was able to beat a Ferrari 450 Speciale, a Tesla Model S and a Nissan GT-R in a drag race. This certainly created a ton of excitement around this van and its creator to make us wonder what vehicle would be coming next from Atieva. Apparently the next vehicle will be the Atvus which could be an EV sedan that has better power and range numbers than the newest Tesla Model S, or it could simply be a publicity stunt and the Atvus won’t be much of anything at all.

Considering LeEco has investments in Atieva, Faraday Future and even their own EV model, I would be shocked if the vehicle that comes from Atieva is anything but amazing. This new car is expected to show up in the US for sale in 2018 and then be sold in China after that. This means we may see the Atvus shown at different car shows in 2017 to let us enjoy the view and admire what Atieva has created. Certainly the automotive industry will be watching with bated breath with many automakers rooting for a vehicle that can take Tesla down a few rungs on the ladder.