These Are The Non-Car Companies That Would Make The Best EVs
Why do so many electric razor manufacturers seem ready to pivot to EVs?
Electric cars are the future, but they don't necessarily require the same manufacturing skillset as traditional ICE vehicles. That means there's an opportunity: Companies that are good at electronics rather than cars have the chance to get a foot in the door. On Friday, we asked you all which companies should make a play for the EV market, and you turned in a ton of good answers. Here are some of the best.
Ryobi
Ryobi.
Following their ONE+ line, we could have universal battery packs that are hot swappable across their entire model line.
Every single power tool I own, from my saws to my rotary tool to my impact, are from Ryobi. I think if they made a car I would be legally, morally, and ethically required to buy one.
Bosch or LG
What is a car company?
Because if it is the logo on the back of the car, I would suggest these companies could easily become car companies without really any development.
Bosch and LG seem to make half the components in many EVs already on the market today. Why not just slap their badge on the front end and call it a day?
Yamaha
Yamaha. They already make motorcycles, jet ski's etc. They make performance engines for boats. I think they're design language would be interesting for a car. Plus they made Pianos.
Yamaha certainly has history in the car (and bike) world, especially after all its collaborations with Toyota. Maybe, much like Subaru, the two could share a few parts to help Yamaha get started.
LEGO
Lego, and they already do.
Think of the customability and low repair costs...
Fun fact: LEGO is the biggest supplier of tires in the world. It seems only natural for them to expand out to the rest of the vehicle.
Samsung
Full on non car company: Samsung. Always solid products across their range. They are the company that others copy.
Semi non car related company: Magnetti Marelli. They're already involved in the automotive industry across many spectrums and they are Italian so there is an inference of style and passion that may be brought forward to their designs.
Technically, Samsung already makes cars — sure, they're Renaults, but they sell under the Samsung name. It's a far cry from a Galaxy Car, but it's a start.
IKEA
IKEA – flat packed and ready for assembly with Allen wrenches. Bring your own drywall screws though.
There is nearly nothing I want more in this world than to see the Ikea instruction manual for a full electric car. No words, just their little illustrations. It would be ten thousand pages, and I would get each one framed.
KitchenAid
[Just a picture of a KitchenAid mixer, much fancier than the one I have]
What is a kitchen mixer if not an electric motor? How hard could it be to scale that tech up, and use it to power a car?
Nintendo
Nintendo. I'm not saying it would be particularly good, but it'd definitely be novel.
Nintendo does their own thing so much that it's almost detrimental. For instance, their terrible online and eshop experience. They've admitted that they didn't look at their competitors and it shows (phone app to talk to players on your switch???) BUT you get ingenious things like motion controls and the versatility of the Switch.
Even if it weren't a commercial success i have no doubt it'd be influential for decades to come.
Nintendo isn't exactly a first-mover when it comes to adopting new tech. The company's first car will arrive in 2032, and it will be fine, but everyone who grew up on Super Mario 64 will claim it's the greatest vehicle ever created.
Cessna
I'd have to call on a company that brings something to the party: Cessna Aircraft Company:
Since Cessna has knowledge of how to make people-carriers light and strong out of aluminum, surely that expertise can carry over to EVs. I'm imagining an EV on the order of something like the Messerschmitt bubble cars right after WWII:
Not looking like one of these ghastly German BEMs—bug-eyed monsters—but to be a Cessna EV that gets the job done as efficiently as possible (and looks cool accomplishing the goals).
The whole idea of EVs being bridge-buckling heavy monsters like the GM Hummer is just wrong. And given how we've got a lithium supply issue—I'd say spreading the batteries among of lot of light and efficient EVs brought to you by Cessna is better in the long run than GM's ridiculous penis-comparing vehicle.
Cessna could certainly take a gram-light approach to EVs that hasn't really been seen in the mainstream. It would definitely be a nice alternative to all nine thousand pounds of the GMC Hummer EV.
Lucas Industries
The time is now: Resurrect Lucas Electrical!
Because why should Tesla get to be the only burning trashfire?
Sometimes the best eclectic automaker isn't the one that makes the best cars. Sometimes, it's just the one that'll make the most interesting cars, and what's more interesting than diagnosing a fault in an EV from Lucas? The surprises would never end.
Phillips
This is a cool question. I might have answered Nest years ago because they spent extra effort to make sure the initial experience with their products was exceptional. Now that they're google, well...just imagine the advertising opportunities.
So, that's not my choice. I'm going with a company that has the financial and manufacturing muscle to actually do this: Philips. For one, they're *gigantic* and have the manufacturing expertise to do this. They also know batteries. But more importantly, they're a company that integrates design carefully into their products. From cheap consumer stuff to MRI rooms designed for children's hospitals, they've clearly thought the design through. Most of my recommendation is based on the latter. I've seen some incredible hospital experiences that are all designed by Philips, so I know they can do it at a larger scale. The end result would be a well designed, uniquely Dutch, EV.
I've owned Phillips lights for years, and you know what they've always done? Worked. Simply, without complication, they have always reliably done what I asked of them. What more could you want?
Panasonic
When people think EVs, they think tech. So they think of tech companies like Apple, Sony etc. But what an EV really is, to it's core, is battery and electric motors. Panasonic would be a great EV maker. They just need to skip all that autonomous driving nonsense and other tech gimmicks and just build an EV with decent range at a cheap ass price. No non-vegan leather, just cloth, no massive screens everywhere just knobs and regular gauges, no subscriptions, you bought what you bought. Price is under 25k and you got a winner winner chicken dinner.
Panasonic would make a simple, humble, reliable EV. It would have an aesthetic only a mother could love, and it would run perfectly until the end of time.
Bombardier Recreational Products
BRP (https://www.brp.com/).
They have their own dealer network, they are committed to all electric products within the next 5 years, they already are on the stock exchange and have their R&D dept. , they are also an international company (Rotax) and are involved in personal transportation.
This may not be the Bombardier that makes jets, but you could make the argument it's the Bombardier that invented the snowmobile. BRP also makes Can-Am ATVs, so it's no stranger to road-going motor vehicles.
General Electric
I'm gonna go out of the box here and say General Electric, mainly because they're a huge corporation that has the wherewithal to see the project through (aka no vaporware), and they have a long history in providing solid electrical products.
Yes, there are the likes of Sony, Samsung, LG, etc., that are more modern giants in electronics, but they've already got their hands in the automotive business.
(Hey, at least I didn't say Lucas Electronics)
The "too big to fail" mentality is often a risky one, but GE may actually be too big to fail at a project like this. Why not go for it, introduce the world to an EV free of modern accoutrement? Just bring this back.
Toshiba
Toshiba. Lots of experience building industrial motors and motor controls. They would be able to build the platforms for the cars without much challenge. They have lots of experience with computers and other home electronics, so they could develop the software and user interfaces.
Toshiba builds things heavy-duty, industrial, and tough. A Toshiba EV would likely be quite literally bulletproof, and would be the approximate size and weight of the moon. It would be perfect.