Tesla founder, Chinese company launch SF Motors electric cars

SF Motors SF5In the beginning, there was Tesla, although it wasn't started by current CEO Elon Musk. While Musk has now become synonymous with the electric-car brand, Tesla was actually founded by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning, who had previously founded and sold a eBook reader company. While both left the company in 2008, they have kept their hands in...

Three Dyson electric cars on the drawing board: report

James Dyson with digital motors  [image: Dyson]While Dyson may be best known worldwide for high-tech vacuum cleaners, the company has a strong affinity for what the British call "boffins," which roughly translates to "eccentric genius inventors." With a slight resemblance to Doc Brown of "Back to the Future" (as played by Christopher Lloyd), company founder James Dyson epitomizes the type. Now...

Faraday Future, primary investor crushed by mounting debt, lawsuits

Faraday Future FF 91Struggling Faraday Future and its founding investor Jia Yueting are facing financial and legal woes that threaten the company's existence. Jia specifically has been placed on an official list of debt defaulters on a website run by the Chinese government after the LeEco founder failed to follow a court order stipulating he pay a debt of more than...

Chinese electric-car startup Nio gets $1 billion in funding: report

2018 Nio ES8Nio, the electric-car maker formerly known as NextEV, has raised a substantial amount of money in its latest round of fundraising. The Chinese startup reportedly received a stunning $1 billion in funding, with Chinese investment powerhouse Tencent leading the charge. Notably, Tencent also holds a stake in Silicon Valley automaker Tesla. DON'T...

Odds for auto startups are incredibly high; can Tesla beat them?

Tesla Motors, Palo Alto, CaliforniaMuch of the energy and growth in the U.S. economy comes not from large corporations but from small startup companies, as economic data shows. By now, the model of a young, energetic entrepreneur with a bright idea who turns it into a world-changing business is well established. Think Facebook or Google, or before them Microsoft or IBM or Kodak, or...