Atieva : A New Challenger to Tesla's Reign
Up until now, Atieva was a relatively unknown Californian business. Die-hard fans of electric systems might have seen the name on a battery pack, but that’s about it.
Today however, the small firm just put the automotive world on hold: in the above video, you can see its first drivetrain stuffed into a Mercedes-Benz Metris van, beating a Ferrari California T and a Tesla Model S on a drag strip.
This isn’t a small victory: the van, nicknamed Edna, has a 87-kWh battery and generates 900 horsepower from a pair electric motors.
Please note that Atieva won’t build overpowered vehicles tomorrow morning: Edna is a prototype, and the only reason it’s a van is because of the need for interior space. Eventually, the brand will have to design its own chassis and bodywork.
Will Atieva become a competitor to Tesla? We’ll have to wait and see, but it’s nice to see that Elon Musk’s company won’t be alone in its segment for long.