All Things Wheeled: Electric startup companies that are actually promising

1. Rivian
Rivian is an automaker you have almost definitely heard of if you follow car news. They are going to make the R1T pickup and R1S SUV, and are also working on an all-electric delivery van for Amazon. They are also working with Ford on a new Lincoln luxury crossover, after Ford invested $500 million in them. We will have to see what the future holds for Rivian automotive, but I think it's good.

2. Rimac.
Rimac was the automaker that started the electric hypercar craze. Three cheers for Rimac! They have so far made the C_One and C_S, and have yet to start production of the C_Two this year. They worked with Pininfarina in developing the Battista, and they are also working with both Hyundai and Kia currently, for a sports car and performance SUV, respectively. I can't wait to see what else they will do.

3. Neuron EV.
Neuron EV is a small startup company from California, and while they have yet to actually make any of their cars, they do look production-ready. So far Neuron has unveiled the T/One, Torq, and Vega. There are prototypes of each, so I think production might happen as soon as 2021.

4. Byton
Byton is in the same category as Rivian, with numerous production-ready prototypes, it's just that they haven't actually sold anything yet. Their prototype models are the K-Byte and M-Byte.

5. Lucid
Lucid is among the most promising, albeit very slowly progressing car companies on this list. Way back in 2016 they unveiled the Air concept car as a rival to the Tesla Model S, but so far nothing has come of it. The Air has some pretty incredible claimed performance specs, though, with a supposed 0-60 time of 2.5 seconds, and a tested top speed of 235mph! Yes, a pre-production prototype actually reached that speed. And all this for just $70,000! Wow.

6. NIO
NIO made headline back in 2017 when they unveiled the EP9 electric hypercar, and made track records with it. But since then, they haven't put anything into production. The models that they hope to produce are the ES8, ET, and EP9.

7. Lightyear
The Lightyear One claims to be the first ever solar-powered car, with a range of up to 400 miles, but they have yet to verify those claims, as none have been sold, or even tested by auto magazines. So, I'll keep my eye on them.