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| Fomm's floating car. (Pic Automology) |
Better known for selling rice cookers and fridges, Yamada Denki last week announced it will invest over a billion yen (over R124 million) for 10% in electric-vehicle start-up Fomm, which is best known for its floating car, designed to cope with Monsoons.
The start-up was founded in 2013 and includes engineers who have worked on developing electric vehicles at a Toyota Motor group company.
Nikkei reports Fomm is also negotiating with Chinese businesses and plans to build electric four-
seater vehicles for the Japanese market in Thailand through electronics maker Funai Electric.
Sales are targeted at tens of thousands of vehicles a year. British research firm IHS Markit predicts a demand for 4,58 million electric vehicles globally by 2025, which is over six times more electric cars than the 690 000 that will be sold this year.
Because electric vehicles have 40% fewer parts and are 35% cheaper to maintain than cars with internal combustion engines, more non-vehicle companies are looking towards making cheap mode transport to meet the demand for electric vehicles.
In the U.S., Workhorse in May received 4 560 preorders when it revealed the CEO, a hybrid bakkie, while Bollinger is planning to build an all-electric remake of the Land Rover Defender based on market feedback.
In England, household vacuum maker Dyson has announced plans to sell its own range of battery powered cars from 2020.
In Germany, Deutsche Post DHL is building some 4 000 electric delivery vans per year with Ford. Deutsche Post DHL confusingly calls these vans StreetScooters and has told Bloomberg it plans to assemble 10 000 e-vans each year, which would make the StreetScooter the best-selling electrified light commercial vehicle in Europe, ahead of the Renault Kangoo.
In Sweden, Einride is showing the T-Pod, an electric truck that has no space for a driver, while in Europe, the brown vans of UPS are being retrofitted with electric motors to replace diesel engines.
Stefan Bratzel, director of the Centre of Automotive Management at the University of Applied Sciences in Bergisch Gladbach, Germany, predicted no frills electric vehicles built by non-traditional vehicle makers will disrupt the auto industry in the next few years..
