Stealthy EV maker Aurica moves to save Bay Area auto plant, 4,700 jobs

Fremont, Calif.’s NUMMI automotive plant has been facing a death sentence for a while now. Slated to shutter on April 1, leaving upwards of 4,700 locals jobless, the facility was one of the biggest industrial employers in the southern Bay Area. But today, stealthy electric vehicle company Aurica Motors says it might have a plan to keep the plant’s doors open — as a new manufacturing facility for its Aurica E-Car.

The Santa Clara, Calif. auto company has actually been in talks with NUMMI for more than three months about assuming ownership of the plant, and has raised millions in private capital to make it possible. The problem is that “millions” won’t cut it. Right now, it looks like the company will need at least a billion dollars more to make the necessary conversions and bring electric car manufacturing processes online — not to mention retain thousands of workers currently on NUMMI’s payroll.

It’s curious that very little has been heard about Aurica until now. The young enterprise, employing only eight people for now, has been incredibly secretive. Until now, mention of electric cars has made one immediately think first of Tesla Motors, Fisker Automotive, or General Motors’ plug-in Chevy Volt. All of these were named a candidates to take over the NUMMI plant, officially making Aurica the dark horse of the industry.

So what do we know about the startup so far? First off, it’s planning to produce a plug-in, emissions-free vehicle called the E-Car. Its batteries will be easily swappable, and can be charged via solar, wind and even tidal energy systems via a special charging kiosk in as little as three minutes. It’s planning to retail the car for between $40,000 and $50,000, making it cost competitive with the Volt and eventually Tesla’s Model S electric sedan.

What’s really unique and interesting about Aurica, is its emphasis on the car’s powertrain. The company claims that this vital component is designed to last more than 20 years with only minimal maintenance.It’s been working on the model, called the Recurve Drive System, for four years to extend driving range on the same charge. It can even be swapped into a new car body if the owner so chooses. For this reason, Aurica is offering four different types of vehicles as part of the E-Car series — a sports car, a 4-door sedan, an SUV hatchback and a light pickup truck.

If the company manages to hit its goals on time, it will be rolling E-Cars off the NUMMI plant’s assembly lines within two years. But a billion dollars still stands in the way. It’s unclear where Aurica plans on getting this money. It definitely seems like too much to come from venture capitalists or private equity firms, no matter how deep their pockets. But maybe its pledge to save thousands of much-needed jobs in the Bay Area will be enough to garner state or federal funds.

The NUMMI plant was originally opened as a joint venture between Toyota Motors and General Motors in 1984. General Motors had to abandon its half of the deal last year when it filed for bankruptcy, and Toyota couldn’t afford to maintain the facility on its own. Last September, solar module maker Solyndra announced it would be breaking ground on a $733 million plant, also in Fremont, and potentially employing workers laid-off from the plant. That facility will still probably employ about 2,000 people, but Aurica’s operations seem better suited to NUMMI workers’ expertise.

Aurica hasn’t disclosed information about financing or any of its investors. It doesn’t even provide detailed images of its various E-Car models on its web site. So who knows what to expect?

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