SF Motors reveals first two EVs, aims to ship its first SUV by next year

SF Motors has revealed its first two models, electric vehicles aiming for 2018 production and 2019 street dates. The electric vehicle technology company with a headquarters in Silicon Valley, as well as a globe-spanning R&D footprint and manufacturing facilities in both China and the U.S., and it’s aiming to distinguish itself rom the established market with unique powertrains, autonomous features and shared technology development.

Their first two cars are the SF5 and SF7, a smaller and a mid-sized all-electric SUV. The SF5 is aiming to have a pre-order date of 2018, and will also aim to ship in 2019 to customers if all goes to plan. They’ll feature “proprietary” powertrain technology that will achieve 1000 horsepower and a 0-to-60 mph acceleration time of under 3 seconds.

Range is rated at over 300 miles by EPA standards, SF Motors says, thanks to a “patented” battery system that emphasizes safety through design. The automaker is also working on a future battery system that would incorporate battery units directly into the vehicle’s chassis, for a more streamlined design.

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A lot of SF Motors’ secret sauce comes down to in-house development of key systems, the automaker says, including its own in-house electronic controller design. It’s also testing “protective autonomy,” systems that use deep learning and LiDAR sensor perception to create a “safer ride,” with road tests in California, Michigan and China currently in progress as of earlier this month. The full extent of this system and how it works hasn’t been detailed, but it will automated driving tasks with “minimal human input” required, per SF Motors.

The company is debuting its first target production vehicles today, but it’s also hoping to potentially provide its proprietary powertrain and battery tech design to other automakers via license, which could help it get over the early hurdles of production ramp that most young EV companies hoping to take on Tesla and other legacy automakers face.