Mullen 700e (CODA reborn)

[cwerdna]

I remember UQM took a big writedown when it became clear the Coda would not take delivery of the pipeline of parts that UQM had built for them.

Yep, UQM Tech Spills Beans On CODA, Writes Them Off | Inside EVs.

 

[cwerdna]

I LOLed when I saw the title of this:
Electric Vehicle manufacturer Mullen Technologies, Inc. gearing up to compete with Tesla and Faraday Future with expanding group of experts | Mullen Technologies, Inc.

“Mr. Rosenzweig is a key element to the success of Mullen and we are proud to have him on our team”, states Mr. David Michery, CEO of Mullen Technologies, Inc. “One of Mr. Rosenzweig’s primary responsibilities will be to properly express the quality of our vehicle line, the business model to compete with Tesla, and expose the benefits of investing in Mullen’s plans compared to start-up companies like Faraday Future. Mullen relies on honest and fair ideals and common sense business practices to bring the best valued product to the American consumer.”

 

[Cattledog]

I LOLed when I saw the title of this:
Electric Vehicle manufacturer Mullen Technologies, Inc. gearing up to compete with Tesla and Faraday Future with expanding group of experts | Mullen Technologies, Inc.

The design of these cars makes ma appreciate Franz.

 

[cwerdna]

This company's pretty funny. I spotted Lithium Air Battery | Mullen Technologies, Inc. today.

It currently says this:
Comparison of Battery Technology
Tesla Model S uses:
• 85 kWh battery pack of Lithium Ion Battery
• Battery Weight 1500 lbs
• Drives up to 250 miles/charge
—

Mullen 700e will use:
• 136 kWh battery pack of Lithium Air Battery
• Battery Weight 800 lbs
• Drive up to 400 miles/ charge



The Mullen 700e

1. Over $500 million was spent during five years of design, implementation and production of the Mullen 700e.
2. The 700e is USDOT certified and is being produced and marketed in several countries.
3. The Mullen 700e can drive up to 200 miles per single charge.
4. We plan to test our Lithium Air Battery in a Mullen 700e glider to power the car to 400+ miles per single charge.
5. Mullen’s new level 3 charging allows this battery to go from a zero percent charge to 80% charge within 15 minutes.

And also
The Nano Lithium Air Battery
AMPTRANS Motor Corporation in conjunction with Mullen Technologies has developed the first Nano Lithium Air Battery (NLAB) Technology.
The patent pending Nano Lithium Air Battery has much higher energy densities, providing much more energy output, lighter and safer than lithium ion batteries.
...
Our flagship product will be the Mullen 700e, the Mullen e7 in 2017, which will feature an artistic body style, made of honeycomb carbon fiber with nanomaterial composite that is strong, durable and light weight. Most important, the Mullen 700e, the Mullen e7 in 2017, will use the state-of-the-art Nano Lithium Air Battery. That is capable of powering all Mullen electric vehicles to 400 miles per single charge. The lightweight new composite material will make all Mullen vehicles run faster and farther. With no emission as compared with gasoline powered cars.

By comparison, currently Tesla Vehicles use a series of 6,831 Lithium Ion batteries, joined together, weighing more than 900 lbs or about 30% of the total car weight to power the car up to 200 miles. The Nano Lithium Air Battery System (NLAB) will be much lighter, weighing only 210 lbs, providing sufficient energy to power the vehicle over 400 miles per single charge.

 

[BluestarE3]

The video they have on their own site with the professor from Carnegie Mellon University says he hopes to see viable Lithium Air batteries in the 5-10 year timeframe; yet, Mullen claims they and AMPTRANS will have a Lithium Air battery system available for large scale production by mid-2017. There's a bit of a disconnect there.

 

[cwerdna]

Have these guys actually shipped the 700e?

They've been putting out a bunch of press releases at Press Releases Archives | Mullen Technologies Inc.. Mullen announces former Fisker and Karma Automotive's Francis McMahon as CTO | Mullen Technologies Inc. made me chuckle given how "great" the Fisker Karma's engineering was.

About | Mullen Technologies Inc. is funny

Primarily, Mullen is an electric vehicle manufacturer of USDOT certified vehicles utilizing state of the art battery and energy technologies. Over $750 million has been invested into the REAL Tesla killer: a four door, five passenger family sedan with a spacious trunk and 220 mile range per charge, with an MSRP of under $30,000. Future versions of this marquee vehicle will include a 650 mile all-electric range with Level 3 charging of 80% of capacity in under 30 minutes.

 

[BluestarE3]

Have these guys actually shipped the 700e?

They've been putting out a bunch of press releases at Press Releases Archives | Mullen Technologies Inc.. Mullen announces former Fisker and Karma Automotive's Francis McMahon as CTO | Mullen Technologies Inc. made me chuckle given how "great" the Fisker Karma's engineering was.

No, but they did hire another executive. Is that almost as good as having stayed in a Holiday Inn Express last night?

 

[BluestarE3]

Now they're looking to raise $500 million to resurrect the Coda. Except that the 31 kWh battery pack that yielded only 88 miles of range in the original car supposedly will go for 180 miles in the new version.

Mullen tries to raise $500 million to bring Coda’s cheap all-electric car back to life

Hmm... tough choice...

This:

Or this:

$35,000

 

[cwerdna]

These guys are pretty funny. The keep announcing events at News | Mullen Technologies Inc., including some "corporate retail locations" like Mullen announces corporate retail and wholesale automotive operations in Downey, California | Mullen Technologies Inc..

I found Mullen Auto Sales and from looking at Mullen Auto Sales | View Inventory, they just have random (mostly ICEV) used cars on sale.

Oddly, I found Mullen Technologies announces the opening of its’ new Energy Storage Division in Monrovia, California | Mullen Technologies Inc.

MONROVIA, California, April 16, 2018 – Mullen Mullen Technologies, Inc. is proud to announce the opening of its’ Energy Division facility in Monrovia, California. The facility will operate as a battery manufacturer, battery pack testing facility and renewable energy research and development center.

The facility was formally (sic) operated by CODA Energy and Exergonix, at which time major infrastructure upgrades were installed, including extensive power grid capabilities, battery development and testing facilities, and AQMD testing infrastructure.

Oddly, per Is the Third Time a Charm for Coda’s Energy Storage Business?, Exergonix bought the twice bankrupt Coda Energy. Seems like it's come full circle? One really has to wonder about these guys and what their real intent is. Is it a front for something else?

Mullen Technologies Inc. | The Affordable Electric Car Company doesn't even show the 700e anymore. They now have a Mullen S Edition or 700 S Edition | Mullen Technologies Inc. with "Availability starting in 2018".

 

[cwerdna]

^^^
Seems like the 700e, Mullen S edition or whatever is now stillborn. Home - Mullen looks like it's been scrubbed of all their mentions of their comical EVs or possible futures one along w/a lot of those old press releases to make way for the Qiantu K50. Who knows if that'll every arrive in the US and with decent quality or if it's just vaporware?

 

[BluestarE3]

Any company that uses the terms "synergistic", "leverage" and "solution" in the same sentence to describe itself is full of BS.

 

[cwerdna]

I saw an ad in my Facebook feed encouraging me to check out the at Pebble Beach.

Not surprisingly, the dates have slipped.
Mullen USA to Make Pebble Beach Debut with K50 Electric Luxury Sports Car - Mullen says
"Mullen is taking reservations for the first round of production vehicles, dubbed the Signature Series, which will be delivered in late 2020."

The “future” of electric supercars arrives in the United States. - Mullen from March 23, 2019 says:
"Additional K50s are arriving at Mullen R&D center, where diagnostic, battery testing and homologation process will begin. The K50 will be manufactured in Southern California with deliveries of first orders set for end of 2019 and start of 2020."

 

[BluestarE3]

Haha, from their May blog post: Mullen Technologies Indy 500 TV Ad Breaks The Internet - Mullen

Mullen Technologies’ Indy 500 TV ad for the K50 electric sports car during the popular Indianapolis 500 telecast drew so much attention, that for a brief moment the MullenUSA.com website crashed due to the overwhelming number of people eager to find out more about the K50.

Their site briefly couldn't handle the traffic volume, so that translates to "breaking the Internet"? Heck, using the same argument, Elio Motors could have claimed overwhelming public interest in their Dalelio autocycle broke the Internet last month when their site was down for several days.

 

[cwerdna]

Has there been any news about the Qiantu K50?

I found West Plains development board extends agreement for electric car plant

Local public development authority officials have extended the timeline for an agreement with a California company to build a manufacturing facility for high-end electric sports cars on the West Plains.

Mullen Technologies signed a letter of intent with the West Plains Public Development Authority in April that calls for the agency to build and lease 1.3 million square feet of assembly and manufacturing space for the Qiantu K50 electric car.

The high-performance Qiantu K50, unveiled at the International Auto Show in New York earlier this year, is powered by a lithium-ion battery. It is capable of reaching 60 mph in less than 4.2 seconds and has a range of 250 miles.

The West Plains PDA voted last week to extend the letter of intent with Mullen Technologies until March 2020, allowing the company more time to secure funding for the project.

Mullen initially agreed to raise an equity investment of $50 million before entering a lease agreement with the PDA by a Sept. 18 deadline, according to the letter of intent.

“It takes time to develop equity needed to move projects forward,” said Todd Coleman, West Plains PDA executive director. “They needed a little more time.”

I wonder what will happen in March 2020.

 

[BluestarE3]

Their goal is to assemble 2,500 of these a year in the U.S. under license from CH-Auto, so at best, it will be a niche vehicle. Until they obtain funding, they're in a holding pattern and I wouldn't expect much news coming from them. Local authorities extending the deadline for a would-be auto manufacturer to come up with the money to build/equip a plant (for which concessions were granted) sounds all too familiar: think Faraday Future and Elio Motors.

 

[ICUDoc]

This is an entertaining thread, thanks, all.
I followed a link or two and found this at the bottom of the page about their "upcoming" sports car:
"Legal Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains “forward-looking statements.” Words such as “may,” “should,” “could,” “would,” “predicts,” “potential,” “continue,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “future,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates,” and similar expressions, as well as statements in future tense, often signify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements should not be read as a guarantee of future performance or results and may not be accurate indications of when such performance or results will be achieved. Forward-looking statements are based on information that the Company has when those statements are made or management’s good faith belief as of that time with respect to future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual performance or results to differ materially from those expressed in or suggested by the forward-looking statements. The Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise its forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise."

I find that enormously entertaining / amusing. I've never seen such a paragraph before, but think it might apply to a LOT of stuff I read on the 'net...

 

[cwerdna]

This is an entertaining thread, thanks, all.
I followed a link or two and found this at the bottom of the page about their "upcoming" sports car:
"Legal Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains “forward-looking statements.” Words such as “may,” “should,” “could,” “would,” “predicts,” “potential,” “continue,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “future,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates,” and similar expressions, as well as statements in future tense, often signify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements should not be read as a guarantee of future performance or results and may not be accurate indications of when such performance or results will be achieved. Forward-looking statements are based on information that the Company has when those statements are made or management’s good faith belief as of that time with respect to future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual performance or results to differ materially from those expressed in or suggested by the forward-looking statements. The Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise its forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise."

I find that enormously entertaining / amusing. I've never seen such a paragraph before, but think it might apply to a LOT of stuff I read on the 'net...

The above is pretty standard verbiage at least for SEC filings and other investor communications and isn't limited to the EV industry.

From SEC Filings | Tesla, Inc., here's a recent Tesla SEC filing.

Forward-Looking Statements

The discussions in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contain forward-looking statements reflecting our current expectations that involve risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements concerning our strategy, future operations, future financial position, future revenues, projected costs, profitability, expected cost reductions, capital adequacy, expectations regarding demand and acceptance for our technologies, growth opportunities and trends in the market in which we operate, prospects and plans and objectives of management. The words “anticipates,” “believes,” “could,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “may,” “plans,” “projects,” “will,” “would” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. We may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in our forward-looking statements and you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. Actual results or events could differ materially from the plans, intentions and expectations disclosed in the forward-looking statements that we make. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, the risks set forth in Part II, Item 1A, “Risk Factors” in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

Look at the last page of https://ir.tesla.com/static-files/47313d21-3cac-4f69-9497-d161bce15da4.

Take a look at Dow Announces Completion of Senior Notes Offering | Dow Investor Relations for Dow Chemical, a major company I picked out of the air. Or look at Goldman Sachs 28th Annual Communacopia Conference, a major telco here.

I guess these sort of things keep company lawyers happy.

 

[cwerdna]

Any news about the Qiantu K50?

News - Mullen turned up nothing really interesting, only what seems like more BS: Mullen Technologies Launches Mullen Funding Corporation For Captive Finance - Mullen.

 

[cwerdna]

CodaCars.com - Home is still up.

In part, it says:

CODA "CLASSIC" SELLDOWN! FINAL 40 UNITS!

Call for low price!

Mullen Technologies is growing and needs room for our newest K-50 Coupe and other exciting models coming soon! We have 40 brand new 2013 Coda EV Sedans that were earmarked for future development purposes but we now need to make room for our newest offerings and we have priced them to sell!

It had the same count in Aug 2020 per the snapshot at CodaCars.com - Home. A snapshot from Jan 2019 at CodaCars.com - Home has 50. They sure sold like hotcakes.

I did start another thread at Mullen USA/Technologies. Seems like they've only come out with vaporware over the past few years. 700e DOA? No K50?