Disruptors: rogue designers, visionaries. They shape our collective future by finding new methods for interpreting old paradigms and leveraging them to change the game. In the electric vehicle game, this change needs to happen fast. Outdated approaches toward consumption are corroding rapidly in our current global climate.
If you’re on the lookout for a fledgling disruptor in the car world, check out the Alpha Ace. Set to launch in 2023 (with an unveiling promised for early 2021), it’s fully electric, capable, and playfully cool — and it’s produced by a newly-minted carmaker vowing to revolutionize the auto industry.
Plugged In
Let’s get one thing straight: the Alpha Motor Corporation is not shy of high-powered rhetoric, similar to other electric vehicle players. The Irvine, CA-based startup promises to “move humanity” and calls its journey to sustainability “epic.”
Look a little closer, though, and Alpha appears to commit to its lofty principles. There is an intriguing promise to design electric vehicles that can be “upgraded or repurposed” to limit carbon footprint. Alpha also rolls out a modular design concept, offering customers a powerful capacity to meet their specific needs and price points. Some 100+ years of combined automotive experience, it says, catalyze its innovative approach.
So…what does all this look like on four wheels?
This Electric Vehicle is Switched On
Alpha did not design the Ace to meld anonymously into the global EV market as another cookie-cutter coupe. It squats charmingly on wheels that almost outsize it, with an attention-grabbing wide stance, boxy flared fenders, and fastback. Classic smoothie-style rims and front quarter-panel spade insignia complete a playful, retro appearance.
Inside, find a design that evokes minimalism with an austere color scheme in mahogany and graphite and a single, commanding touch-screen display in the center of the dash. Every bit a coupe, the car seats two adults and accommodates (presumably modest) rear storage.
Performance details are sparse at the moment, but the car is said to accelerate from 0-60 in 6 seconds (on the quick end of average for an EV), and Alpha says a single charge propels it 250+ miles.
Flash Forward
Though Alpha claims the Ace “inspires [its] future of electric vehicles and mission for carbon neutrality,” it’s still too early to tell how it will do so. How will Alpha’s modular concept play out on the Ace platform? What elements of the car will be upgradable or repurposable, and how will those adaptations help limit Alpha’s carbon footprint? We’ll have to stay tuned to find out, at least until early 2021.
Little news about the Ace — or Alpha itself, for that matter — is currently available. We know that the car is set to hit the consumer market in 2023, starting at an MSRP of $32,000 (Alpha notes that its price does not reflect federal or state EV credits or tax incentives).
The stage is set for this little disruptor. Is the world ready?
