Electric cars are awesome. However, without the companies making them, they won’t exist. What are the companies bringing us closer to the electric vehicle future free of carbon emissions?
In this article, we round up the best electric car companies for 2021 globally, in no particular order.
Tesla
If this was a contest, the best thing to do would have been excluding Tesla because it will not be a fair fight. This company, despite not selling the most automobiles, is the biggest in the industry by market capitalization and the only one worth more than $1 trillion.
Tesla was founded in 2003 and has sold the most EV for a company. It has Model 3, Model Y, Model X, and Model S on the market, with an electric pickup truck, the Cybertruck, and the Tesla Semi truck on the way. Tesla will also bring back the Roadster with vastly improved specs and a rumored $25,000 for the masses.
This American company is known for its advanced in-car tech and global Supercharger network.
Rivian
Here is another US-based electric company to watch. It was formed to build electric vehicles, starting with a pickup truck, R1T, and an SUV, R1S. Rivian has recently started delivering the truck, and it has got positive reviews. The SUV will start shipping next year.
2022 is going to be a busy year for Rivian as it has a 100,000 units order from Amazon for electric vans.
Nio
Nio is gearing up to become the Tesla of China. While it is a big shoe to fill, Nio shows signs of dedication and smartness. Its lineup includes electric vehicles in the premium category, including the SUV ES8, the crossover EC6, and the mid-size ES6.
This Chinese company is already expanding, with Norway starting as its entry point into Europe, while Germany is next on its list. Nio also packs tech into its cars, including battery swapping, allowing drivers to replace spent batteries with fully charged ones. It is also pushing battery-as-a-service, which lowers the cost of electric vehicles by making the owners pay a monthly rent.
Lucid
Lucid deserves a place on this list due to its engineering and battery prowess, which came into the spotlight when its first electric model, the Lucid Air, was certified for a 520 miles range, making it the longest-lasting EV ever. What was remarkable was that Lucid did not achieve this feat by just dumping more battery in the car but by optimizing and miniaturizing its drive train.
For now, Lucid makes premium models and will release an SUV in addition to the sedan Air, which has started deliveries to people who made reservations. The company is based in the US.
Volkswagen
While not a dedicated EV company, Volkswagen is making a massive bet on electric vehicles, significantly more than other companies like it. Its CEO wants to beat Tesla, using its manufacturing might. It will invest the most in its plan to switch to electric vehicle production, with about half a dozen battery plants that will power the EVs all its brands will make.
Volkswagen already has excellent models like the ID3, ID4, and ID Buzz.