Detroit Electric Delays EV Production

Detroit Electric Inc. opened its headquarters in Detroit in April and declared it would begin selling its $135,000 electric sports car in August.

Now the company tells The Detroit News it won't start assembling the vehicle, dubbed the SP:01, until at least September because it hasn't finalized a production location.

Don Graunstadt, CEO of North American operations, tells the newspaper that the company hopes to use an undisclosed facility in Plymouth Township about 28 miles west of Detroit. He also says the startup may begin hiring about 100 production workers later this month. The facility is expected to have annual capacity to make about 2,500 vehicles.

Detroit Electric will limit SP:01 production to no more than 999, which avoids the need to comply with U.S government safety and performance standards. The startup also plans to build an unspecified number of SP:01s in the Netherlands to sell in Europe.

The company says it will use revenue generated by the SP:01 to develop and introduce at least two lower-priced EV models in the U.S. by the end of next year. Detroit Electric also is creating an electrified version of Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd.'s Emgrand EC7 sedan to sell in China.