This Weird EV Prototype From A Company That Now Makes Robotic Dogs Is For Sale Again For Really Cheap On Facebook

I think the years between 2015 and 2025 will go down in history as the EV goldrush. It was a decade where a seemingly endless stream of EV and/or autonomous vehicle companies sprouted up, sometimes out of nowhere, with grand claims about being the next Tesla, only to fizzle out after showing off a concept or two and then running out of funding.

Of these dozens of companies attempting to snag a bite of the EV revolution apple, only a precious few have been able to survive and turn themselves into legitimate businesses. A vast majority have declared bankruptcy and dissolved, been absorbed into other companies, or, in the case of EdisonFuture, pivoted from building electric trucks and vans to making robotic dogs.

As is often the case with bankruptcy sales, things are a bit fuzzy. But one of EdisonFuture’s prototypes popped up at an auction in California last year, where it was sold to a private party. Now, less than a year later, it’s for sale again. And this time, it’s a bit more banged up than it was before.

What The Hell Is EdisonFuture?

EdisonFuture first hit the scene in 2021, with plans to sell an electric truck, the EF1-T, and an electric van, the EF1-V, in America. Owned by Chinese firm SPI Energy at the time, EdisonFuture planned to enter the market by 2025, leveraging its vehicles’ party trick, onboard solar charging, to garner interest. The subject of this article, the van, promised either 400 or 690 horsepower, depending on whether you optioned the single-motor or dual-motor setup. EdisonFuture also promised tow ratings of 7,500 or 8,000 pounds, respectively. Those roof-mounted solar panels, meanwhile, could capture 25 to 35 miles of range after a day of sitting in the sun, according to the brand.

Obviously, neither the van nor the pickup truck came to be. While EdisonFuture still advertises its vehicles on its website and still accepts $200 deposits, nothing has been shared about the cars for over four years. EdisonFuture’s Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube pages are fully dormant. The last official word about EdisonFuture came from its current parent company, Phoenix Motor Inc., which announced in February that EdisonFuture will soon start building robotic dogs in America for commercial use—no mention about cars. In that release, EdisonFuture isn’t described as a car company at all:

About EdisonFuture Motor Inc.

EdisonFuture Motor Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Phoenix Motor Inc. (OTC:PEVM). Based in Anaheim, California, EdisonFuture focuses on robotics, autonomous systems, and electric mobility technologies, integrating design, manufacturing, and fleet operations to deliver scalable solutions for commercial and industrial markets.

Going by that info alone, one could assume EdisonFuture’s plans to mass-produce EVs for America are effectively dead. Lending some credibility to that claim is one of the company’s prototypes, which showed up at a liquidation auction in July for a defunct solar production facility in Sacramento, California.

My colleague Lewin wrote about the EF1-V back when the auction was still going on, connecting the dots behind why this particular solar company, Solar4America, had this thing in its possession in the first place (spoiler: that company was also owned by SPI Energy at one point).

Back On The Market

Now, that car is for sale again. The person who bought the EF1-V from the auction, Antonio Gallegos, just listed the prototype for sale on Facebook Marketplace, less than a year after getting his hands on it.

Gallegos told me over Facebook Messenger that his original plan was to somehow get the EF1-V running and driving. Going by the status of this thing, that would’ve been a tall order, as it sounds like this is more of a rolling design buck than a real car. According to him, the body is made of painted clay, with a plastic interior and only rudimentary wiring for the lights. Here’s an animation EdisonFuture released of what it would look like on the road:

If you look at that original auction listing from Lewin’s post, you’ll see that while the interior looks complete, much of the wiring comes from a set of fuses mounted to what looks to be a piece of wood. Gallegos says the chassis is totally custom, but estimates the dimensions are similar to a modern Ram 3500.

Making things worse is the lack of a windshield. Gallegos bought the car with the windshield in place, but, according to him, it wasn’t secured firmly enough to the car, and shattered while being transported to his home. A piece of bodywork was also ripped off the passenger side rear fender when he attempted to open the sliding cargo door on that side. As it turns out, one-off, hand-built prototypes aren’t exactly as durable as real cars.

Having realized his dream of getting this EdisonFuture van to a running, driving state isn’t within his skill set, Gallegos decided to list the car for sale instead. He’s asking $6,000, which is, according to him, exactly $37.50 less than he paid for the thing (before factoring in taxes). Depending on what you think about one-off cars from effectively dead brands, this is either an amazing deal or violently overpriced.

I’m inclined to see it as the former. It’s not very often that strange, one-off prototypes and concept vehicles come up for sale publicly. And while this one isn’t in great shape, I’ve seen rougher concepts sell for a lot more money. Being made mostly out of clay, getting this thing on the road probably isn’t feasible, but as a museum piece or something to keep in your airplane hangar collection, $6,000 is a very low entry price. If I had the space, I’d very seriously consider it. Would you?

Top graphic images: Bidspotter; Facebook seller; Edison Future