Alpha Motors has recently drawn big attention for its slick EV designs, but has provided little background on how its company operates, or how it intends to bring these designs into production. After concerns were raised by Green Car Reports back in August, Sean O’Kane of The Verge reached out to the company for answers, with the interview raising plenty of concerns.
The first red flag is the background of those that O’Kane was able to interview. Joshua Boyt and Jay Lijewski state their titles as the head of business development and head of marketing at Alpha Motor Corporation, respectively. Curiously, though, the duo have previously been spotted working for Volvo as baristas at the New York Auto Show. Of course, there’s nothing to say that a talented coffee maker can’t also make strides in the world of business, but it’s rare to see such a career change in short order.
Regardless, O’Kane pressed the duo on many of the common concerns raised about Alpha Motor. As discovered by Green Car Reports, Alpha’s listed business address is that of a co-working space in Irvine, California, matching that of a previous startup that went by the name of Neuron EV. That startup listed Edward Lee as a founder, as does Alpha Motor, and yet seemingly vanished after showing off a few electric truck concepts. When challenged on this point, however, both Boyt and Lijewski doubled down, asserting that Alpha Motor was a completely independent company, with no ties to any other.
Thus far, Alpha Motor has “launched” several models, from the Alpha Ace coupe to the Alpha Jax CUV, which looks to be a lifted take on the Ace with suicide doors. Most of these vehicles seem to exist only as renders and YouTube videos, though a non-drivable concept of the Alpha Wolf pickup presently resides at the Petersen Automotive Museum.
The latter vehicle seems to be the company’s primary focus, with Lijewski stating in the launch video that “as we ramp up production lines here in the United States, we anticipate that the Wolf Electric Truck will be available by the end of 2023.” It’s a devastatingly short timeline, especially for a company that doesn’t seem to own any factories just yet.