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Last Updated on: 16th April 2025, 11:53 am
If Tesla was ever serious about the bringing back the Roadster, they better get moving, STAT. The UK startup RBW Electric Cars has just broken ground on a new factory in Virginia, where it will reportedly begin producing a Roadster of its own by mid-August this year. It’s perfect timing for EV buyers on the prowl for a high end, Made-in-the-USA alternative to the Tesla brand, which has been experiencing reputational collapse just in time to start manufacturing a next-gen version of its own Tesla Roadster, reportedly by the end of this year. Pass the popcorn…
More Electric Cars For The USA
I won’t be surprised to see a Roadster pop up in my area soon after RBW commences operation. Whether gas or electric, the latest status-y vehicle on the market routinely makes an early appearance on the streets of my town.
I spotted one of the first Chevy Volt gas-supported electric cars roaming my neighborhood back during the Obama administration, along with plenty of well-heeled early adopters who scrambled after Tesla’s electric cars.
There are still far more Teslas on the market, of course, but a Rivian spotting has also become commonplace around here of late. I even clocked a Lucid Air a couple of weeks ago, and I just saw another Polestar yesterday.
To be clear, RBW is not aiming at everyday drivers, not even fairly affluent ones. They are targeting very affluent drivers. Last November, RBW stated that its Roadster model starts at $139,000. The forthcoming GT model will set buyers back $151,000.
Lots More Electric Cars For The USA: Here Comes Spirit EV
Between the trade wars and the sudden shift in federal clean tech policy, RBW has its work cut out for it. Nevertheless, EV sales in the US continue to climb, and there is money to be made. Also, RBW is not simply helicoptering into the US to make its own cars. The company is also bringing its Spirit EV branch to the new US facility.
RBW describes Spirit EV as a “cutting-edge EV design, build and integration company offering modular, scalable and turnkey EV powertrain solutions for automakers.”
“Led by automotive pioneer Neil Heslington, Spirit EV delivers a proprietary electric powertrain that meets global compliance standards and simplifies the electrification process across vehicle body types,” the company elaborates.
“From the beginning of its operation, the company has been focused on bringing a global EV platform to market that could transcend how automakers design and engineer their own platforms. This is where Spirit EV comes in. We will now have R&D facilities in both the U.K. and U.S.,” RBW CEO Peter Swain emphasized in a press statement on April 15.
RBW launched Spirit EV last October, describing it as “a fully compliant EV design, testing, and production company” aimed at businesses seeking bespoke electric cars and other electric vehicles. RBW asserts that Spirit EV can save clients can save up to 70% compared to similar electrification projects.
“It allows businesses to outsource any part of their EV project or the entire process,” RBW noted. “Spirit EV’s engineering team treats each project as a unique, custom piece of art, thanks to the specialized level of customization required for electrification.”
Accordingly, RBW describes its new 29,000 facility at the Cane Creek Centre industrial park in Danville as an “automotive hub,” not just a car factory. The facility will host the Spirit EV team along with assembly lines for RBW’s Roadster and GT models, and its sales and marketing staff.
The NASCAR Connection
To cement a US identity on its very British-looking electric cars, RBW has also enlisted local Danville resident and well known former NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) driver Peyton Sellers. RBW announced the news last November, when it officially brought Sellers on as Director of US Operations. Alongside his driving career Sellers runs a business assembling specialized commercial vehicles and has a long history in custom builds as well.
“Over the past several years there has been a growing trend surrounding customers preferring their vehicles have EV systems in place of gasoline powered engines, which positions RBW EV Cars and Spirit EV in a unique position to capitalize on this market demand,” Peyton Sellers explained in a press statement last November.
The NASCAR connection did not pop up out of thin air. You’re not going to see electric cars screeching their tires around NASCAR tracks any time soon, but the organization is on record with a commitment to its mission of supporting innovation in street legal mobility, of which more and more is electric.
NASCAR has been dipping into vehicle electrification for more than a dozen years. In 2012, it showcased an electric Ford Focus pace car, and it also supported former President Obama’s “EVs Everywhere” initiative. Last year, the company described its work on a electric prototype as well.
NASCAR is also among the vehicle stakeholders forging ahead with new EV charging station initiatives. In February the organization unveiled 30 new charging stations aimed at decarbonizing its administrative fleet. “The new EV chargers are for employee and industry use and will facilitate NASCAR’s transition to electric fleet vehicles,” NASCAR explained.
What Was That About EV Sales Again?
Last year’s panic over the supposedly dismal state of EV sales is but a distant memory, with the notable exception of Tesla, which continues to see its fortunes fall even as global EV sales continue to rise.
The RBW Roadster and GT aside, it’s really Spirit EV that Tesla needs to worry about. Except for that silly-looking “truck” that resembles a rolling industrial trash bin, Tesla does not manufacture pickup trucks, vans, or other vehicles of use in the booming commercial market for fleet electrification, leaving those fields open for others to exploit.
In a press announcement earlier this week, RBW also teased plans in the works for new products and future vehicles, to be described sometime this fall. Whether or not that entails a line of more affordable electric cars to challenge Tesla in the mass market remains to be seen, but the strategy echoes the early days of Tesla, in which the automaker sparked interest in its electric sedan while producing a limited number of $200,000 Roadster models.
Speaking of the Tesla Roadster, back in 2022, Tesla CEO Elon Musk promised that a next-gen Tesla Roadster will be forthcoming later this year at a starting price of $200,000. It appears that RBW will beat Tesla to market and undercut their price as well.
Photo (cropped): The UK startup RBW Electric Cars has big plans for the US, including new made-in-the-USA Roadster and GT models and electric powertrain partnerships with other automakers, too (courtesy of RBW via dropbox/email).
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