You gotta admire the gumption of a small suburban Cincinnati outfit called Amp Electric Vehicles. They saw a vacancy in the green-vehicle market -- electric crossover SUVs -- and just decided to fill it, with no direct cooperation from a major manufacturer.
They figured they'd begin by picking a popular vehicle that already achieves state-of-the-art fuel economy (Chevrolet's four-cylinder Equinox), as it probably already has pretty optimal weight, aerodynamics, and rolling resistance.
Starting with a fully homologated and crash-tested vehicle also sidesteps a ton of development and testing work. Then "all" Amp has to do is rip out the drivetrain, fuel, and exhaust systems, and replace them with electric components. Plug-n-play, right?
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