Yesterday’s post sparked a comment about the immense difficulty of building a new EV manufacturer. I couldn’t agree more. Many new EV manufacturers have already failed, and many more will follow.
Let's dig into this a bit more. I stumbled upon a short video by Paul Kirby, where he walks through an abandoned Arrival factory. Just a couple of years ago, Arrival was touted as the next big thing in EV truck and bus manufacturing. They envisioned revolutionizing the industry with streamlined manufacturing and innovative design.
Their strategy? Ditch the massive factories in favor of numerous micro-factories, built close to where the demand was. This approach
aimed to bring production closer to customers, promising efficiency and flexibility.
But now, Arrival is a cautionary tale. I’m curious about what led to their downfall. If you know the inside story, I’d love to hear it. Your insights would be invaluable.
Moreover, I’m keen to create a podcast episode about Arrival, featuring someone from their founding or management team. I believe their story holds crucial lessons for all hard tech startups.
Picture credits: Paul Kirby
Watch the video here