Aurica Motors

Aurica Motors, LLC
	File:Aurica logo blurred.jpg
Company type	Privately held
Industry	Automotive
Founded	2010
Headquarters	Santa Clara, California, USA
Key people	Greg Bender (Founder, Physicist); Matt Pitagora (Co-founder, General Manager)
Products	Recurve Drive System
Number of employees	8
Website	auricamotors.com

Aurica Motors, LLC was a startup headquartered in Santa Clara focused on developing the proprietary electronic drivetrain known as the Aurica Recurve for electric vehicles. The enterprise sought partnerships with investors to produce electric automobiles utilizing its unique technology. Aurica Motors evolved from Aurica Labs, an initiative founded and financed by physicist Greg Bender.

On March 10, 2010, Aurica declared its intention to prevent the closure of the New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. (NUMMI) facility in Fremont, California, by converting it for electric vehicle manufacturing. The NUMMI plant—a joint operation between Toyota and General Motors—had halted production as of April 1, 2010, leading to layoffs of approximately 4,700 employees and affecting numerous suppliers.

Aurica planned to work alongside the existing NUMMI workforce to provide retraining for electric vehicle production roles and aimed to secure funding to facilitate this transformation.

Nonetheless, on May 20, 2010, Tesla Motors and Toyota announced a collaboration to manufacture Tesla electric vehicles at the former NUMMI site. Toyota committed $50 million by purchasing Tesla common stock, while Tesla acquired a portion of the NUMMI property to refurbish the plant for its upcoming third-generation compact vehicle. This arrangement terminated Aurica’s pursuit of the NUMMI facility.

History and financing

Aurica Motors was officially incorporated as a limited liability company in California on March 15, 2010. Five days prior, the startup publicized its objective to preserve the NUMMI factory and retain thousands of jobs through electric vehicle production. Matt Pitagora, co-founder and general manager, highlighted the company’s business approach centered on maintaining plant operations via EV manufacturing.

The firm intended to fund this initiative through a combination of Federal economic stimulus grants and private capital investment, projecting that nearly $1 billion would be necessary to retrain employees and resume factory operations. Aurica reported that early negotiations with NUMMI had commenced in early 2010; however, a representative from the plant refuted claims of substantive discussions.

Pitagora has not revealed specifics regarding current investors or secured funding. On March 30, 2010, Aurica announced collaborations with San Jose’s Clean Tech Institute (CTI) to create electric vehicle manufacturing training programs for NUMMI personnel and with Calgary-based Motive Industries, which contributed concept car designs for Aurica’s product range.

Following Tesla Motors’ acquisition of the NUMMI plant on May 20, 2010, Aurica’s effort to obtain the facility was halted. Despite this setback, the company affirmed its commitment to continue training former NUMMI workers for building Aurica electric vehicles within Silicon Valley. The startup has yet to announce alternative manufacturing locations within its operational plan.

Technology and Products

At the heart of Aurica's innovation lies the Recurve Drive System, a variable speed motor controller with extended range capabilities that powers four separate electric motors directly linked to the wheels. This design removes the necessity for mechanical power transmission, thereby improving overall efficiency.

Aurica intends to incorporate this technology into the Aurica E-Car, which will feature a modular chassis adaptable to multiple body styles, including custom vehicles and light trucks.

Each model will be equipped with the Power Exchange Package (PEP), a rechargeable battery pack that can be swapped out to effectively double driving range when combined with Aurica’s drive system. The battery supports home charging and can be exchanged at specialized Aurica stations in under three minutes, utilizing renewable energy sources for recharging.

Additional innovations include regenerative braking, true radial steering capabilities, and an all-wheel-drive configuration. Although physical prototypes have not been produced, Aurica has released conceptual designs to illustrate these features.

Criticism

Aurica's initiative to preserve the NUMMI plant and its workforce encountered doubts concerning its practicality and financial soundness. Industry analyst Edward Niedermeyer expressed skepticism about the proposed timeline and the project's ability to compete within the $40,000-plus electric vehicle segment. Nevertheless, Tesla Motors purchased NUMMI in May 2010 to independently manufacture electric vehicles.

NUMMI representative Lance Tomasu voiced concerns over Aurica’s capacity to finance the estimated $500 million required for plant refurbishment. Market analyst John O’Dell pointed out the substantial operating expenses—approximately $50 million annually in electricity—and mentioned Tesla’s decision against utilizing NUMMI initially due to its size exceeding their requirements. Despite this, Tesla proceeded with acquiring NUMMI, valuing its production capacity of 500,000 vehicles per year as a strategic asset for future expansion.

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