Alpha Motor Corp. and Hinduja Tech last week announced an agreement to collaborate on the development and production of EVs (electric vehicles), postproduction support, joint research, and development of other mobility projects.

In the space of a little over a year, the Irvine, CA-based auto startup Alpha has released a series of retro-inspired designs on “sustainable solutions in mobility” with vehicle concepts such as its latest ACE Coupe Series announced in March, adding to previously announced Jax, Wolf, and Superwolf EVs. Hinduja Tech, part of business conglomerate Hinduja Group, bills itself as an integrated product engineering and digital solutions provider for the disruptive mobility industry with a leadership position in the EV and autonomous spaces.

Alpha says that the partnership with Hinduja and its end-to-end automotive product development expertise from concept to start of production, plus a period of support with an assurance to reduce product costs, aligns with its growth plans and will boost its commercialization efforts.

“We aim to provide accessible electric vehicles to our consumers while fulfilling our social responsibility,” said Jada Lee, Vice Chairman, Board Member, Alpha Motor Corp. “As we continue to take strides to achieve our aspirations, we embrace partnerships such as the one we have with [Hinduja Tech].”

Hinduja Tech developed what it calls a “frugal engineering paradigm,” with a strong focus on “zero-base design to cost process” to ensure sustainable, profitable innovation.

“[Hinduja Tech] is thrilled to co-develop new-age electric vehicles for Alpha while ensuring sustainability in every stage of product development,” said Vijay Malik, Head-Americas Sales and Global Marketing of Hinduja Tech.

 

Company milestones

The design-led Alpha was founded in 2020 by Edward Lee, its Executive Chairman and a graduate of ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, CA. The company says it specializes in digital automotive development and virtual validation to efficiently commercialize the next generation of clean energy vehicles under the company’s ethos to “Move Humanity.”

Alpha teased its first vehicle, the Icon electric commercial vehicle, in December 2020, but that vehicle was never officially unveiled. Later that month, Alpha revealed as a 3D model its first passenger car, the ACE Coupe, beginning a series of retro-styled model reveals.

In 2021, Alpha established its Move Humanity vision and revealed designs for the Jax, Wolf, and SAGA EVs. The company completed a Wolf truck prototype, exhibiting it at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. It debuted a virtual SAGA electric sedan at the Los Angeles International Auto Show.

Last year it also launched multiple brand collaborations, initiating a collaborative fund-raise for Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. And the company initiated vehicle production-program and supply-chain research and initiated an assessment for vehicle manufacturing.

In 2022, Alpha says it is aiming to make considerable progress in vehicle production and preparations for future market entry, which the Hinduja Tech collaboration should accelerate.

 

Update to ACE Coupe

Alpha’s latest reveal, the ACE Coupe Series, was unveiled in March and is a collaboration with AMP (Auto Motive Power), Rotiform, and Rolling Stone Korea. The update to the ACE Coupe unveiled in December 2020 sees a significant increase in wheelbase to accommodate next-generation battery technology, which drove an overall revision to the ACE architecture. The new vehicle is about 4280 mm (168 in) long, 1840 mm (72 in) wide, and 1430 mm (56 in) tall.

The series—ACE, ACE Performance Edition, and Super ACE—are built on Alpha’s flexible vehicle platform, which the company says streamlines product validation by enabling rapid integration of body and components. An example of the vehicle structure modularity are front fascia and a rear combination lamp interchangeability. For the Super ACE version, Rotiform supplies the 19-in CBU three-piece forged wheels.

AMP, a provider of electronics and software for battery and charging management, supplies an “energy ecosystem” comprised of eCloud, battery management system, and charging solution. Cloud connectivity enables AI-driven battery analytics.

“The stunning ACE variants will be backed by the energy ecosystem of AMP ensuring all-time connectivity and utmost safety,” said Anil Paryani, CEO, of AMP.

The supplier says it has the world’s most compact battery management systems, which ensure maximum battery utilization with high state-of-charge and state-of-health accuracy. Its charging solutions support bidirectionality, enabling redirection of energy to the power grid from EV battery packs.

A significant part of the AMP Energy Ecosystem is an EMU (energy management unit) engineered to drastically reduce the cost of vehicle power electronics and save space by reducing component count. The optimized EMU package, said to feature a 70% reduction in size compared to the industry average, features an onboard charger at up to 11 kW; a DC-DC converter of up to 3 kW; DC fast charging, and power distribution to drive 12-V loads.

 

SAGA Estate crossover vehicle

In December, the company showed the third variant in its SAGA (Sleek Adaptive Geometric Architecture) series. The SAGA Estate is a crossover vehicle with a lengthened rear profile for an estimated front under-hood and rear under-hatch combined cargo volume of 35 ft³ (990 L).

The vehicle has lightweight aluminum-alloy body panels combined with a high-strength steel frame. The vehicle dimensions provided, which the company says are subject to change, are a 4850 mm (191 in) length, 1970 mm (78 in) width, and 1460 mm (57 in) height.

The vehicle is intended to be equipped with a 450-V dual-motor all-wheel-drive system powered by an 85-kW·h lithium-ion battery pack for an estimated range of 300 mi (482 km). The company projects charging to 80% in 1 h using DC power.

The car’s four-wheel independent suspension is engineered to tackle rugged terrain with standard 225/65R tires on 17-in wheels. Aerodynamic modifications as part of a planned optional package are a front bumper integrated air dam and a rear diffuser for more efficient airflow management. An offroad vehicle configuration features a ride height elevated by 50 mm (2 in) along with cylindrical front and rear bumper reinforcements.

The Estate interior integrates a driver-centric digital speedometer, a digital center display, haptic interior climate and audio controls, a digital sound system, and ergonomically bolstered performance seating.

 

Room with a future mobility view

Also in December, Alpha introduced the company’s vision for self-driving mobility named Room, which it says is inspired by a future led by Generation Alpha, the demographic group succeeding Generation Z. The concept envisions a moving room as a starting point for a study of the greater landscape of autonomy, which it says will be defined by pushing the boundaries of zero-emission vehicle commercialization and identifying new value chains.

The company is welcoming innovators to connect with it on the journey, believing it will take a collaborative effort to connect people with smart, clean, and accessible modes of reliable transportation. In preparation for its EV developments of the future, it is prioritizing optimization methods like Industry 4.0 to improve vehicle industrialization and more progressive intelligent systems for sustainability.

Alpha says that the Room’s design was also inspired by the social nature of living organisms. Based on a vehicle architecture with radial symmetry and all-wheel drive, it is built with significant component commonization in mind for the purpose of reducing waste and optimizing space. The vehicle measures about 3850 mm (152 in) in length, 1950 mm (77 in) in width, and 1580 mm (62 in) in height.