Lit Motors is a startup vehicle company based in Portland, OR / San Francisco, CA. We also have some engineers in Arizona and a manufacturing partner in Ingolstadt, Germany.

This effort is being led by our CPO, Volker Kaese, who led commercialization efforts at Volkswagen for 2 decades. He brings an extreme depth of expertise in moving vehicles from concept all the way through production at scale. Our plan is to start with a small production plant in Portland, Oregon that can handle our initial quantities. As we scale, we have plans for a second, larger manufacturing center just outside the city.

Our research thus far has uncovered 3 initial audiences: Enthusiasts & Early Adopters: These are the drivers that are always looking for the next new thing. They bought the original Tesla Roadsters when no one else had heard of EV’s, nevermind Tesla. Eco Drivers - Eco meaning economical and ecological. They’re motivated by saving money and/or saving the planet. Our efficiency story will be the key driver here. Savvy Commuters: ~36% of US households have 2 vehicles and more than 20% of US households have 3 or more vehicles. Many of these are anxious to find a better way to commute - and our vehicles’ ability to shave up to 20% off their commute will be a huge draw.

The next 5 years consists of 3 key activities: - Productization and commercialization: We have a clear path to transform our concept into a fully realized, commercialized vehicle. It starts with the production of a small number of prototypes, which we are starting this year. That will allow us to go through tooling and testing required to launch commercially. - Market Validation: As part of the commercialization process, we plan to conduct an in-depth study to help define all elements of our Go-to-Market, as well as help us define and refine the driver experience. - Fundraising: Building a car company takes a large amount of capital, so we will be seeking investment from VC’s and other funds, as well as individuals.

We do have plans to conduct a roadshow to invite our investors to experience driving the X-1 prototype once it's completed. However, this will only be a test drive. During our community equity crowd funding campaign on Wefunder, we had a variety of perks and benefits that included an automatic pre-order reservation with investments over $1000. Unfortunately, our Wefunder campaign ended on April 25, 2025. Currently, access to early vehicles will only be available to pre-order reservations who have priority once we begin delivering the AEV.

At Lit Motors, we’re not just building the next electric vehicle. We’re building a category-defining technology that’s safer, smarter, and self-balancing…And how we get there is much more technological than what other EVs, past or present, have done. Truly solving transportation problems requires more than slapping a battery on a frame with wheels. Developing our Core Technology, our Control Moment Gyroscopes and the Controls that go along with it required extensive testing and the genius minds of several of the best Engineers from Honeywell and Raytheon

We targeting an aggressive price point, at the lower end of the EV market. However, final price won’t be set until we have the chance to conduct more research, which we will do once we have our next prototype built in 2026.

On our current timeline, we are looking to ship our first units in late 2028.

The AEV can comfortably fit all genders from 4'11" to 6'3" in the driver seat and up to 5'10" in the passenger seat.

The AEV will include heating, cooling and a window you can roll down, just like a typical vehicle. Enjoying a well designed interior and ride demands comfort as a paramount. Maintaining a warm interior in snowy mountains and cool in arid deserts requires an appropriately sized HVAC modules in all models. Since the AEV interior volume is only 5-7 cubic ft we believe we can achieve this at scale.

We are working to meet EU NCAP safety homologation readiness but in the US beside FMVSS. Lit's AEV also classifies as an "Autocycle" requiring only a car driver's license to operate the AEV.

You can email reserve@litmotors.com to verify and/or get an update on your pre-order.