The electric car industry is up and running. A few years ago when Tesla launched its Model S the industry was very small and it seemed that it would remain this way. However, now many major brands have wagered on electric models. And they are going beyond the high-end proposals that are currently being offered by Tesla or BMW. Ultimately, the most common models of these cars will look more like a Nissan Leaf than a luxury vehicle.

Part of this trend is the Chinese firm LeEco, a manufacturer of electronics that is well-known for its television sets and smartphones. However, it also has something to say about automobiles and has committed itself to building a plant with a production capacity of 400,000 electric cars per year.

A truly high-flying project. The construction and startup of the plant is estimated to cost 1.8 billion dollars. A large investment that is part of an even more ambitious plan: the ‘Eco Experience Park’. A 3 billion dollar project that considers the construction of attractions next to the offices and production plants of electric cars. A kind of electric car theme park which will be located on the outskirts of Hangzhou, south of Shanghai.

In the field of electric cars LeEco recently signed an alliance with the firm Faraday Future, which has emerged this year as a possible rival of Tesla due to the explosive design of its vehicles and its target audience. The Chinese company is considering the production of some of its vehicles at the Faraday Future production plant in Las Vegas.

LeEco, who showcased its first electric sedan, the LeSee, this year has also made inroads in the field of autonomous vehicles. The company presented a prototype in Beijing with a collapsible steering wheel and an exterior screen located in the front of the vehicle. This model appears to be less viable than the Chinese company’s electric cars. Although the combination of both trends, which little by little are winning over the traditional automotive industry, cannot be dismissed.

What does appear to be sure is that the annual production of 400,000 electric cars in a single plant by a single manufacturer is an indicator that this type of vehicle is going to begin to be commercialized in large quantities in the next few years.

Images: cotaro70s and LeEco