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Are crowd-sourced, locally-produced autos the future?

Written by: suzanne rodriguez 3,806 views

The annual PopTech conference ended this past weekend, after four days of fun, ideas, inventions, and antics. A self-described “network of remarkable people, extraordinary conferences, powerful ideas and innovative projects that are changing the world,” PopTech is involved in numerous worldwide collaborations, and also serves to encourage technological innovations to help “accelerate the positive impact of world-changing people, projects and ideas.”

The conference was populated by the usual stunningly disparate array of speakers, thinkers, activists, and innovators. Among them were Esther Duflo (development economist and anti-poverty researcher); Daniel Goleman, a psychologist who works with emotional and ecological intelligence; electronic cellist Zoe Keating; food journalist/activist Michael Pollan; Paul van Zyl, transitional justice expert and former Executive Director of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Committee; and many more fascinating people. You can check out the entire speaker list here.

One of the presented ideas-becoming-reality that bowled me over comes from a game-changing company called Local Motors. An Open Source automobile manufacturer, Local Motors plans to build customer-designed, crowd-sourced autos in small (about the size of a Home Depot store) local factories. The company, based in a Massachusetts industrial park, solicits designs on its website—and then puts them up for a vote by the public. The winning (i.e., most popular) car is the one that gets built.

“Micro-factory means micro-production,” says CEO John Rogers, “which means several thousand units over the course of a year in a local area that employs local people.” The company goal is to build 20 micro-factories across the country, each serving a regional market.

One of the company’s backers is a kit car company, Factory Five Racing, which makes sense: Local Motors is using the kit car model. As with kits, purchasers of a Local Motors auto will come to the factory and participate in the final construction of their car, using the company’s tools and working under the supervision of company mechanics. This procedure means that Local Motors doesn’t have to deal with the expensive and endless federal safety testing process (kit cars are only inspected by state authorities and then titled/registered). Rogers says that the company does eventually want to build federally certified cars. That’s another thing that makes sense, because the majority of the market probably won’t purchase the cars until they receive the Federal OK.

The first model Local Motors is planning to produce is the sporty-looking Rally Fighter (photo at top); 2000 serialized numbers of this edition will be manufactured. It’s not a hybrid; it’s powered by diesel. But because it’s light and small, it’s fuel-efficient. If you go to the Local Motors’ website now, you can purchase a waiting  number for $99—at this exact moment, that purchase would make you No. 23 on the list for the Rally Fighter (you’re basically saving a spot in line). When your “build experience” is available, you’ll be notified. Then you lock in your build date—the days you go to the factory—with a $5000 deposit.  Before actual building begins, you pay the balance. Current estimated price? $50,000, although that amount is subject to change (let’s hope change moves the price downward).

At least in the early years, Local Motors cars will by necessity appeal to people who want to spend $50,000; love cars; and would love or at least wouldn’t mind getting their hands dirty putting one together. For a certain kind of buyer, this car is a dream come to life.

Frankly, I’m not one of those buyers. I’d much rather hop into a new Toyota Prius than heave a bunch of auto parts  around in a factory. But what I find exciting is this unusual new approach. Maybe auto factories of the future will be small and flexible; maybe someday I can help crowd-source a car that will be built (by someone else) in a factory near my home, something perfectly suited to the Northern California environment.

© Suzanne Rodriguez

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