Prototype of a Chinese electric SUV with 1,000 HP found rotting in California after receiving a million-dollar investment.

Written by Fabio Lucas Carvalho

Published on 17/04/2026 at 00:47

68 people reacted to this.

The images of the vehicle reveal that the Chinese electric SUV has suffered from severe exposure to natural elements and vandalism in the Californian desert. Broken windows, flat tires, and the removal of internal components suggest that the prototype has not been maintained for years.

The historical value of the unit, which carries the original components of the 1,000 HP system, contrasts with the neglect in which it was found by motorsport enthusiasts.

Interestingly, the battery system used in this Chinese electric SUV served as the basis for the official power supply for Formula E cars. The engineering contained in that abandoned chassis was, therefore, fundamental to the advancement of global electric mobility. Experts point out that the abandonment of such prototypes is common in the industry when patents and technologies have already been absorbed by successor models, making storage costs unfeasible.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

The legacy of the project and the future of Lucid Motors

Although the prototype of the Chinese electric SUV has been left behind, the knowledge generated with the 136 million euros allowed Lucid Motors to launch vehicles with record energy efficiency.

The all-wheel drive system and electronic management tested in “Edna” are considered the precursors of today’s high-voltage technology. The abandoned vehicle remains an industrial monument to the era of the frantic race for investors in the electrification sector.

The discovery sparked debates about the preservation of the technological memory of electric vehicle startups. Many believe that the Chinese electric SUV should be in a museum, given its role in the evolution of induction motors and lithium-ion storage.

While the prototype rots in California, the industry it helped shape continues to expand, driven by the lessons learned during those years of intensive development.

With information from hibridosyelect r icos

Prototype of a Chinese electric SUV with 1,000 HP found rotting in California after receiving a million-dollar investment.

The legacy of the project and the future of Lucid Motors

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Prototype of a Chinese electric SUV with 1,000 HP found rotting in California after receiving a million-dollar investment.

The legacy of the project and the future of Lucid Motors

A giant printer called the “Ferrari” of concrete has landed in Latin America and can already build a 120-square-meter house in just 48 hours, making the traditional construction site look like something from the last century.

Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt has ceased to be a climatic phenomenon and has become a biological system that feeds on itself, with 8,000 kilometers in length, 37 million tons of algae, and scientists confirm that it is now permanent.

A British company has installed in the middle of the ocean the world’s first floating platform that generates electricity 24 hours a day from the temperature difference between the surface and the depths of the Atlantic, without relying on wind or sun.

Brazil will harvest a record crop of up to 357 million tons of grains, but it does not have the capacity to store a large part of it. The storage deficit has reached the highest level in history and is equivalent to almost the entire production of Argentina.

Engineers had to pour concrete mixed with tons of ice throughout entire nights in the Dubai desert to erect the Burj Khalifa; any carelessness could clog the pipes half a mile high.

The James Webb telescope spotted a planet 700 light-years from Earth with mornings full of sand clouds and nights with clear skies, the temperature difference between the two hemispheres reaches an impressive 170 degrees.

Air bubbles from 3 million years ago extracted from Antarctic ice reveal that the current level of CO₂ has already surpassed that of the ancient, warm world, when the sea was up to 20 meters higher and there were no factories or cars burning fuel.

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