An electric vehicle company co-founded by Nelson Mandela’s granddaughter says it's choosing Phoenix as the site of a headquarters and manufacturing facility for its proposed NR1 electric vehicle.
However, the company is still in the early planning stages.
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela Electric Vehicle Group co-founders Ndileka Mandela and B. Taylor visited Phoenix-based Integro Bank on Sept. 26 to provide a business update to industry leaders and prospective investors after publicly announcing the concept for its NR1 car in July.
Taylor told the Business Journal that NRM-EV, founded in 2021, has not yet selected a specific location for its headquarters in the Valley, but expects to do so within 18 months. The company is currently meeting with local industry groups to discuss its future operations in the Phoenix area, he said.
NRM-EV attributed Arizona's thriving electric vehicle industry as well as the company's business relationship with Integro Bank as reasons for establishing a headquarters in the Valley. Integro Bank is one of the newer financial institutions in Phoenix, having gained federal approval in June 2022.
Integro Bank CEO Thomas Inserra is a board member of NRM-EV, according to the company's website.
"I learned so much about the EV space here in Arizona and just meeting Thomas (Inserra) and the whole Integro Bank family – it was just was a natural fit to have the headquarters here," Taylor said. "I said, ‘Ndileka, you’ve got to have the headquarters in Phoenix.”
NRM-EV is looking to grow its key leadership team and has partnerships with Atlanta-based Kickr Design and L&R Industries, a metal fabricator headquartered in Missouri, to design its electric vehicle. The company developed an initial rendering for its electric vehicle with an update to come later this year.
In July, NRM-EV told the Business Journal it's working with an engineering team to bring the electric vehicle to market in two years. The company did not disclose whether it would still meet that manufacturing timeline or the amount of investments secured for its electric vehicle.
Company also plans to operate in Las Vegas, Atlanta
NRM-EV describes itself as the first Black female and male veteran-owned car company, led by Taylor and Mandela, who is the eldest grandchild of Nelson Mandela. The company obtained approval in 2022 from the Nelson Mandela Foundation to use the late activist and politician's signature on the company’s electric vehicles.
In addition to the Valley, NRM-EV is exploring plans for an electric vehicle showroom in Las Vegas, where Taylor is based. NRM-EV may also establish a presence in Atlanta, Taylor said. Georgia has become somewhat of a hub for electric vehicle production, luring more than $25 billion in investments over the past five years, the Atlanta Business Chronicle reported.
NRM-EV aims to create STEM-related employment opportunities to minorities and veterans, according to the company.
While the company has not yet determined a price for the NR1, it said the electric vehicle will be affordable compared with competitors.
“Down the line, we have to have a car that is affordable for everyone," Mandela said. "We have got to have a car that speaks to all strata of society, where everybody can afford the quality of it."
