Affordable is relative - the Myers NMG (meaning “no more gas”), courtesy of Ohio based Myers Motors, will set you back $27,000.  For that amount of money you can get a lot of car, if you’re willing to stick with gasoline power. But try to find another 100% electric, freeway capable electric vehicle for anywhere close to that price.  For that matter, other than a handful of Teslas that have started to hit the road, find any all-electric car driving in the fast lane on the freeway.

The author putting a Myers NMG through the paces.

When we learned about Myers Motors about a year ago (ref. “Myers Freeway Capable NMG“), they were already ahead of the pack with nearly 300 cars sold and being actively driven by private owners all over North America. 

With a 30 mile range, a top speed of 75 MPH, and zero to sixty in 12.5 seconds, Myers has secured a place in history as one of the first EV manufacturers to go beyond fleet sales or prototype testing and actually sell freeway capable EV’s to the general public.  So where are they now?

What has happened is not unusual for a company that has gone beyond the prototype stage but lacks the funding to ramp up to full scale production; Myers Motors is in financial limbo. In the venture capital world this is sometimes referred to as the “valley of death.” When I contacted Myers spokesman Ron Huch last week he said “Myers is in the process of putting their business plan together for the next phase, (production) of their business. They are defining the new products and are trying to raise money to fund this phase. They have been able to refine the drive system and the battery management system, now they have to do the production version and reduce the cost.”

The Myers Motors NMG is a single seat three wheeler, with the back wheel providing traction. Because there are two wheels in the front, the vehicle has exceptional stability. Being close to the ground and small, this car feels even faster than it is. The sense of acceleration feels dramatic when you hit the pedal and hold it to the floor, and the car is virtually impossible to tip over on corners. I would know, since late last year I had the opportunity to drive one.

Can Myers Motors secure funding and go into full scale production? It certainly seems possible, since there still aren’t a lot of contenders for a single seat commuter EV that can be driven on the freeway, and even fewer contenders to deliver an EV for a price anywhere south of $30K. But will this be enough for venture capital investors, who are typically looking for breakthrough technology and a giant customer base? Myers Motors challenge to attract funding to go into full scale production may be met through an investor whose motivation is similar to what drives their potential customers - seeing more EVs on the road, because they operate on electrons instead of combustion.