Aptera co-founder going Epic with new electric line-up, hiring hundreds [w/video]

It looks like Chris Anthony, an Aptera co-founder, is about to go truly epic in the electric vehicle universe. His company, Epic Boats has entered into a partnership with Caddo Manufacturing in Vivian, LA to not only make electric boats – Epic already makes a hybrid version of a wakeboard boat and introduced the all-electric 21se last January – but also expand into machines made for traveling terra firma as well. The San Diego-based CEO showed up in the Northeast corner of Louisiana last week with prototypes of its first two land vehicles, a topless road-going three-wheeler with seating for two called the Torq and an off-road ATV named the Amp.

While it's great to have a few more oil-free choices of recreational type vehicles, for local residents the best part of the arrangement is the arrival of jobs. Apparently having orders that urgently need filling, the companies are hiring about 200 people starting Monday and hope to create almost 500 positions altogether.

As for the two new vehicles, the preliminary specs look quite promising. Both use lithium iron phosphate (LiFePo4) battery packs developed by Flux Power, Anthony's other company. The Torq is said to offer 200 horsepower and should weigh 1,700 lbs with a pack holding between 24 and 30 kWh of energy. Performance figures are not yet available but it looks capable of dishing out a pretty wild ride – maybe it's those Cadillac-reminiscent headlight clusters.

The Amp looks even more aggro. It features a motor that can put out 54 hp, giving it a top speed just north of 50 miles per hour. Its 14.4 kWh battery pack is said to give it about 60 miles of range. Impressively, it offers 10 inches of ground clearance, is independently suspended front and back and uses hydraulic disc brakes to slow down. According to a new Epic website, we should hear more about these machines this fall. If you want an early glimpse, take a look past the break for footage from local station KSLA. Thanks to anonymouse for the tip!

[Source: KSLA / Epic Electric Vehicles]