Local Motors

Local Motors
Name	Local Motors
Type	Private
Industry	Automotive
Founded	2007
Founders	Jay Rogers, John B. Rogers Jr.
Fate	Ceased operations (2019)
Headquarters	Phoenix, Arizona, United States
Products	Vehicles, microfactories, design services

Local Motors

Local Motors was an American automotive company and design collective founded in 2007 that experimented with open-source design, community-driven engineering, and distributed microfactories. It combined digital collaboration platforms with rapid prototyping techniques to produce concept vehicles, low-volume production runs, and demonstration microfactories. The company became notable for projects showing intersections of crowdsourcing, additive manufacturing, and autonomous vehicle research.

History

Founded by Jay Rogers and John B. Rogers Jr. in 2007, the company emerged amid debates around innovation in the automotive sector and maker culture influenced by Maker Faire, Fab Labs, and community-driven platforms such as Threadless and Innocentive. Early efforts involved online design challenges that paralleled initiatives from IDEO, Frog Design, and MIT Media Lab. The company’s early exhibitions took place at venues including CES and SXSW, where it demonstrated collaborative design processes similar to projects supported by National Science Foundation grants and incubators like Y Combinator. Local Motors' trajectory intersected with regional economic development efforts in Arizona and partnerships with defense-oriented entities such as DARPA and procurement programs influenced by U.S. Department of Defense acquisition practices. The organization navigated intellectual property discussions shaped by precedents like Creative Commons and controversies around crowdsource ownership exemplified by disputes involving Wikipedia and user-generated platforms.

Products and Technology

Local Motors focused on vehicles, prototype platforms, and manufacturing technologies that integrated additive manufacturing, composite materials, and electronics from suppliers similar to Bosch, Continental AG, and NXP Semiconductors. Design workflows incorporated digital tools from vendors like Autodesk, SolidWorks (Dassault Systèmes), and simulation packages used in collaborations with research groups at Arizona State University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The company explored electric propulsion systems drawing on battery architectures comparable to those developed by Tesla, Inc., power electronics influenced by Infineon Technologies, and embedded controllers akin to those from NVIDIA and Intel. For autonomy research they leveraged sensors and stacks similar to projects at Waymo, Cruise, and academic labs at Carnegie Mellon University. Manufacturing experiments included selective laser sintering and fused deposition modeling techniques popularized by makers associated with Stratasys and 3D Systems.

Manufacturing and Business Model

Local Motors pioneered a microfactory concept intended to decentralize production, inspired by distributed manufacturing models seen in Shapeways and regional production networks like Alpla initiatives. Microfactories combined rapid tooling, CNC machining, and large-format additive manufacturing in facilities designed to reduce capital intensity compared to traditional assembly plants like those of Toyota Motor Corporation or General Motors. The company used a co-creation business model influenced by open innovation cases studied at Harvard Business School and platforms such as Kickstarter for community financing signals. Supply chain relationships resembled supplier management arrangements found in the automotive supplier industry involving tiered sourcing strategies used by Magna International and Denso. Local Motors also offered design-as-a-service and consultancy akin to firms such as McKinsey & Company and Accenture in mobility transformation projects.

Notable Projects and Vehicles

Among its high-profile projects were concept and limited-production vehicles that captured attention at industry exhibitions. The company’s work invoked comparisons to experimental vehicles from Rimac Automobili and low-volume manufacturers like Lotus Cars. Notable examples included small electric vehicles, autonomous shuttles, and off-road concepts featured at Automotive News coverage and showcased to audiences at North American International Auto Show. Projects integrated components from parts suppliers such as ZF Friedrichshafen and Aisin Seiki, and safety standards drawing from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration guidance. Prototypes often featured collaborations with universities including University of Michigan transportation research and labs at Georgia Institute of Technology.

Partnerships and Collaborations

Local Motors engaged allies across industry, academia, and government. Collaborators included defense partners such as U.S. Army initiatives and transportation agencies comparable to Federal Transit Administration. Academic collaborations paralleled joint research models with MIT, Stanford University, and Arizona State University for human-centered design and autonomy. Commercial alliances resembled strategic supplier ties with corporations like Bosch and technology firms engaged in mobility such as NVIDIA and Siemens. Community partnerships reflected ties to grassroots maker communities linked to Maker Faire organizers and local entrepreneurship networks like Startup Weekend and economic development entities including Greater Phoenix Economic Council.

Closure, Aftermath, and Legacy

Local Motors ceased operations in 2019, prompting coverage in outlets similar to Wired, The New York Times, and Bloomberg that discussed the viability of distributed manufacturing and crowdsourced design. Its closure raised questions explored in policy discussions at forums such as Brookings Institution and RAND Corporation regarding innovation ecosystems and manufacturing competitiveness. The company’s experimentation influenced subsequent microfactory pilots by firms and initiatives in regions supported by programs like Department of Energy clean mobility grants and private efforts by companies mimicking distributed production models. Alumni and intellectual assets informed projects in autonomous mobility, low-volume vehicle manufacturing, and additive manufacturing research at institutions such as Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory.

Category:Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of the United States Category:Automotive design firms