EV Electra

EV Electra is a Lebanese electric-vehicle company established in 2017 by Lebanese-born Canadian-Palestinian businessman Jihad Mohammad. The company originated within Jihad Mohammad Investments Company before becoming an independent automotive enterprise. Its headquarters are in Khalde, Lebanon, and it has been described as having branches or operations in Canada, Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands. The company’s stated scope extends beyond vehicle design and includes electric-mobility infrastructure and research and development. A central element of EV Electra’s identity is its attempt to create a locally rooted electric-vehicle industry in Lebanon and the Middle East. The company established a dedicated research-and-development centre for electric vehicles, described in reference material as the first office of its kind in the Middle East. Its projects have been presented during a period when Lebanon faced severe economic and financial pressures, making the development of vehicles, charging infrastructure, and local industrial capacity particularly difficult. EV Electra’s best-known early project was the Quds Rise, a two-seat electric sports car announced in 2020. The vehicle was reported to have a projected top speed of 165 kilometres per hour and a maximum range of approximately 400 kilometres. Its public unveiling was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequently took place in Beirut in 2021. The company indicated an approximate price of $30,000 and expected deliveries to begin later that year, but production did not materialise. The Quds name refers to Al-Quds, the Arabic name for Jerusalem. EV Electra also presented the Quds Capital ES electric sedan and renderings of other possible vehicle concepts. The company has also pursued expansion through corporate transactions and partnerships. In November 2021, it acquired a majority stake in Detroit Electric, a company founded in 2008 by Albert Lam. The transaction was presented as a way to support Detroit Electric’s expansion in Europe and Asia and the possible development of electric and hydrogen-electric hybrid vehicles. In 2023, EV Electra announced an arrangement concerning the NEVS Emily GT and PONS Robotaxi projects, with plans linked to vehicle production in Turkey and a possible return to assembly activity in Trollhättan, Sweden. The proposed arrangement did not proceed after EV Electra failed to secure a development site in Trollhättan and purchased a factory in Italy instead; NEVS subsequently cancelled the agreement and continued work on the projects independently. In May 2025, EV Electra was reported to have acquired a majority stake in Chinese electric-vehicle manufacturer HiPhi for $100 million, giving it a reported 69.8 percent ownership interest in the HiPhi brand. This transaction, if implemented as described, would represent a significant expansion beyond EV Electra’s Lebanese origins and would add an established Chinese electric-vehicle marque to its portfolio. EV Electra has also discussed plans for approximately 100 recharging stations around Lebanon, with the stations connected to generators, reflecting the country’s unreliable electricity supply. The company’s public profile therefore combines ambitious vehicle concepts, regional infrastructure plans, international acquisitions, and a continuing effort to establish a manufacturing presence despite substantial execution challenges.

EV Electra was established in 2017 by Jihad Mohammad, a Lebanese-born Canadian-Palestinian businessman who serves as the company’s chairman and chief executive. The company developed from Jihad Mohammad Investments Company and later operated as an independent electric-vehicle business. Its headquarters are located in Khalde, Lebanon, while reference material identifies branches or activities in Canada, Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands. The company has been described as having approximately 300 employees, although its current workforce is not independently established here. The company’s early strategy centred on creating electric vehicles for the Lebanese and wider Middle Eastern market. EV Electra established a research-and-development centre dedicated to electric vehicles, presenting the facility as a pioneering regional initiative. It also proposed a network of roughly 100 charging stations around Lebanon. Because Lebanon’s electricity system is unreliable, the proposed stations were expected to be connected to generators. These plans positioned EV Electra as both a vehicle developer and a potential participant in the country’s charging infrastructure. In 2020, EV Electra announced the Quds Rise, a two-seat electric sports car. Publicly reported specifications included a projected maximum speed of 165 km/h and a range of about 400 km per charge. The COVID-19 pandemic delayed the planned unveiling until 2021, when the vehicle was shown in Beirut. EV Electra indicated a price of approximately $30,000 and anticipated deliveries beginning later in 2021. Production ultimately did not materialise. The project was announced and unveiled during Lebanon’s economic crisis, a period in which imported vehicle sales had fallen sharply. The vehicle’s name was derived from Al-Quds, the Arabic name for Jerusalem. EV Electra later revealed the Quds Capital ES, an electric sedan, as well as renderings of additional concept vehicles. These projects broadened the company’s proposed portfolio beyond a single sports-car model, but the available reference material does not establish that series production began for any of them. The company pursued international expansion through acquisitions. In November 2021, EV Electra acquired a majority stake in Detroit Electric, a company founded in 2008 by Albert Lam. The transaction was described as supporting Detroit Electric’s growth in Europe and Asia and its potential development of electric and hydrogen-electric hybrid vehicles. The modern Detroit Electric brand is distinct from the historical Anderson Electric Car Company, whose Detroit Electric vehicles were produced from 1907 to 1939. In December 2023, EV Electra announced that it had purchased rights to the NEVS Emily GT and PONS Robotaxi projects. A joint statement with NEVS referred to planned vehicle production in Turkey, while Jihad Mohammad also discussed a possible resumption of assembly in Trollhättan, Sweden. The plan did not proceed as announced. EV Electra failed to secure a development site in Trollhättan and subsequently purchased a factory in Italy. NEVS then cancelled the agreement and continued the projects independently. In May 2025, EV Electra was reported to have acquired a majority stake in Chinese electric-vehicle manufacturer HiPhi for $100 million. The reported ownership was 69.8 percent. This transaction would substantially enlarge EV Electra’s international footprint and portfolio, although the reference material does not provide further operational details about integration, production, or sales. Overall, EV Electra’s history is characterised by ambitious regional vehicle and infrastructure plans, several concept-stage products, cross-border automotive acquisitions, and efforts to establish manufacturing capacity in a challenging economic and industrial environment.

• 2025

  Majority stake in HiPhi reported

  [1]EV Electraen.wikipedia.org

  EV Electra is reported to acquire 69.8 percent of Chinese electric-vehicle brand HiPhi for $100 million.

• 2023

  NEVS project arrangement announced

  [1]EV Electraen.wikipedia.org

  EV Electra announces rights related to the NEVS Emily GT and PONS Robotaxi projects and discusses future manufacturing in Turkey and Sweden.

• 2023

  NEVS arrangement cancelled

  [1]EV Electraen.wikipedia.org

  NEVS cancels the arrangement after EV Electra does not secure a Trollhättan development site and instead acquires a factory in Italy.

• 2021

  Quds Rise unveiled in Beirut

  [1]EV Electraen.wikipedia.org

  After a pandemic-related delay, EV Electra unveils the Quds Rise in Beirut and discusses deliveries and pricing, but production does not materialise.

• 2021

  Majority acquisition of Detroit Electric

  [1]EV Electraen.wikipedia.org

  EV Electra acquires a majority stake in Detroit Electric to support prospective international electric and hydrogen-electric vehicle programs.

• 2020

  Quds Rise announced

  [1]EV Electraen.wikipedia.org

  The company announces a two-seat electric sports car with reported targets of 165 km/h and approximately 400 km of range.

• 2017

  EV Electra is established

  [1]EV Electraen.wikipedia.org

  Jihad Mohammad establishes EV Electra as an electric-vehicle company emerging from Jihad Mohammad Investments Company.

A Lebanese electric-mobility company seeking to develop locally relevant electric vehicles, charging infrastructure, and international automotive partnerships for Lebanon, the Middle East, and overseas markets.

• Electric sports car · 2021

  Quds Rise

  The Quds Rise is a proposed two-seat battery-electric sports car. EV Electra announced it in 2020 and later unveiled it in Beirut in 2021 after a pandemic-related delay. Reported targets included a top speed of 165 km/h and a maximum range of approximately 400 km. The company discussed a price of about $30,000 and deliveries from late 2021, but production never materialised. Its name refers to Al-Quds, the Arabic name for Jerusalem.

• Electric sedan

  Quds Capital ES

  The Quds Capital ES is an electric-sedan concept revealed by EV Electra after the Quds Rise project. It formed part of the company’s broader presentation of possible electric vehicles intended to expand its range beyond a two-seat sports car. The available reference material identifies the vehicle as a revealed concept but does not establish series production, commercial deliveries, or final technical specifications.

• Electric vehicles

  HiPhi electric vehicles

  HiPhi is a Chinese electric-vehicle brand reported to have become majority-owned by EV Electra in 2025. The reported transaction gave EV Electra a 69.8 percent stake. The available material does not specify which HiPhi models, facilities, or markets were included in the transaction or how the brand would be integrated with EV Electra.

• 2025

  Acquire a majority stake in HiPhiM&A

  Background

  EV Electra pursued a larger international presence in the electric-vehicle sector through ownership of an established Chinese EV brand.

  Action taken

  EV Electra was reported to have acquired 69.8 percent of HiPhi for $100 million.

  Aftermath

  The available reference material does not establish the subsequent operating structure, model strategy, or production impact of the transaction.

  Reported acquisition price. $100 million (2025)

  Source

• 2023

  Pursue NEVS Emily GT and PONS Robotaxi projectsStrategy

  Background

  EV Electra sought to expand from its own vehicle concepts into projects originating with NEVS and to establish manufacturing activity across multiple countries.

  Action taken

  The company announced rights to the Emily GT and PONS Robotaxi projects and discussed production in Turkey and a possible return to Trollhättan assembly.

  Aftermath

  The arrangement was cancelled after EV Electra failed to secure a Trollhättan development site and acquired a factory in Italy instead. NEVS proceeded independently.

  Source

• 2021

  Acquire a majority stake in Detroit ElectricM&A

  Background

  EV Electra pursued international expansion and sought access to Detroit Electric’s proposed electric and hydrogen-electric vehicle programs.

  Action taken

  The company acquired a majority stake in Detroit Electric.

  Aftermath

  The investment was intended to support Detroit Electric’s expansion in Europe and Asia and the development of several prospective models over five years.

  Source

• 2020

  Announce the Quds Rise electric sports carProduct launch

  Background

  EV Electra sought to introduce a locally associated electric sports car while building recognition for Lebanon’s emerging electric-vehicle sector.

  Action taken

  The company announced the two-seat Quds Rise and publicised projected performance, range, pricing, and future delivery plans.

  Aftermath

  The unveiling was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and although the car was shown in Beirut in 2021, production did not materialise.

  Source

1. 1EV Electraen.wikipedia.org