Japanese company plans amphibious electric car

Funai Electric Co., a major Japanese manufacturer of TVs and consumer electronics under the Philips, Magnavox, Sanyo and Kodak brands, is moving into the car business through a partnership that begins production this month of an amphibious electric car for Southeast Asia.

Funai also is promoting a scissor-door EV convertible sports car concept — nonamphibious — that would use Funai electronics for driving vision, infotainment, lighting and battery systems. The concept vehicle proposes the use of a high-definition 3D cockpit display.

The amphibious car, produced in Bangkok through a partnership with Japanese EV startup Fomm Corp., is designed to allow rapid battery-swapping rather than battery recharging. Company officials told Automotive News the waterproof battery is good for roughly a 100-mile range, and that battery-swapping stations are being opened around the Bangkok area.

The partners eventually want to bring the car, called Fomm One, to Japan, as well as to markets prone to heavy rain and flooding, including Singapore, Laos, Vietnam and parts of the Middle East.