REE Automotive
An Israeli automotive technology company that developed modular electric-vehicle platforms and later pivoted toward automotive software.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
REE Automotive was an Israeli automotive technology company that sought to redesign the commercial vehicle around a modular, software-controlled platform. The business began in 2011 as SoftWheel, founded by Gilad Woolf to develop a wheel with an integrated suspension mechanism. Its original technology was aimed at wheelchairs and bicycles, with the wheel designed to remain stiff during normal travel but absorb shocks when encountering an impact. Daniel Barel joined as chief executive in 2013 and helped guide the company toward broader mobility applications. SoftWheel initially pursued wheelchair and electric-bicycle products. It raised financing to commercialize its selective-suspension wheel and considered applications for bicycles, motorcycles, and automobiles. As the company faced pressure to find a larger market and sustain investor support, it increasingly concentrated on automotive applications. By 2017 it was developing automotive in-wheel suspension and had raised approximately $15 million. A further financing round of approximately $25 million in 2018 brought total reported funding to roughly $40 million, including participation from automotive-industry investors such as Mitsubishi and Musashi Seimitsu. In 2019, the company adopted the name REE Automotive. The new identity accompanied a strategic shift toward a vehicle architecture based on electronically controlled corner modules. Rather than using conventional mechanical linkages running through the chassis, the proposed system placed propulsion, steering, suspension, braking, sensing, and control components near each wheel. This architecture was intended to create a flat and highly configurable vehicle platform, increase usable cabin or cargo space, simplify maintenance, and allow different vehicle bodies to be placed on a common skateboard-like base. REE presented several early autonomous-ready concepts, including the Air, Share, and Bolder, later associated with the P1, P2, and P4 platform concepts. It also worked with Hino Motors on the Flatformer modular vehicle concept and partnered with autonomous-driving companies and other technology firms on delivery and shuttle applications. The company pursued a horizontal, asset-light business model, intending to combine its own corner-module and software technology with manufacturing and component capabilities supplied by industrial partners. Named partners included American Axle, Mahindra & Mahindra, Musashi Seimitsu, and KYB, while Brembo, Infineon, Microvast, Trio, Roush Industries, and Samvardhana Motherson were associated with components, manufacturing, supply-chain, or production efforts described in the supplied material. REE became a publicly traded company on Nasdaq in July 2021 through a merger with 10X Capital Venture Acquisition Corp. The transaction raised less capital than initially expected because many SPAC investors redeemed their shares. REE nevertheless reported approximately $285 million in gross proceeds and used the public listing to fund development, testing, production planning, and commercialization of its electric commercial-vehicle platform. The company ultimately concentrated its vehicle strategy on the P7 platform and its related P7 corner module. The P7 was designed for commercial vehicles in approximately class 3 through class 5 applications, with a stated gross-vehicle-weight capability of up to 8.9 tonnes. Planned applications included box trucks, cab-chassis trucks, delivery vehicles, shuttles, and other fleet vehicles. REE expected to sell complete vehicles through distributors, work with rental fleets such as Penske and U-Haul, and license or supply corner-module technology to established truck manufacturers including Hino. REE produced test and pre-production vehicles, including the P7-B box truck and P7-C cab-chassis truck, and demonstrated its technology in demonstrations involving Morgan Olson, Airbus, Belfast Harbour, and autonomous-vehicle projects. It planned to use Roush Industries for contract manufacturing and appointed Motherson as an exclusive supply-chain expansion and management partner in 2024. Motherson also invested $45 million in REE, according to the supplied reference material. The company struggled to secure major automaker partners, institutional buyers, and sufficient commercial demand. Its financial position and market valuation weakened after the public listing, and it reduced its workforce in 2023. Although REE expected scale production and customer deliveries in 2025, it announced in May 2025 that it was pausing vehicle production and focusing exclusively on software for original-equipment manufacturers and technology companies. The supplied reference material states that REE petitioned for insolvency in July 2026. On that basis, the brand is treated here as defunct, although the precise legal outcome and final corporate status should be verified against primary filings.
History
REE Automotive originated as SoftWheel, an Israeli mobility-technology venture founded by Gilad Woolf in 2011. SoftWheel's first major idea was an embedded suspension system for wheels. The mechanism was intended to provide a firm ride on smooth surfaces while absorbing energy when the wheel encountered an obstacle. Amihai Gros and Ahishai Sardes of Ziv Av Engineering worked on the early engineering, and Daniel Barel joined the company as chief executive in 2013. The original business pursued wheelchair and bicycle applications. In 2014, SoftWheel raised approximately $3 million to support an electric-bicycle initiative, and its selective-suspension bicycle wheels were marketed at a premium price. The company later considered motorcycle and automotive uses as it searched for a market large enough to support continued investment. By 2017, it had raised approximately $15 million and was planning additional assembly capacity in Israel and the United States. A further approximately $25 million was raised in 2018, bringing reported funding to about $40 million and attracting investors with automotive-industry connections, including Mitsubishi and Musashi Seimitsu. At the EcoMotion convention in June 2019, Barel announced the name REE and presented an automotive platform concept. The rebranding represented a change from a wheel-focused mobility product to a broader vehicle architecture. REE's proposed design removed many conventional mechanical connections between the wheels and the rest of the vehicle. Instead, each wheel would be served by a compact corner module containing the principal drive, steering, suspension, braking, sensing, and electronic-control functions. A vehicle could therefore use a flat platform with more freedom for body design, passenger packaging, cargo space, and maintenance. The first public concepts included the Air, Share, and Bolder, later described through the P1, P2, and P4 platform families. These concepts were designed for different vehicle weights and were intended to be electronically controlled and ready for autonomous operation. REE collaborated with Hino Motors on the Flatformer, a modular concept shown at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show. The concept illustrated how different bodies, including delivery, retail, and passenger-shuttle configurations, could be mounted on a common base. In 2021, Navya announced a partnership with REE to work on level-four autonomous vehicles. REE also showed the Leopard last-mile-delivery concept at CES 2022 and participated in autonomous-shuttle and aircraft-ground-mobility demonstrations. To commercialize its technology, REE promoted a capital-light model based on horizontal alliances rather than building a complete vertically integrated manufacturing system. The company intended to combine its own platform, software, and corner modules with components and production capacity from established suppliers. American Axle, Mahindra & Mahindra, Musashi Seimitsu, KYB, Brembo, Infineon, Microvast, Trio, Roush Industries, and Samvardhana Motherson were identified in the supplied material as partners or suppliers connected with different stages of the program. REE entered public markets in July 2021 through a merger with 10X Capital Venture Acquisition Corp. It initially expected to raise approximately $436 million, but substantial investor redemptions reduced the proceeds. The company ultimately raised approximately $285 million and reported cash holdings of about $318 million at the time of the transaction. REE argued that its partner-based model could achieve production without the very large capital requirements associated with building a conventional automotive supply chain and factory network from scratch. After the public listing, REE faced the broader difficulties affecting small commercial-EV manufacturers: delayed production, limited revenue, high development costs, funding pressure, and competition from established automakers entering the commercial-electric-vehicle market. Its market valuation declined substantially, and the company reduced headcount in 2023. It nevertheless continued developing and testing its P7 platform. The P7 became the main product focus after the company narrowed its earlier range of corner-module classes. The P7 platform was designed for class 3 to class 5 commercial vehicles and a stated gross-vehicle-weight limit of up to 8.9 tonnes. Its P7 corner module integrated an electric drive unit, regenerative braking, transmission, inverter, steering actuators, double-wishbone suspension, dampers, brakes, sensors, and an electronic control unit. The modules were designed to be interchangeable and removable from the side of the vehicle, with REE describing a replacement process requiring approximately 20 minutes followed by calibration. The architecture also incorporated redundant power, communications, controllers, sensors, and actuators to support fail-operational vehicle control and automotive safety requirements. REE demonstrated a production-intent corner module in 2023 and showed P7-based vehicles including the P7-B box truck and P7-C cab-chassis truck. Its intended route to market included complete-vehicle sales to fleet operators, rental fleets such as Penske and U-Haul, distributor-led sales, and possible supply of corner modules to manufacturers such as Hino. In 2024, the company revised its manufacturing plan to use Roush Industries for contract manufacturing and Motherson for supply-chain management and commercial support. Motherson invested $45 million, according to the supplied material. REE expected scale-produced deliveries in the first half of 2025 and believed that several hundred vehicles could support bill-of-material break-even later that year, with positive EBITDA requiring several thousand vehicles in 2026. Those targets were not achieved. In May 2025, REE announced that it had paused production plans and would focus on software for OEMs and technology companies. The supplied reference states that the decision followed an inability to secure major automaker partners and large institutional buyers. It further states that REE petitioned for insolvency in July 2026. The company's history therefore reflects a transition from an assistive-wheel and bicycle technology startup to an electric-commercial-vehicle platform developer, followed by a software pivot and insolvency process.
- 2026
Insolvency petition
[1]The supplied reference material states that REE petitioned for insolvency in July 2026.
- 2025
Vehicle production is paused
[1]REE stopped pursuing planned vehicle production and announced a focus on software.
- 2024
Motherson supply-chain agreement
[1]Motherson became REE's exclusive supply-chain expansion and management partner and invested in the company.
- 2023
P7 production-intent technology is demonstrated
[1]REE displayed production-intent P7 corner modules and pre-production P7 commercial-vehicle prototypes.
- 2021
Nasdaq listing
[1]REE completed its SPAC merger and began trading on Nasdaq under the ticker REE.
- 2019
SoftWheel becomes REE Automotive
[1]The company adopted the REE name and presented a modular by-wire automotive platform at EcoMotion.
- 2019
Flatformer concept is shown
[1]REE and Hino Motors displayed the modular Flatformer concept at the Tokyo Motor Show.
- 2018
Major automotive pivot financing
[1]The company raised approximately $25 million to support its move into automotive applications, bringing reported total funding to about $40 million.
- 2014
Electric-bicycle financing
[1]SoftWheel raised approximately $3 million to pursue electric-bicycle applications for its in-wheel suspension technology.
- 2013
Daniel Barel joins as chief executive
[1]Daniel Barel joined SoftWheel as CEO and later led its transition toward automotive technology.
Products and positioning
REE positioned itself as a software-oriented commercial-EV technology company offering a flat, modular vehicle architecture and an asset-light manufacturing model. Its intended customers included fleet operators, rental companies, truck manufacturers, distributors, OEMs, and technology companies.
Automotive hardware platform · 2023
P7 corner module
REE's principal production-oriented technology was a compact corner module placed adjacent to each wheel. It combined an electric motor and drive electronics with steering, suspension, braking, sensors, and control electronics. Four modules formed a P7 platform controlled by central and local electronic-control units. The design eliminated much of the traditional mechanical connection between the wheels and chassis, enabling a flat vehicle floor, interchangeable modules, simplified service, and multiple commercial-vehicle body configurations. The system was designed with redundant control and power functions for fail-operational safety.
Electric commercial-vehicle platform · 2022
P7 platform
The P7 was REE's main vehicle platform after the company narrowed its earlier range of concepts. It targeted class 3 through class 5 commercial applications, including delivery trucks, box trucks, cab-chassis vehicles, and fleet vehicles. The platform could use different battery configurations and was designed around a 400-volt electrical architecture, with support for AC and DC charging. REE promoted the P7 as a common base for multiple bodies and as the foundation of a partner-enabled, relatively capital-light manufacturing model.
Electric box truck · 2022
P7-B
The P7-B was a P7-based class 3 box-truck configuration demonstrated by REE. It illustrated the intended use of the flat platform for a practical delivery body and fleet-oriented commercial operation. The vehicle was part of REE's prototype and pre-production program rather than a confirmed mass-market product line.
Electric cab-chassis truck · 2023
P7-C
The P7-C was a class 4 cab-chassis commercial-vehicle configuration shown in pre-production form in 2023. It was intended to support body configurations selected by fleet and commercial customers, making use of the P7's flat platform and modular corner modules. The vehicle was used to demonstrate REE's production-intent architecture and durability-development work.
Modular autonomous vehicle concept · 2019
Flatformer
Flatformer was a modular concept developed with Hino Motors and shown at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show. It used a flat vehicle base designed to accept different bodies, such as package-delivery, retail-service, or passenger-shuttle modules. The concept expressed REE's view that a common electronically controlled platform could support several mobility services without redesigning the underlying vehicle architecture.
Autonomous last-mile-delivery concept · 2022
Leopard
Leopard was an autonomous last-mile-delivery concept displayed at CES 2022. It represented REE's early effort to apply its flat, by-wire platform to low-speed delivery operations and autonomous commercial mobility. It remained a concept and was not identified in the supplied material as a series-produced vehicle.
Marketing campaigns
- 2022CES autonomous-delivery demonstration
United States · International technology market
REE used CES to display the Leopard autonomous last-mile-delivery concept and promote its modular platform for future delivery fleets.
Outcome. The demonstration increased visibility for REE's autonomous and commercial-EV ambitions, but the supplied material does not establish a resulting production contract.
- 2019REE rebranding and platform reveal
Israel · International automotive technology market
At EcoMotion, SoftWheel introduced the REE Automotive name and used the event to present its vision of reinventing the vehicle around independent, electronically controlled corner modules.
Outcome. The campaign repositioned the company from a wheel-suspension startup toward an automotive-platform and autonomous-mobility developer.
Brand decisions
2025
Pivot from vehicle production to softwareStrategyBackground
REE had been unable to secure major automaker partners and large institutional buyers for its planned commercial-EV production program.
Action taken
In May 2025, the company paused production plans and announced that it would focus exclusively on software offerings for OEMs and technology companies.
Aftermath
The vehicle manufacturing and sales strategy was abandoned, and the supplied reference material later reports an insolvency petition in July 2026.
2024
Adoption of contract manufacturing and managed supply chainStrategyBackground
REE needed to reduce capital expenditure and improve its prospects for scaling production.
Action taken
The company planned to use Roush Industries for contract manufacturing and entered an agreement making Motherson its exclusive supply-chain expansion and management partner and shared commercial operations partner.
Aftermath
Motherson invested $45 million, but REE still did not reach planned commercial production.
Motherson investment. $45 million (2024)
2021
SPAC merger and public listingM&ABackground
REE sought substantial capital to develop its supply chain, manufacturing partnerships, and first vehicle line.
Action taken
REE merged with 10X Capital Venture Acquisition Corp. and listed on Nasdaq under the ticker REE.
Aftermath
Investor redemptions reduced the expected proceeds, although the company reported approximately $285 million raised through the transaction.
Capital raised. Approximately $436 million expected → Approximately $285 million raised (2021 transaction)
2019
Shift from SoftWheel to REE AutomotiveStrategyBackground
SoftWheel needed to expand beyond wheelchair and bicycle wheels into a larger mobility market.
Action taken
The company adopted the REE Automotive name and centered its strategy on a modular automotive platform using electronically controlled corner modules.
Aftermath
The rebrand established the automotive focus that defined the company's later fundraising, partnerships, prototypes, and commercial plans.
Recent events
REE Automotive unveils P7 electric platform[2]
Reported:
REE Automotive unveiled its P7 electric platform at CES, designed for commercial delivery vehicles and configurable for different customer needs.
- Unconfirmed
REE unveils Leopard autonomous concept vehicle[3]
Reported:
REE unveiled Leopard, a fully autonomous last-mile delivery concept vehicle based on its modular electric-vehicle platform.
REE Automotive wins 2020 BloombergNEF Pioneer Award[4]
Reported:
REE Automotive won the 2020 BloombergNEF Pioneer award and was named one of ten selected companies for its electric vehicle platform.
REE Automotive and KYB announce EV-platform partnership[5]
Reported:
REE Automotive and KYB announced a strategic partnership to develop suspension capabilities for future electric vehicle platforms. KYB's suspension systems are intended to support REE's next-generation EV platform.
Hino Motors and REE announce strategic collaboration[6]
Reported:
Hino Motors and automotive startup REE announced a strategic collaboration. Hino used REE’s technology for the flat truck chassis for electric vehicles.
Sources7 sources
- 1REE Automotiveen.wikipedia.org
- 2REE Automotive发表P7电动平台autoevolution.com
- 3REE 发布 Leopard 自动驾驶概念车renewableenergymagazine.com
- 4REE Automotive获2020年BloombergNEF先锋奖prnewswire.com
- 5REE Automotive与KYB宣布电动汽车平台合作foundry-planet.com
- 6日野汽车与REE宣布战略合作calcalistech.com
- 7REE Automotive Wins 2020 BloombergNEF Pioneer Award With Game-changing EV Platform Technology Ready to Carry the Future of e-Mobilityprnewswire.com
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