| NEWS | Film Bar Arizona lawmakers knew their bill to ban filming cops was unconstitutional. BY ELIAS WEISS get within 8 feet of police officers and film them. A Off Road Warrior Battle Approved Motors This Phoenix startup’s vision: Ferrari meets Tesla in the dirt. BY ELIAS WEISS O n the second floor of a luxe coworking space in the Biltmore District of Phoenix, Chris James hunkers over his desk, sipping a glass of seltzer water, planning his next move. He’s steeling himself for a daunting task — to compete with the pioneering electric car kingpin Tesla, one of five American companies to eclipse a market value of $1 trillion. In recent years, Phoenix has emerged as a hub for electric vehicles. Tesla, Lucid, Polestar, Rivian, ElectraMeccanica, and Atlis Motor Vehicles have all set up shop in metro Phoenix, with Lucid motors rolling out the first all-electric, made-in-Arizona vehicle late last year. James’ idea is different, he said. It’s not a sedan, SUV, sports car, or truck. It’s kind of like all those rolled into one. “We gotta compete against the big boys,” he told Phoenix New Times. “The only way to compete with them is to think differently.” James is the founder and CEO of Battle Approved Motors, a startup that’s working on zero-emission luxury utility terrain vehicles, also known as UTVs. Across the globe, the electric vehicle market has continued an upward growth trajectory over the past decade with manu- facturers and consumers focused on increasing energy efficiency, reducing fuel dependency, and decreasing carbon emissions. After a string of successes in the enter- tainment industry, James founded the company in Phoenix in 2019 and styled it “BAM.” “We’re a startup, but we know where we’re going,” he said. “I know Battle Approved Motors is going to be the future of off-road.” Now almost through with that glass of seltzer, someone in the office makes a reference to James’ position as CEO, and he snickers and shrugs off the title. He sets the record straight: “I’m the CVO. That’s chief visionary officer.” The Electric Ride James’ vision is what sets BAM apart in a crowded market full of incipient electric vehicle makers. It’s the swagger of a sports car, the rugged performance of an off-road truck, the eco-friendliness of a Tesla, and the sleek software of an Apple iPhone. BAM is working on three models for its unconventional electric car. For its racing series, the r101 will be a 400-horsepower machine that can reach 150 miles per hour on the track. In four seconds flat, the r101 will sprint to 80 miles per hour from a standstill. The company is also developing models called the s102 and the e103, its flagship commuter model. These will be safer, professional UTVs that can transition easily between the trail and the road. James couldn’t estimate what the range of the cars will be “due to better batteries dropping in 2023,” he said. Electric vehicles on the market today can drive 275 miles on a full charge, on average, although some produced in Arizona can travel an EPA-estimated 520 miles between trips to the charging station. Metro Phoenix is dotted with about A Copperhead electric UTV concept from Phoenix-based Battle Approved Motors. 1,300 charging stations, one of several factors that led James, who lived in Florida during the coronavirus pandemic, to make a home in Arizona. “We always wanted to be in Phoenix,” James said. “When I first came to Phoenix and saw the mountains, they looked fake. The first time you see it, it looks like a watercolor painting. That feeling is so unreal and amazing.” The electric vehicle industry has ballooned in greater Phoenix thanks to the host of electronics companies based around the Valley, according to Jim Gillette, a retired auto industry analyst based near Grand Rapids, Michigan. Electric vehicle brands look for elec- tronics suppliers in close proximity, making Arizona an attractive choice for a home base. The state ranks second in the nation for projected tech job growth over the next decade, according to a May report from the Computing Technology Industry Association. “It’s also a retiree state,” Gillette told New Times. “That would be an ideal vehicle for retired people. They’re usually only good for up to 200 miles, so if you’re not doing a lot of long-distance driving, it’s a very convenient vehicle.” Staying on Track It’s not just the natural beauty that attracted James to Arizona. James recently purchased more than 200 acres of land in the tiny community of Yucca in Mohave County, about 25 minutes from Kingman and a stone’s throw from the California border. It’s a midpoint between Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles. Yucca is a town of just 96 people, but it plays an important role in Earlier this year, attorneys for the Arizona Legislature warned lawmakers that the bill could be unconstitutional, previously unreleased audio uncovered by Phoenix New Times reveals. The measure passed anyway — not because lawmakers were oblivious to the fact that it could likely get shot down in the courts, but because they’re emboldened to let it escalate to the U.S. Supreme Court “because they can,” state Senate staffers with inside knowledge told New Times. On February 22, the Arizona House Rules Committee convened to discuss House Bill 2319, which would make it a crime to film police officers within 15 feet. It was spon- sored by Representative John Kavanagh, a Fountain Hills Republican and outspoken “back the blue” supporter. But the bill “presents some First Amendment issues,” House Rules Attorney Jennifer Holder advised the seven-member committee. State Representative Domingo DeGrazia, a Tucson Democrat who is also an attorney, echoed that “there are some issues with the First Amendment” when casting one of two dissenting votes. The bill was amended to include an exception if a driver is filming a traffic stop, and the “bubble” was whittled down to 8 feet before it reached the Senate. Additionally, there’s an exception for those filming on their own property, but an officer can still order the person recording to leave the area if the “law enforcement officer determines that the person is inter- fering in the law enforcement activity.” Despite these amendments, inside counsel described the bill as unconstitutional. “This does bring up questions relating to >>p 11 First Amendment and freedom of expres- sion,” Senate Rules Attorney Chris Kleminich is heard saying on a March 21 recording obtained by New Times. “Recording of law enforcement activity has been recognized by federal courts as following >>p 11 9 rizona Governor Doug Ducey signed a bill into law earlier this month that makes it a crime to phoenixnewtimes.com | CONTENTS | FEEDBACK | OPINION | NEWS | FEATURE | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | PHOENIX NEW TIMES JULY 28TH–AUG 3RD, 2022
