IRVINE, Calif. — Massive investments in electric vehicles continue to flow as governments across the country, and the globe, push tighter standards on fossil fuel emissions.

Alpha Motors Corporation, based in Irvine, is one of the fledgling car makers that wants a piece of the global pie. But they'll have to fight with better capitalized, globally known brands to do so. With 16 employees, a growing list of vehicle concepts, and just one physical model, the company is still planning when and how to get its first vehicle to market.

While other companies like Tesla Inc., Ford Motor Company and Rivian have been selling cars for years now, the market has yet to mature. But government caps on emissions for future vehicles and improvements to battery technology have the largest automakers in the world hurrying to establish their position. 

Alpha Motors is trying to break into an established market of players who already have customers, name recognition and excitement. While legacy brand slogans like Chevy's "Like a Rock" endure, companies like Tesla have targeted consumer imaginations. Tesla has been testing a self-driving car and Hyundai says it wants flying taxis by 2028.

Alpha Motors seeks customer excitement through sleek designs that impart the idea of a future built on the familiar but altogether new.

"Every vehicle we design is through market research," company CEO Edward Lee said. "After that market research, we put the effort in development." 

The market is still growing, but electric vehicles sales are in the fledgling stages compared to the still large sales of combustion engine vehicles.  

But so far, successful automakers like Rivian and Tesla have seen enormous financial benefits from sources beyond car sales. Rivian has enjoyed large investments in its stock from Amazon and Ford, while Tesla has benefited from speculation on volatile cryptocurrency Bitcoin.

Alpha Motors is still looking to complete its first round of funding to continue producing a vehicle. Lee said the company plans to manufacture in the United States, but with a snarled supply chain made more complicated by world events, the timeline for production is uncertain.

But policymakers in California and abroad have sent the message that zero-emissions vehicles need to be the future.

In recent years, electric vehicles have slowly shifted toward the center of the American automobile experience. Companies like Volkswagen have made a hard pivot toward electric vehicles after a $4.3 billion payout after admitting to cheating on emissions tests.

Alpha Motors has positioned itself to compete with the Tesla Model S and higher price point competition. The company's Wolf pickup truck can go for $36,000. Then there's the Super Wolf, a ritzier version of the same vehicle, ranging from $48,000 to $56,000.

"To create something that's valuable for people," Lee said. "That's what we know how to do best, is product development. What drives value for customers? And then we do that."