SF Motors comes out from behind the curtain

SF Motors comes out of skunkworks mode to unveil its first model, its next model and an underlying architecture that can power them with two to four motors.

The SF5 comes first with preorders in late 2018 at a price that is still TBD. The larger SF7 lurking in the background is slated for 2019 availability.

A lot of new car companies go over the top with concept car cues on their prototypes. This SF5 is actually rather restrained while remaining dramatic with a broad, open mouth.

We don't call them "suicide doors" anymore after too many auto industry execs developed tics hearing their cars described that way. Rather, these are opposing doors that can create an entire open side of the vehicle.

Glass everywhere is your first impression inside: A glass-surfaced t-bar dash, a vast panoramic roof and a windshield that rises to almost meet it make the SF5 a nice place to see the world from -- or to grow tomatoes.

We'll take the dash and center stack details with a grain of salt until the SF5 is much closer to production. The jury is out on whether this level of buttonless screen is impressive, or just impressive to look at.

The larger SF7 is further from final form, slated for availability in 2019. But it clearly shares the SF5's design cues, including the pointed conclusion of side glass with the rising rear quarter.

SF Motors has its own proprietary battery packs, claiming higher energy density and a longer cycle life to reduce the impact of recycling the big packs down the road.

Three hundred miles of range isn't Earth-shattering but is very good. Things will get more interesting later as SF Motors digests its acquisition of InEVit, a battery tech startup led by Tesla co-founder Martin Eberhard.

Along with making its own batteries, SF Motors will build just about every other part of its powertrain. You'll be able to get two, three or four of these installed.