They’re using existing platforms from other companies and customizing them.
Similar to how the original Tesla Roadster was based in the Lotus Elise, they took the basic design and modified it to be an EV keeping as many parts as possible to simplify the design and safety process.
It’s easier to modify an existing design than to start from scratch and you get to outsource much of the process.
Because it’s still hard. Just not permanent incumbency hard like it was for IC engines.
We will probably see EVs continue to see successful new entrants with a diverse set of players pushing down prices and increasing the number of options for consumers while keeping any single manufacturer from achieving dominance.
...to me that sounds like de Vries has taken over the company just so he can use the name, so what the previous owner did with it is not relevant. As to when something will actually roll off the line, that remains to be seen. Personally, I think they should have resurrected the original DeLorean (or something more closely resembling it) as an electric car, rather than this pretty interchangeable sportscar design...