Better late than never is the perfect statement for what is going on with Canadian sustainable mobility company ElectraMeccanica and its long, awfully long, preparation to produce the single-seat, three-wheeled Solo EV. It was presented no less than four years ago and most of us have discarded it by now as EV vaporware, but it turns out we are wrong. This is simply because production for the odd Solo EV has been scheduled to kick off on August 26th... in Chongqing, China.
We know, the automotive realm is tough for up and coming automakers. Especially for ones that elect to stray from the beaten path and present something radical. Not radically new, in this case. This is certainly not the first time we have seen startups marrying the concepts of automobile and motorcycle into a single design.
Most have turned out geeky, creepy, or plain weird. This one has all of them combined into a single, very odd, package.
The ElectraMeccanica Solo EV has a fully enclosed concept akin to a car and just three wheels, as well as a single-seat cockpit. The design is nothing to write home about, it was not futuristic back in 2016 and it certainly has not evolved into one in 2020. Well, we have a feeling the Canadian company is trying to keep things as simple as possible.
Its technical characteristics are interesting, but not necessarily ground-breaking either. The “purpose-built, all-electric, three-wheeled vehicle for the modern urban environment” has been developed for a range of more than 100 miles on a single charge and a maximum speed of 80 mph. There must be something that Solo can be proud of, though.
Hopefully, that would be the elevated level of occupant protection and the modern amenities onboard, all offered at a competitive price (for a car). According to ElectraMeccanica, the Solo EV can be had for a MSRP of $18,500 and the model will be produced with help from Chinese investor / manufacturing partner Zongshen Industrial Group.
Also, it is targeted for initial deliveries late this year (November or even December) in three U.S. locations: Southern California, Scottsdale (Arizona) and Portland (Oregon).
Frankly, we are not getting a great vibe from this little machine – and we are going to hold on to our greenbacks until the company starts series production of the Tofino electric sports car. It looks decidedly more interesting, has 250 miles of range and a 60-mph sprint time of less than five seconds. Way better, even with the price hiked up to $50k.
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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