It’s been six years since Canadian EV-maker ElectraMeccanica broke onto the market with the promise to make city transport easier, more convenient, and more comfortable. The company’s flagship product, the three-wheel, one-seater SOLO has also been around for years, though never really in physical form.
That will change starting October 4, 2021, ElectraMeccanica says in a recent statement. This is the day when the first customer deliveries start, with the units produced in partnership with Chinese giant Zongshen Industrial Group.
Once this milestone is reached, “deliveries to other reservation holders and customers will steadily increase as production continues to ramp,” the company says. This basically means nothing in terms of setting a more exact timeline for the next batch of deliveries, so if you’re among reservation holders, just take it to mean that ElectraMeccanica continues to work toward meeting all commitments.
SOLO EV units have been assembled before, and only after the Canadian company reached out to the Chinese one. However, those three-wheelers were used extensively for testing and further marketing, demo events, and fleet service demos. The units that will go out on October 4, in an event held in Los Angeles, are the first proper customer units.
The SOLO EV was designed based on the idea that most cars used in the city for the daily commute carry only one person. To save up space and cut down costs, ElectraMeccanica proposed a three-wheeler with a decent range, some cargo space, and only one seat inside the car-like cabin, aptly called the SOLO.
Since it’s legally classified as a motorcycle or an autocycle, SOLO has access to HOV lanes. With a top speed of 80 mph (129 kph), it’s perfectly able to travel on highways. Its ange is estimated at 100 miles (161 km), and certain safety features from actual cars are present, like front and rear crumple zones, side-impact protection, roll bar, and torque-limiting control.
The SOLO is priced at $18,500 and is still taking orders. Earlier this month, ElectraMeccanica also announced plans for a cargo version, called SOLO Cargo EV, but did not offer an estimate for deliveries or pricing.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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