Electra Meccanica starts Solo production in China
Better late than never – it is hard to put it any other way with this electric trike called Solo from the Canadian company Electra Meccanica. While first reports date back to 2016 and again 2018 when deliveries were set to start, it took until today for production to take off.
More so, this is happening in China where the previously designated partner Zongshen with facilities in Chongqing has agreed to get the lines rolling. Whether the previously planned 75,000 units will be made remains unclear.
However many, they are all designated for the North American market. Based in Canada, Electra Meccanica says sales of its tiny trike called Solo (it’s a one-seater) will start in Southern California, Scottsdale, Arizona and Portland, Oregon.
Its technical characteristics have mainly remained the same. The “purpose-built, all-electric, three-wheeled vehicle for the modern urban environment” has a range of about a hundred miles on a single charge (160 km) and a maximum speed of 80 mph (109 kph). A 17.3-kWh battery pack powers an 82 horsepower electric motor.
Electra also suggests in its press release that this production version has a safe level of occupant protection and modern amenities onboard, such as power steering, power brakes or air conditioning, all for a price of $18,500 MSRP.
The manufacturing partner Zongshen Industrial Group also doubles as an investor.
Once the Solo is finally making it to market, the company may also come round to continue working on its upscale model, the Tofino roadster first announced in 2017.
Electra Meccanica says it has targeted late November/early December for initial deliveries to select members on its pre-order list before ramping production to meet growing demand. The company does not detail order numbers. Electra Meccanica CEO Paul Rivera promises though, “We will be working continuously with our manufacturing partners throughout the next several months to ship fully-assembled vehicles and put them into the hands of our early adopters.”
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