Three-wheeled EV moves into Top Gear
There are moments in motoring that bring to mind the glory days of Top Gear, and this is one of them – the official launch of ElectraMecannica Vehicles Corp’s three-wheel electric vehicle, the Solo.
Yes, to some people it looks absurd, to others it looks like a pencil sharpener on wheels, but to any Top Gear fan it brings to mind the Reliant Robin and the indignant howls of pain from Jeremy Clarkson when he was trapped inside one.
Vancouver-based ElectraMecannica recently announced that its Solo (they no doubt couldn’t afford the licensing fee to add “Han: to the name) will be sold in the US, starting at $US18,500, a price that would change everything for the EV market in Australia if it could be marketed here at anywhere near that.
And if anyone here was willing to ride on three wheels to be an EV early adopter.
The Solo, built in China – of course – has been in development for five years and has undergone “steady refinement”.
Early versions were hand-built and delivered to a limited number of customers. The current version, with a claimed range of 160km and a heady top speed of about around 125km/h, has power steering and brakes, aircon, and even a Bluetooth hook-up.
ElectraMeccanica plans to work closely with its contract manufacturing partner and investor, Zongshen Industrial Group, in Chongqing, China.
The Chinese company makes motorcycles and quad bikes and ElectraMeccanica says it expects to begin deliveries in late November or early December.
Apparently the Chinese factory has the capacity to make 20,000 Solos per year.
“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,” CEO Paul Rivera said in a statement.
ElectraMeccanica has set up shopping-mall retail kiosks in southern California, Scottsdale, Arizona and Portland, Oregon.
