Volume 14 Issue 1 » 103
SOLO with items such as a rear-vision backup camera, three-wheel
disc brakes, an electric parking brake, integrated roll cage and side
impact rails, features that give vehicle occupants a level of protection
comparable, in many respects, to conventional cars. We utilize a
sturdy, aerospace composite construction for an added measure of
structural rigidity.”
One test driver described the SOLO as combining the “nimbleness
of a motorcycle with the driving experience of a regular car.”
Kroll says the idea for the SOLO came to him in 2008 while he was
building electric racecars at the NASA Research Park in Mountain
View, California. “That led me to adapt the systems to the SOLO,”
he explains.
“Electric vehicles represent disruptive technology that’s akin to
comparing the internet to a fax machine,” reflects Kroll, who drives
the SOLO, a Tesla Model X and a Fisker Karma. “When the
internet came out it rendered the fax machine obsolete. In the same
way, once someone drives an electric car, it doesn’t matter what price
gasoline is at - they don’t go back to a gasoline car.”
Initially, fundraising to design, develop and build the SOLO was
challenging. Kroll says the amount he needed was $500 million, “but
we’ve done it with $10 million by being frugal, innovative, talented
Canadians.”
The company is in a strong position today, he adds. “Electra
Meccanica Vehicles Corporation is in a great place financially, with
all bills paid, money in the bank and a pending public listing on
the US Venture Exchange. As the SOLO begins delivery we are
preparing to announce our second exciting vehicle at the Vancouver
International Auto Show.”
The SOLO’s certification process is well underway. Once complete
the new three-wheelers will receive their VIN numbers. Delivery to
initial buyers is scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2017. As
production ramps up in New Westminster, B.C., Kroll’s excitement
is mounting. “I’m hell bent on doing the one-person car,” he says.
The team at Electra Meccanica believes the SOLO will have appeal
across a wide age range. From college-age kids who want an efficient
campus runabout to members of the workforce who need it as their
daily commuter vehicles and retirees who want a non-polluting
vehicle for short trips to the doctor’s office, this car may make
sense. The SOLO is small but it’s surprisingly accommodating in
cargo space, with 285 litres of space. That’s room enough for a full
shopping cart from the grocery store.
Electra Meccanica opened its first retail Intro Store in Vancouver’s
Bentall Centre in early 2017. The presence of this store and future
stores “will lay the groundwork for the distribution of the SOLO
and serve as an introduction to the public of this unique, new clean-
energy vehicle,” Kroll says. “The stores also represent a blueprint for
individuals interested in owning an Intro Store dealership.”
Electra Meccanica | electrameccanica.com