Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Tiny electric ride takes aim at US market
There will always be companies that try to upend the status quo, powered by idealistic thinking and, ideally, deep pockets. One such company is set to take its shot with a singleseat car called the Solo. A tiny, three-wheeled electric, it will be available in Los Angeles this year.
Nearly 90% of Americans who commute by car, truck, van or motorcycle drive alone, according to the Census Bureau. The Solo takes up about a quarter of the space of a typical SUV. It also looks like a car — at least from the front — with the usual hood, grille and headlights. In the back, it tapers down to one wheel.
Technically, the Solo is a motorcycle, though it’s fully enclosed and drives like a car with a steering wheel and foot pedals. It has only one seat, but it’s accessible via doors on both sides. It also has a trunk, and amenities common to a full-size passenger vehicle, including Bluetooth stereo, air conditioning and a backup camera.
Having three wheels, it is not subject to the sorts of crash-testing the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration requires for street-legal, four-wheeled vehicles, but it does have a seat belt and an integrated roll bar.
Microcars have tended to sell in microscopic numbers in a new-car market with millions in annual sales. Paul Rivera, chief executive of the Solo’s manufacturer, ElectraMeccanica, based in Vancouver, declined to reveal initial production or order figures for the Solo.
Coronavirus is changing the transportation landscape in ways that seemed unthinkable even two months ago. Public transportation ridership is plummeting and cars are unaffordable to millions who have lost jobs. In addition, climate change remains very real.
So maybe the Solo has a chance. Priced at $18,500, it also costs about half as much as the current average sales price for a new passenger vehicle ($35,667 as of March). And it has zero emissions, allowing for up to 100 miles of travel per charge at a top speed of 80 mph.