Vancouver EV firm plugs into surging SoCal market
Joe Cabrera received the key to his Solo EV last Saturday, marking the historic first delivery to a U.S. customer for Vancouver-based manufacturer Electra Meccanica.
“It’s great to see a company of car people who are passionate about protecting our planet,” said Cabrera, who put down his deposit on the single-seater more than a year ago, “(CEO) Jerry (Kroll) and his team are helping to reduce the congestion on our roads and also helping to lessen our dependency on gasoline.”
Earlier in the day, Electra Meccanica made more history with the opening of its first dealership in the United States, a high-visibility store on Ventura Boulevard in the L.A. suburb of Studio City.
“We are so encouraged by our strong reception, and we’re emboldened by the incredible support we’re seeing from the public,” said Kroll. “It’s a thrill to be among such a vibrant crowd, seeing such a robust response to the debut of the Solo.”
The CEO and other Electra Meccanica executives unveiled the Solo the previous night at the AltCar Expo, a gathering of alt-energy thought leaders in Santa Monica that brought together educators, traffic and transportation officials, fleet managers, the media and thousands of consumers. According to Electra Meccanica, during the two-day the company received more than a dozen deposits on the Solo and the soon-to-be released Tofino, a high-performance, two-seat convertible EV.
“We’re extremely encouraged by the reception we received at the AltCar Expo, including car enthusiasts looking for the next-best thing in alt-energy transportation, to transit and fleet-management officials from institutions like Southern California Edison and UCLA who were very supportive of the Solo,” said Electra Meccanica’s Director of U.S. Operations Anthony Luzi.
Also in attendance at the Solo launch was the Consul & Senior Trade Commissioner at the Canadian Consulate in Los Angeles.
“Electra Meccanica is yet another example of how Southern California and Canadian companies are working hand-in-hand on projects protecting the environment and combating climate change with one common goal — a greener future!” said Patricia Elliott.
Electra Meccanica is completing final tooling of a production facility in China, and plans to begin building and shipping Solos in early 2019.