A Canadian entry elbows into China’s crowded electric-vehicle market.
Vancouver-based Electra Meccanica held a grand opening ceremony Feb. 22 for its Zongshen Solo EV production facility in Chongquing, 1,130 miles (1,810 km) southwest of Beijing. It has begun building the Solo, a single-passenger EV retailing for C$19,888 ($15,500).
Electra Meccanica says the Solo has a 100-mile (160-km) range, cruises at highway speeds and can charge on a regular household 110V socket in less than six hours.
It expects to produce about 50 Solo EVs in China in the quarter ended March 31, then ramp up production to deliver 5,000 units by year’s end.
The company opened its first U.S. dealership last year in Los Angeles.
Electra Meccanica CEO Jerry Kroll says the company’s partners at Zongshen have provided a state-of-the-art production facility and a highly skilled production team.
“We remain confident in our ability to deliver the first 5,000 Solo EVs in 2019 to our earliest supporters,” Kroll says in a statement.
Along with the Solo EV, Electra Meccanica has developed the Tofino, a high-performance electric 2-seat roadster sports car.
