ElectraMecannica starts EV output in China

VANCOUVER — Canadian EV maker ElectraMecannica Vehicles Corp. says it will officially launch production of its Solo three-wheel electric vehicle Aug. 26 at its manufacturing partner in China.

The single-seat all-electric Solo, to be sold in the U.S. and starting at $18,500, has been in development for about five years and undergone steady refinement as it approached commercial production. The startup automaker didn’t say whether that price includes shipping.

Early versions were hand-built at ElectraMecannica’s Vancouver facility and delivered to a few customers. The current version, with a claimed range of 100 miles and top speed of about 81 mph, features power steering and brakes, air conditioning and a Bluetooth entertainment system.

ElectraMeccanica said it will work closely on initial production with its contract manufacturing partner and strategic investor, Zongshen Industrial Group, in Chongqing, China. The Chinese company also makes motorcycles, quad bikes and other products. ElectraMeccanica said it expects to begin delivering Solos to customers on its pre-order list in late November or early December. The factory has the capacity to make 20,000 Solos per year, ElectraMecannica said.

“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 is focusing Solo’s initial distribution to three locations where it has set up shopping-mall retail kiosks. The automaker has outlets in southern California, Scottsdale, Ariz., and Portland, Ore., and will later expand to other U.S. West Coast markets.

Previous CEO Jerry Kroll had talked about producing the Solo in Canada but was unable to secure federal funding support. The company is scouting locations in Arizona, Florida and Tennessee for a U.S. assembly facility and research center.