Electra Meccanica Solo EV, the single-seat electric car, as odd as it may seem, actually makes lots of sense in the real world. Almost 90% of Americans drive alone, whether they are in a car, pickup truck, or SUV, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. For only one person, that is a lot of metal.
The number of single-person trips are increasing significantly since 2016 when more than 76 percent of Americans said they would travel alone to work, but the trends don’t indicate that they are decreasing either. Consider the benefits: the Solo is an all-electric vehicle that is one-fourth the size and weight of a seven-seat crossover.
Design of Electra Meccanica Solo EV
The Electra Meccanica Solo EV seems to be a regular car nose to the B-pillars when viewed from the front. A rakish windscreen, proper headlights, two doors, and a roof are all perfectly arranged on either side of a bold front grille that rests over a pair of wheels. Even though it is narrower and lower to the ground, the Solo’s front clip has a strong resemblance to Mercedes-EQC Benz’s electric compact SUV.
The Solo is a single-seat vehicle despite having two doors, making it ideal for today’s trend of social isolation. However, as you look past the B-pillars and toward the back, you notice that the design tapers to a narrow rear end that ends at a single rear wheel. The shape of the Solo is comparable to that of the Reliant Robin, a similar three-wheeled car from the 1970s that was equally eccentric, immensely desirable, but also hysterically deadly. The Robin has the same features as a standard four-wheeled automobile, including a hood, two doors, a windscreen, headlights, and wipers. But unlike Solo, the Robin only has one wheel up front and places two of its wheels at the back.
Interior of Electra Meccanica Solo EV
Although Solo has only three wheels and is therefore officially a motorcycle, the totally enclosed cabin, along with the round steering wheel and appropriate foot pedals, gives the impression that it has four wheels. Because the single-seat cabin is accessible through the doors on both sides, you can usually park it in the smallest areas and exit the car without bending over like a gymnast.
Electra Meccanica Solo EV features a small trunk in the back and additional room for luggage underneath the front bonnet. Even though you can’t transport a golf bag, driving the Solo EV is more enjoyable than playing golf. And don’t for a second assume that the cabin is as desolate as a farm shack. Standard features of the Solo EV include Bluetooth connectivity, a backup camera, and air conditioning.
Both the completely digital instrumentation and the rotary gear switch are easily accessible. Solo should be safer and more weather-resistant than a two-wheeled motorcycle because it has a seatbelt and an integrated roll bar.
Battery and Performance of Electra Meccanica Solo EV
Solo is as little as it gets, being 10 feet in length and around 4 feet broad. It has a range of about 100 miles on a full charge and is equipped with a 17.3 kWh battery pack and a single electric motor driving the rear wheel, making it ideal for navigating cities.
The Electra Meccanica Solo EV charges swiftly while using a level 2 charger. It takes about three hours to complete, but if you’re using a standard 100V outlet, overnight charging is essential. While Solo EV production is located in Chongqing, China, the location of ElectraMeccanica’s manufacturing partner, the Zongshen Industrial Group, ElectraMeccanica’s headquarters are in Vancouver, Canada.
Even though Solo EV only has 82 horsepower, it still has a top speed of 80 mph, so you can drive it on the highway if you’re feeling daring enough to do it near other vehicles. With power steering, power brakes, and a single front wiper, you can drive it in all types of weather, with the exception of snow, when the single steering wheel might be disastrous on ice surfaces.
The Electra Meccanica Solo EV has a sporty feel due to the low seating position, and it has typical small-car visibility. From a design standpoint, the Solo EV lacks a rearview window because the rear door entirely blocks it. The two rearview mirrors and a backup camera will be your only options. Although the backup camera reacts fast to small steering movements, it may take new drivers some time to get used to Solo’s peculiar driving habits.
Price of Electra Meccanica Solo EV
The Electra Meccanica Solo EV is not the low-cost, high-volume electric vehicle we had hoped for, with costs starting at $18,500. The Solo EV is a niche car for a niche market in a world where the standard 2021 Nissan Sentra (with four doors and five seats) starts at $20,000. However, it’s difficult to argue against its usefulness for daily commutes.
Conclusion
While it is true that you sit low, the Electra Meccanica Solo EV vehicle also has a wonderful go-kart feel to it that encourages you to maneuver past larger vehicles and through traffic. The Solo is obviously intended to be an urban scalpel, but at a top speed of 80 mph, some less sensitive individuals might attempt a freeway sortie at some point. Safe? Well, maybe, from the perspective of a motorcyclist. It is less maneuverable than a bike because, like the Slingshot, it is wider but enclosed and seems “larger” than a bike. A/C is also present. Moreover, a heated seat. a stereo, too. Moreover, a windshield wiper. In the end, it’s an entertaining little machine.
