It’s not everyday that you’ll see a small electric vehicle with just 3 wheels and a single seat. Designed for those within a city for easy commuting and use, the ElectraMeccanica Solo was founded in 2015 as a way for solo drivers to complete the majority of their trips in an efficient auto-cycle. The Solo is powered by a liquid cooled 17.4 kWh lithium-ion battery pack with up to 100 miles of electric range. The Solo is offered in two configurations, Solo and Solo Cargo (with double the cargo space), for a starting price of $18,500 before all credits. Note that the Solo is only sold in just California and Arizona at the moment.
Courtesy of Tyler Boggs
Today we are spending time with the regular Solo vehicle, and with its small size it certainly is an easy city dwelling electric vehicle. Size wise, the Solo is longer than a SmartForTwo Electric Drive but shorter than a Spark EV or Mini Cooper SE. It has two exterior doors for ease of entry, three wheels (as it is RWD based), lots of beautiful LED lighting, and plenty of simple colors to pick from. It’s easy to maneuver around the city streets here in San Diego and I think it fits well into this type of environment.
Courtesy of Tyler Boggs
The interior of the Solo has all of the basic essentials you need for a vehicle: radio, bluetooth, AC/heat, heated seat, and a LCD digital gauge cluster. It’s simple but easy to use, as the buttons are all labeled with what they are. The seat is more of a leatherette material and is very comfortable for those short trips. If you are a short driver like myself (5’4”), you definitely sit lower than you would in other vehicles, but visibility is really great thanks to the large side windows. Cargo room is 5 cu. ft., so enough for just your work commute or small store visits.
With electric vehicles of all shapes and sizes coming, is the Solo single-seat auto-cycle worth a look for just a city dweller? Check out our video review to find what my initial impressions are of the ElectraMeccanica Solo from a brief test drive!
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