Electra Meccanica Shows Off SOLO at 2017 SEMA Show – All-electric, single-passenger vehicle to transform daily commuting
Electra Meccanica Vehicles Corporation (EMV) will show off its new 2017 SOLO electric vehicle (EV) at the Specialty Equipment Manufacturer Association’s (SEMA) show being held in Las Vegas from October 31 through November 3, 2017. After years of development, this one-person, innovative commuter vehicle is now available for the American viewing public to experience following its world debut in Vancouver last year. Fully-refundable deposits for the SOLO can be placed online at electrameccanica.com.
“The entire team here at Electra Meccanica is excited to unveil the SOLO at the SEMA show,” states Jerry Kroll, CEO of Electra Meccanica. “We encourage enthusiasts as well as any specialty equipment manufacturers to come over to our booth #50842 at the show and see this amazingly transformative commuter vehicle.”
The idea for the SOLO spawned when CEO Jerry Kroll, founder of KleenSpeed Technologies, first started developing advanced electric race cars at the NASA Research Park in Mountainview, California in 2007. Kroll was joined by long time automotive friend Henry Reisner, President of Intermeccanica Inc. to develop a fresh, new EV concept and the first Electra Meccanica prototype was completed in January of 2015.
With decades of car building expertise, Electra Meccanica’s COO, Henry Reisner is clear on his impression of the new SOLO. “It has appeal for driving enthusiasts, practical commuters and the environmentally conscious.” said Reisner. “We believe the SOLO will become the commuter vehicle of choice for the masses. The vehicle is non-polluting, very economical to operate and people will have a heck of a good time driving it too.”
Electra Meccanica strives to be the driving force behind sustainable transport in creating the compelling, mass-market SOLO. The vehicle will make the urban commute more efficient, cost-effective and environmentally friendly. The bespoke vehicle is not intended to replace the family car, but to supplement the driving experience getting commuters where they need to go at minimal expense and harm to the environment.
The SOLO’s purpose-built design took into consideration that approximately 80 percent of people commute to and from work alone in their personal vehicle. And with the average daily round trip commute being less than 40 miles, the SOLO likely won’t require a charge between home and office due to its 100 mile range.
Powering the SOLO is a 16.1 kWh lithium ion battery and the drive system is tuned for enthusiastic driving. The chassis is made of a composite aerospace lightweight material combined with an aluminum drivetrain which both contribute to an overall vehicle weight of approximately 1,000 lbs.
The SOLO design team used data from wind tunnel simulations to achieve greater aerodynamic efficiency giving it a drag coefficient of .24, which is less than the Chevrolet Corvette and Porsche 911.
The SOLO also comes with a universal power connector which enables connection at both quick charge and standard stations. From zero to full charge, the highly efficient battery system requires only three hours of charging time on a 220 volt charging station and approximately twice that on a 110 volt system.
The AC synchronous electric motor powers the SOLO’s rear wheel creating 140 lb-ft of torque and a top speed of 80 mph for spirited driving on the open road. The single seating configuration provides a fun-to-drive experience not found in any other vehicle and the 82 hp powerplant accelerates the vehicle from 0-60 mph in under eight seconds.
At ten feet in length, the SOLO is approximately 14 inches longer than a Smart ForTwo and 19 inches shorter than a Fiat 500. With a front to rear wheelbase of 80.5 in, a height of 50.5 in, a front width of 47.6 in and a low-slung, single-seat configuration, the vehicle has a planted stance and a streamlined profile.
The SOLO comes standard with 15” aluminum alloy wheels in either Anthracite Grey or Platinum Silver and they are fitted with 155-60 R15 (Front), 175-55 – R15 (Rear) Continental all-season tires.
For a compact vehicle, the SOLO’s carpeted cargo space is ample at 10 ft³, which is approximately as much as a Mercedes Benz C300 Coupe. This volume provides room enough for an airplane carry-on size bag in the front storage area and the equivalent volume of a large shopping cart in the rear compartment.
Because the SOLO’s origins were born from custom coach builder Intermeccanica, we know that interior craftsmanship is key to the driving experience. The SOLO’s cabin offers outstanding appointments inclusive of an LCD digital instrument cluster, AM/FM stereo with Bluetooth/USB connectivity, and adjustable seating configurations. Creature comforts include heating, optional air conditioning, window defogger and a ventilation system as well as power windows, remote keyless entry and a rear view backup camera.
At launch, the SOLO will be available in the following four primary colors derived from Electra Meccanica’s corporate palette: Titanium Silver, Electric Red, Raven Black and Arctic White.
On the exterior, the SOLO is equipped with bi-halogen headlamps, daytime running lights and heated mirrors for a driver-centric view of the road. Stopping power comes courtesy of all-wheel disc brakes supplied by Wilwood and an electric parking brake.
Electra Meccanica offers a comprehensive bumper-to-bumper warranty package for two years of unlimited mileage and a five-year battery warranty.
The SOLO retails at $15,500 in US dollars using today’s currency conversion rate. The SOLO is an affordable and fun to drive EV for an environmentally conscious global population.
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About Electra Meccanica
Electra Meccanica Vehicles Corp. is a Canadian-based designer and manufacturer of the SOLO, an all-electric, single passenger vehicle developed to revolutionize the way people commute. Electra Meccanica combines founder Jerry Kroll’s extensive background in the race car industry with Intermeccanica custom coach builders’ 50 years of experience building high-quality, specialty vehicles. With the release of its first production vehicle in 2016, the Electra Meccanica SOLO, the company aims to put an electric vehicle in everyone’s driveway by making ownership simple, fun and affordable.
More information is available at http://electrameccanica.com. Interact with ElectraMeccanica at Facebook/EMVSolo, @ElectraMecc and view videos on YouTube at http://bit.ly/2bigEaF.
Safe Harbor Disclosure
This news release contains statements that constitute “forward-looking” statements. Any statements that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. These statements appear in a number of different places in this news release and, in some cases, can be identified by words such as “anticipates”, “estimates”, “projects”, “expects”, “intends”, “believes”, “plans”, or their negatives or other comparable words. Such forward-looking statements are subject to certain known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause Electra Meccanica’s actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements that may be expressed or implied by such statements. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding the outlook for Electra Meccanica’s future operations, plans and timing for Electra Meccanica’s SOLO vehicle, electric vehicle programs, statements about future market conditions, supply and demand conditions, forecasts of future costs and expenditures, and other expectations, intentions and plans that are not historical facts. Although Electra Meccanica believes that its expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that these expectations will prove to have been correct, and actual results may vary materially. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated above include, among others, general economic and business conditions, hazards customary in the automotive and technology industries, competition in wholesale and retail markets, the volatility of production and manufacturing prices, failure of customers to perform under contracts, changes in government regulation of markets and of environmental emissions, changes in the electric vehicle market, and our ability to achieve the expected benefits and timing of our electric vehicle projects. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements contained in this news release and in any document referred to in this news release. Electrameccanica undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
