Is Vancouver-based Electra Meccanica Canada's Tesla?

[christmas]

EM is unveiling its new model next month, named Solo.

From CBC article :

If the new electric car is as popular as the CEO hopes it’ll be, the company may have to move production off shore.

“We are selling our finished Solo cars to Japan - 10,500 orders to that country already and another pending order for 88,000. It’s just a shame that we don’t have the uptake from the Canadian government to build the 200,000 square foot facility here, get the jump start that Tesla got in the United States,” Kroll said.

The first completed ‘Solo’ will be unveiled next month in Vancouver with a price tag of around $20,000.

About the car Solo :

http://www.autoblog.com/2016/06/08/e...#slide-3917074

It will cost about $15,300 when it sees the light of day (which might happen as soon as this July). The car does have 82 horsepower and top speed of 75 miles per hour, not to mention a single-charge range of 125 miles. The car is 120 inches long, or about a foot longer than a Smart Fortwo, and can be fully charged via a Level 2 charger in three hours. And while the car can only seat one person, the company's owners argue that about 90 percent of light-duty vehicle travel is done alone, so it's a smart purchase.

The company definitely seems to have potential and momentum at the current rate of growth. It deserves attention for the long haul.

Solo

[SFUVancouver]

No.

It has poor range, low speed, looks weird, and is impractical. Sorry, an electric car will not succeed following this model. Just because they are making an electric vehicle does not mean that they are in remotely the same league as Tesla.

Also, a headline such as this makes me recall Betteridge's Law of Headlines.

[Vin]

It looks like that sky-blue car (Reliant Regal) Mr Bean likes to bully with his Mini Minor, often tipping it over.

Image:
http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/...20150711055227

[retro_orange]

Originally Posted by SFUVancouver

No.

It has poor range, low speed, looks weird, and is impractical. Sorry, an electric car will not succeed following this model. Just because they are making an electric vehicle does not mean that they are in remotely the same league as Tesla.

it could be great for a car-share fleet vehicle, poor range and low speed are just battery and electric motor problems that could be upgraded with a new model. People thought the car2go smart car fleet would be a failure but they are a great success.

[Sheba]

Originally Posted by retro_orange

it could be great for a car-share fleet vehicle, poor range and low speed are just battery and electric motor problems that could be upgraded with a new model. People thought the car2go smart car fleet would be a failure but they are a great success.

Yeah this would definitely be a city vehicle. You could drive between 72nd and King George in Surrey right over to Waterfront Station and back without running out the battery, charge it up overnight and drive it again the next day. A vehicle like this isn't meant for driving to another province.

[WarrenC12]

You can see these in person over at the Meccanica condo building at East 1st and Quebec. They are a cool idea, but maybe for $6k, not $16k or whatever they want.

But people pay more for a smartcar, which has about equal usefulness IMO, and is terrible to drive.

[GeeCee]

120km/h isn't all that slow..

[christmas]

Originally Posted by GeeCee

120km/h isn't all that slow..

Nope! Not in a city where it will mostly be seen nor 99% of the highways that exist in Canada.

[SkyboxInvestment]

Nice try and hope the business stays afloat as it's certain a step in the right direction

[Alex Mackinnon]

Originally Posted by christmas

Nope! Not in a city where it will mostly be seen nor 99% of the highways that exist in Canada.

They also don't have enough range to do the Coquihalla anyways, so it's not like that could be an issue.