Jerry Kroll and ELECTRAmeccanica, both located in the Vancouver area, say they will begin production of the Solo electric car in 2016. The Solo is only big enough for one person, making it a single user vehicle, or a true SUV says Kroll with a smile. Its small size and light weight means it can zip in and out of traffic with ease. It can travel in the HOV lane and it’s never hard to find a parking space for it. The Solo has a range of about 90 miles and will sell for less than $20,000.
“There will be about 120 of them made next year,” Kroll says. “The first 16 are already sold, so we are just starting to take some orders right now. It’s just crossed 9,000 kilometers today, of flawless testing. There are three more of these type of vehicles hitting the road in the next 60 days. On Nov. 20, we should have our first Solo production vehicle on the road.”
For now, the company will continue manufacturing vehicles at InterMeccanica’s facilities in Vancouver, but the goal is to establish a 200,000 square foot assembly plant in the future. “The plan is to take the company public in 2017,” Kroll says. “We plan on building 120 in 2016 and then in 2017, upwards of 1,200.
“That would be an IPO – initial public offering as a public company. We are getting investors. The government is very interested in supporting us,” Kroll continues. “It’s a fantastic use of Canadian technology with worldwide export potential. Because the vehicle is one person, you don’t have to move the steering wheel to the other side of the car to sell it in England, Japan or Australia. It’s truly a world car as it is.
Kroll believes the Solo is the perfect vehicle for folks who need to commute. He says 83 percent of people commute on their own in a four or five passenger car. “It’s bonkers,” he said. “It’s the right size for the right job.” (mediaELECTRAMECANICA)
