Viewed from head on, and without anything nearby for a sense of scale, you could be forgiven for thinking that the ElectraMeccanica Solo is a conventional car, it’s narrow windscreen aside. But catch a glimpse of its tail, which tapers to a single rear wheel, or see it next any other car and it becomes blatantly apparent that it’s anything but ordinary. Tiny exterior proportions tell you straight away that this is a single-seater, and its sole purpose is to provide easy urban transport.
Three‑wheeled ElectraMeccanica Solo debuts at FOS
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Kevin Pavlov, CEO of ElectraMeccanica, said: “The way we know travel today is outdated. Everything, from infrastructure to fuelling, parking and delivery, was built for and around the car instead of people – and as our needs, lifestyles and behaviours have changed, so too must the way we get around. At ElectraMeccanica, we’re embracing and building for that long-awaited change – and modernising mobility for what it needs to be today.”
The Canadian-built EV made its European debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard. As well as being shown in Electric Avenue, the dedicated area for EVs, it also made two trips up the Hill. While it was great to see it taking on the 1.16-mile hillclimb, its natural habitat is the cut and thrust of urban life, where space is at a premium and tailpipe emissions are best avoided. That’s where its compact dimensions will really come to the fore. Being fully enclosed, it’s more secure, safer and more weather-proof than two-wheeled options.
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With a top speed of 80mph and a 100-mile range, the Solo won’t feel out of place beyond city limits. While it’s optimised for densely populated areas, it hasn’t been restricted to them. Alongside the Solo, there’s a commercial version that has a 334-litre storage space.
According to ElectraMeccanica’s research, 80 per cent of journeys are completed alone and most daily mileages are no more than 40 miles. The idea of the Solo is to provide you with just what you need for that usage, reducing materials and making personal transport more sustainable. Could you see yourself making the switch?
You'll be able to catch the new ElectraMeccanica Solo and so much more in action at the 2022 Festival of Speed by clicking here for our live stream!
Photography by Phil Hay.
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