Three‑wheeled ElectraMeccanica Solo will be on the Hill at FOS

With two wheels and a relatively conventional face, it pairs back into a quirky streamlined rear end. It combines all the compact advantages of a number of urban mobility solutions we’ve seen of late, but with the refinement, protection and equipment that comes with having a proper roofed body.

“The way we know travel today is outdated,” says Kevin Pavlov, CEO of ElectraMeccanica. “Everything, from infrastructure to fuelling, parking and delivery, was built for and around the car instead of people. As our needs, lifestyles and behaviours change, 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. I’m immensely looking forward to seeing the UK’s reaction to SOLO first-hand at Goodwood.”

If you had to guess, you’d bet this car was a Swiss product but no. Its unlikely home is Vancouver, British Columbia, which means it’s pretty well coming from the other side of the world to be at FOS. Reservations are open now, for a fully refundable deposit of $250. So yes, in America, it’ll be cheap, costing just $18,500 before tax and fees. A new people’s car in the making? Quite possibly.

The numbers – at least the ones we know – are quite impressive for an urban runaround too. It has a 100-mile range and an 80mph top speed, while charging at the maximum 110 volts takes 2.5 hours to get to 85 per cent from zip. Acceleration figures aren’t exactly forthcoming, with only ‘constant acceleration’ promised. We wonder whether we’ll see it reach that heady speed when it takes to the Hill. Yes, alongside its presence in Electric Avenue, it’ll be making runs up the Hill, in the tyre tracks of Le Mans winners, F1 titans and multi-million-pound supercars. If nothing else, we love a bit of variety at FOS. See you there.