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A startup maker of small electric vehicles is down to two potential candidates for its first U.S. auto plant.
ElectraMeccanica, the Vancouver-based company behind the Solo single-seat car, plans to announce a site near either Phoenix, Arizona, or Nashville, Tennessee, toward the end of next month.
The company unveiled the Solo, a 10-foot-long, three-wheeled electric car that accommodates only a driver, in 2016. ElectraMeccanica’s debut car doesn’t offer the space, features, or range of rival EVs, but its initial price tag of less than $16,000 sought to attract urban commuters who don’t mind the 100-mile range, 80 mph top speed, or lack of airbags.
Company officials said the search for a U.S. factory narrowed from seven initial candidates to the final two over the past eight months.
The plant is expected to create 200 to 500 new jobs. It will feature an engineering center and multiple labs and research facilities to support testing of vehicles, chassis, and power electronics.
ElectraMeccanica said establishing a U.S. factory will allow the company to capitalize on the nation’s growing electric vehicle market, realize logistical efficiencies, and potentially reduce or eliminate tariffs. The company plans to continue its existing partnership with a Chinese contract manufacturer to produce cars for the global market.
ElectraMeccanica has also detailed plans for a pair of two-seat electric convertibles, the Tofino and eRoadster, with longer ranges and more conventional acceleration — as well as far higher price tags.
Image Credit: ElectraMeccanica
